Just Another Day In Paradise

You Learn to Love it...Football

2010-09-24T11:48:00.004-05:00

Happy 36th Anniversary to my Husband Gary! Yes, our Anniversary is on Monday, September 27th. One of my FaceBook Friends, Lauren Anderson offered up a suggestion for this blog...Husbands, Wives, and Football. This ones for you Lauren! First, I will have to give all of you a little background information about my relationship with football. My husband Gary and I met at a High School dance after a home football game. He then asked me to be his date for the Homecoming Dance coming up. Back then, they held the Homecoming Parade on Friday afternoon, before the Homecoming Game that night. He was to ride on a float with the Football Team and we had planned to meet back at the High School afterwards, where I had to catch my bus ride home. I didn't see him on the float, but there were a ton of boys on it, so I didn't think much of it, at the time. When he stood me up at the school later, I was more than a little mad. Just who does he think he is, standing me up? That night I was at the Homecoming Game sitting on the bleachers, when a schoolmate asked me who I was going to the Homecoming Dance with. Now, this was a big deal for me, because I, a lowly Froshman had been asked by an Upperclassman. I turned to her and replied, "Gary McCullough". Suddenly, behind me came a voice that said, "oh, no your not". I looked at this girl, who looked to be a couple of years younger, perhaps a Junior High student, and said, "Just who are you, and how do you know I'm not going to Homecoming?" She got a smile on her face and told me, "I am his sister, Tammy and he's in the hospital". You could have knocked me over with a feather. What a little snippet! And, so began my love/hate relationship with Football. Later, I found out that he had received a blow in football practice that had bruised his kidney. So, no Homecoming Dance for me. That next day I was feeling pretty sorry for myself when I got the bright idea of getting dolled up in my Homecoming Dress and making a visit to see him at the hospital, that evening. I will never forget the look of surprise and delight on his face when I walked into that hospital room. His Mother was there and I was introduced to my future Mother-in-Law, Janece McCullough, who promptly left the room to let us talk. We had a very nice time and it was actually the first time that we had spent much time together. We both were painfully shy. I was fourteen and he was sixteen. I decided right then and there that he was worthy of a second chance from me. Four years later, we were married on a Friday night, yes, it was the evening of the Homecoming game. Five years later, we had our son Frank on a Friday, and his Dad had a football game to broadcast that evening too. We were living in Hoopeston at the time, where Gary was working at the local Radio Station.
Lauren asked me to talk about being a "Football Widow". I will have to admit, when I was much younger, I felt that way, sometimes. As I have gotten older, not so much, anymore. I always loved the "Football atmosphere" of home games. When our kids were younger, our home was the "go to" house, you know, the house where all the kids "go to", after school. I always had a "big pot" of something cooking in the kitchen to feed the hungry hoards. I miss those days, but am looking forward to the Grandkids doing the same, someday.
Now, as for "The Bears" and Sunday football games.... I have always regarded those days as "sacred" and I don't bug the men. I never have understood wives that give their husbands "honey do" lists and actually expect them to get the jobs done. Give your husbands a break Wives. Unless you have a toilet overflowing or a busted water pipe flooding your home, leave them alone. On Sundays the guys head out to the Gazebo where they enjoy the peace and quiet. At half-time they usually head out to Subway or for a beer run. I usually have the game on in the house while I am cooking, doing laundry, or cleaning. Yes, I can watch the game and do other things at the same time. I am after all, a woman, a multi-tasker. Men are not multi-taskers and unless you want something really messed up, leave them alone. They are not capable of watching the big game and watching a small child. Especially if you want that said child to be alive in a few hours. That is a simple fact. Life is Football..it is the end all and the be all. The sooner you realize this, the better off you will be. Now, this Monday night is the big game, yes, it is "The Bears" and the packers. (You noticed I did not capitalize their name, it is a dirty word in our house.) I will not expect any sort of "Anniversary" special event. I have learned my place in thirty six years and it is not in front of the television. So, Happy Anniversary to me. I just hope "The Bears" win or it will be a sad day on Tuesday..
Now, in honor of our Wedding Anniversary, I would like to make a special announcement..we are going to be Grandparents again in March. Daughter Ashley and her husband Jimmy are going to be giving us another Grandchild. Jack Andrew will be a big brother. And, I can assure you that this child, along with the rest will NEVER and I mean NEVER be seen in any packer clothing. Someone made that comment to my husband a few years back and I recall him muttering something to the tune of..."when hell freezes over." Go Bears!

Especially in August when the days are warm then the world seems turned to gold. Sunshine can transform green stalks of corn to yellow, grass is gold

2010-08-18T06:47:00.006-05:00

brocade. The elm trees leafy branches grow tired of making shade....Helen Virden.
August is almost over and school will start here next week. The Gibson City Swimming Pool will be closing up for the season. Parents were busy registering their children for school last week. Now the hunt for new school clothing, shoes, and supplies will be on the agenda from here on until the big day. High School Football practice has begun and I hear the familiar whistles blowing in the early morning and late afternoon. The slow, lazy days of summer are slowly drawing to an end. From the posts from Friends on Facebook and in conversations here and there with people, I have heard the same thing over and over. Pretty much everyone is tired of the heat, humidity, and lack of rainfall this summer has brought us. I would have to agree with them. I would have to give this summer a three or four out of a possible ten. I really don't like seeing the yards and flowers all dried up and crispy. I have been looking at the fields when traveling here and there and it looks to me like it is going to be an early harvest this year, nothing like last years late harvest. I have heard some conflicting reports about what the yield is going to actually bring, depending where your farm is located. Here in Gibson City, we have been passed over many times by Mother Nature in the form of rain. Right now I am only looking forward to September and October for some cooler weather and some much needed rainfall.
This summer weather has been a tough one for the Radio Station too. Our studios were hit by lightening in June and our tower and transmitter were hit sometime in early August. Mother Nature has not been kind to us this summer. We have been experiencing a reduction in our power now for several weeks and it finally was determined that we took a hard hit out at the tower. We have spent the better part of the summer trying to get everything repaired. It has been frustrating for us and for you, the listeners. We have heard from listeners all over the USA who have been wondering what's going on with their favorite Radio Station. We are also trying to do everything possible to keep our studios and transmitter from taking future hits, but it's probably not going to be a guarantee. Mother Nature loves those high towers, they just beg to be hit. We appreciate all of the e-mails, phone calls that let us know that you are indeed listening and want your station back up to one hundred percent. I want to assure you that we are working hard to make that happen.
Our Family managed to take a couple of day trips this summer. One was to Indiana Beach for the day with Ashley, Jimmy, and Jack. We had a great time with Jack and the weather cooperated. It was a nice, cool day when we were there. Jack is still talking about it. We also ventured to Peoria for a Chiefs game. That was a little warmer evening, but we still enjoyed it. That is it for us this summer. It has been a busy one indeed and it has been hard for us to find time to get away.
Grandchildren Demi and Jack will soon be having one of their "firsts". That is, they will both be going to their first babysitter next week and I have to admit, it's making Grandma just a bit nervous. Mom Casey will start teaching soon and we all got together and thought it would be a good idea if Jack and Demi went together to the Sitters. Everyone needs a bit of a break from the schedules we have been trying to keep the last few months with the little ones. It's sort of like the first day of Kindergarten, First Grade, Junior High, High School. I call them "the firsts". It seems like yesterday that I was going through that with my children. You find yourself watching the clock all day, wondering what your children are doing and if they are getting along alright. Finally, they arrive home and with excitement, tell you about their day. Then you realize and breathe a huge sigh of relief, "yes, they are going to be o.k.". I am sure there will be more than a few parents going through this next week. Just breathe everyone and relax, your little ones will be fine. I keep telling myself that, but come next Tuesday I will be watching the clock till I pick them both up at noon.
Speaking of Sports will start again this Saturday and next Friday will be the first Falcon Football Game. WGCY has already began to broadcast "Da Bears" pre-season games. We are gearing up for the start of another School year, so now someone needs to tell Mother Nature to take it easy on us and give us some much needed cooler weather and to keep her lightening strikes to herself.

Summer is winding down

2010-07-16T06:59:00.005-05:00

July is half over and the County Fairs are done. I have started seeing "Back to School" ads on television and in the stores. This summer has been filled with lots of warm, hot, humid, sunny days. The kids should have had their fill of the swimming pool by now. This is just about the time of summer that they start getting bored with all of the summer activities. Little League is done, Youth Football will start soon. The High School Football Field will start being a busy place with lots of activity, soon. We live a hop, skip, and a jump from the High School weight room, football, softball, and track fields. It's been busy over there all summer with the kids at the weight room and the area citizens using the track. I head over there around 5:15 am and it is a steady stream of people using the track. That all-weather track is wonderful to walk or jog on, so much easier on your joints, and I have old joints that don't care for concrete streets or sidewalks, anymore. I have noticed that the spiders are really busy out in my backyard spinning their webs all over the place. That is something that usually happens in late August and in early September. Do they know something that I don't? I am assuming that means an early fall with cooler weather coming soon. It seems we have been about a month ahead on just about everything this year. April felt like May, May like June, July like August. If it follows suit, then August should be cooler. I am not wishing for cold weather, just cooler temperatures, so I can turn off the air conditioning. I am tired of having the house closed up and equally tired of giving all of my money to the Electric Company. I am not complaining mind you, I would not give up my air conditioning for all the tea in China. I am getting bored with my summer attire. Capri pants and t-shirts just don't excite me much. One of Son Frank's good friends is getting married in mid August and I had to go shopping to purchase a much needed dress for the occasion. If you remember my previous blog on shopping you know just how much I detest shopping. I went with my daughter, Ashley and she provided a much needed opinion about what did and didn't look good on me. She also picked out a couple of choices for me, which went right back to the rack. I finally found something that looks appropriate for someone my age, but is going to need a little help with the neckline. It is going to have to have some attention to close it up a bit. I am not "into" showing all of my "parts". I am very conservative with my clothing. I figure if I don't want to look at that, then others don't want to either! Trying to find clothing that covers these days is quite an adventure. Its either cut too low, or the hemline is too short, or looks like it should have been put on my Great Grandmother! Something in between dressing like a teenager or an elderly person would be nice! Now, if my kids are reading this right now, I just know what they are saying to themselves, "But, you are old, Mom!" Ok you two, just cut it out. I am "older", but not "old". Big difference! Frank and Casey are both in this wedding and it will be held in Springfield. We are working out the babysitting schedule for Demi. We will have her on Friday night and Granny Hornstein will be keeping her on Saturday night. I have had her a couple of times all night. She is so cute, but if you plan on getting much sleep while keeping her, forget it! At least during the nighttime hours. During the day and evening, she sleeps like crazy, then around the time you are ready for bed, little Demi comes alive! I call her "the vampire baby". Or, that she is practicing for her teenage years, already! She doesn't scream, she just doesn't sleep, much. She loves to sleep laying on me, much better than in her bed, that's for sure. We call her Demi the Diva! When Jack is over too, and I am holding Demi he says, "Grandma, done." Meaning, "Put her down, Grandma, cause I want to sit in your lap, and not with her up there too!" He only tried to sit on top of her once and threw a blanket over her head another time. Needless to say, Jack is not left in a room, unsupervised with his little cousin. I am pretty sure he would like to send her back where she came from! And, he really gets mad when his Mother is holding her. Just watch out then! I had them both all night a couple of weeks ago. That was an interesting night to say the least. I put Jack to bed and slept downstairs with Demi and tried to keep her quiet as to not disturb her cousin sleeping. It didn't take me long to figure out the sofa isn't the best place to sleep. When we finally did get to sleep, around 3:30am to 6:00 am, one of my husbands friends "phoned" the house and woke both of us, with some silly question about something, or other. I told him if he ever phoned my home that early on a Sunday morning again, he might just disappear like a certain mafia figure, that has yet to be discovered. Don't mess with a tired Grandma that early in the morning when she has only had three hours of sleep. Needless to say, it took me four days to catch up from that night. How did I do it when my kids were newborns? I sure don't remember being up that much, but as I have said before, a person's memory seems to "block out" all of that! I just know that I fared much better at missing sleep when I was younger, a lot younger in fact. Age does matter!
On a sad note, for those of you who don't know, our family was hit with a blow on July 5th. My husband's Sister, Tammy lost her dear husband, Mark Craig. Mark was a really great guy who knew everyone and had a big smile on his face all of the time. I used to ask my Sister-in-Law, Tammy, "Does he get up that way in the morning?" She told me that he was like that every day of his life. Mark ran the Sunoco Station here in Gibson City for many years and helped a lot of people out with their vehicles. He was a great mechanic. I know he worked on keeping our old heaps running for many years. He was especially a "big hit" with the elderly women here in town. He would go to their homes and pick up their vehicles, bring them back to his shop, fix them or service them and take them back home. That kind of dedication and service is really hard to find these days. Mark was the happiest person I ever knew. I never remember him saying a bad word about anyone and he had more friends than any person I ever knew. He lived his life the way he wanted. He loved to Golf and spend time with his family and friends. The town of Gibson City will miss him and so will our family. Mark had one daughter, Stacy Johnson of Paxton, her husband Chad, and grandchildren Hunter and Valeree. The world will be a much quieter place without Mark, he had a laugh you could hear a mile away and he laughed a lot and loud. We all could take a lesson from Mark. Enjoy life, do what you enjoy, have lots of friends, work hard, and just laugh loud and long.

Welcome to the world thats shiny and new. Welcome to a lifetime of dreams come true. Welcome to the joy of living each day. Love is all around you and

2010-06-08T13:30:00.012-05:00

here to stay. So goes the song we play here on WGCY Radio Station, by the late Nicolette Larson. It was a CD that she recorded for her then, newborn daughter. I thought it appropriate to start my blog with it. It is one of my favorite songs on this CD and always brings a tear to my eye, every time I hear it. There is another cut off the CD that is titled, "On the Day you were Born". That one really gets me, it talks about a new mother kissing her newborn child for the first time and welcoming her to the world. It goes something like this, "The moment I saw you, I wanted to hold you. The moment I saw you, I wanted to kiss you. To welcome you here on the day you were born". I dare any mother, no matter how old you are, to listen to that song and not cry as you remember the day your child or children were born. We play that here on the Radio Station, too. I actually have two copies of this CD floating around somewhere. I purposely did not put those songs on my Ipod, as I don't want people to see a grown woman, walking and crying. They would send me to the loony bin for sure. On that note, talking about newborns, I'm thinking you may be able to guess where this blog is headed. Yes, We have a new addition to our family. Little Demi Elaine McCullough made her entrance into this world on June 1, 2010 at 10:44am. Of course, she had to wait until Monday evening of Memorial Day to get us all up to the hospital, and then promptly made us wait until the next morning to make her arrival. Son Frank, new Daddy, stood there at the door with his new baby girl, proudly showing her off, while a couple of us stood there blubbering like babies ourselves. She was looking right at us, then at her dad, and of course, crying and letting us know in no uncertain terms that she liked it much better where she had been. Gary and I were so excited to be Grandparents again, while Casey's Mother is a first-timer. Demi weighed 7 lbs, 5 oz and was 20 inches long, with a head full of dark hair and a perfect little head, nose, eyes,and mouth. She is truly a beautiful baby. And, I am not exaggerating one bit here. I have seen a lot of babies in my time, some really cute, some not so. And, for a newborn, her color was perfect. Yes, she is just perfect in every single way. And, I will let you know right now that she is being a perfect newborn at home too. Yes, she is sleeping a lot. Of course her favorite time to sleep is all day, and when the sun goes down, Demi Elaine is ready to par-tay (that is a word the younger set use now for party. I thought it appropriate to use it here, because, you don't get any younger than dear little Demi.} Her parents are exhausted, as you can well imagine and things have changed in their house quite a bit. At least when they are up at three a.m now, it is with their daughter and not coming home from a fun night out. Frank and Casey have adjusted pretty well and are really good sports about this. I am not so sure about their cat, Wrigley, and lab, Coco. They both tried to make a run for it the other day when I stopped by. They both had their toys, food, and beds by the back door and were trying to hitch a ride when I left. They looked pitiful at the door when I told them, "Just tough it out, you two, she'll be a fun playmate for you, one of these days". But, all kidding aside, everyone is thrilled and happy that she is here, healthy and happy. Our family used to be four, and now in about six years, our numbers have risen to eight. Welcome to the world that's shiny and new, welcome to a lifetime of dreams come true. Welcome to the joy of living each day. Love is all around you and here to stay. Yes, welcome to the world little Demi. You will be loved well in this life, and that's all any of us can really ask for, isn't it?

I Know It's Spring...the sky's so blue, The earth's high ceiling is practically new,

2010-05-03T14:07:00.013-05:00

The iris is up...when the wind is blowing, I smell wet sod where the grass is growing. And now and again my heart turns over at the scent of lilacs or sweet white clover. I know it's spring...the rain's so light as it sings in the trees through half the night. And once in a while the air's a-tremble with colored wings as the the birds assemble. The world is grayer, and walking from the new-plowed fields I have heard bees hum. I know it's spring..for an old, old book, where farmers and gardeners and townsmen look for comfort and wisdom and joy and peace, says that the seasons never will cease as long as the earth remaineth..so..since winter is gone, it's spring, I know...by Helen Welshimer.
That beautiful poem says it all and it has been a lovely spring so far. April was the warmest April on record. It was a very busy month for everyone too. Taxes and yard work mainly kept everyone on their toes. Grandson Jack and I had a fun picnic at the park with another Grandmother friend and her grandson. We had a fun day and I published lots of cute pictures for all of my facebook friends. Jack and I have made many walks to the park and spent lots of time there in April. He has managed to learn how to maneuver around most all of the playground equipment now, without needing much help from Grandma. We don't do the biggest slide though, I am convinced Jack is not ready for that, yet. We have made a fun game of "follow the leader" up and down the ramp and steps that lead to the ladies restroom. Jack runs and Grandma follows, then we get to the steps and Jack always stops and watches Grandma to make sure she jumps on the stairs. I have definitely gotten my exercise these days at the park. I forgot how much fun the pavilion and stage can be for little ones too. I sit on a picnic table and Jack runs back and forth across the stage while we both sing, "toot toot chugga chugga, big red car", from "The Wiggles".
Two year old's can keep them selves busy doing the most mundane things, things that as an adult I had forgotten about. That is the joy of being with a grandchild, just spending time doing the most routine things, and having so much fun doing them. We laugh until Grandma has to go sit down to rest. Jack has taken a shine to Grandpa's gazebo too. We have spent lots of afternoons out there. Jack really loves Grandpa's little refrigerator out there that just happens to have his favorite drinks. He is growing up so fast and talking up a storm. He has a favorite book that belonged to his Uncle Frank when he was just about Jack's age. It is a book about trains and we look at it every day. I told Jack that Grandma and Grandpa are going to take him to Indiana Beach to ride the little train there. Now, every time we get the book out he wants to know about riding the train with Grandma and Grandpa. We are looking forward to our trip with him this summer. I think we might plan a picnic for Bloomington to the zoo one day. Short trips seem good for a two year old. Grandpa and I are talking about taking him to Chicago on the train for a visit, when he is older. We have traveled several times that way and it is very pleasant, much better than driving. Driving doesn't hold much interest for me anymore. I'd rather sit on a train and read or look out the window. It seems you have to start making your plans now for all you want to cram into the next few months or it just doesn't seem to get done.
May is truly one of my favorite months. All of the trees look their best, before the beetles and other ailments start attacking them. Everyone is busy getting their bedding plants and pots filled for their porches and decks. Prom is next week-end here and Mother's Day is next Sunday. My hubby's annual camping trip with his buddies is coming up too. Then there is all of the graduations and parties and Memorial Day cook-outs too. There is a lot to cram in to one month, that's for sure. I do miss getting somebody ready to go to prom. What I don't miss is spending all the money and missing out on sleep that night. For those of you who are in the middle of all of that, have fun and enjoy it, because you will miss it when your kids are grown. I have a confession to make, I usually go out in my car and drive around town that afternoon late to witness lots of pictures being taken in front yards all over town to see the kids all dressed up in their finest. I have heard of some towns having a "walk around" in their high schools where all of the kids come in to the gym and just walk around so that the whole town can come to see all of the pretty dresses and suits and flowers. I think that is a fine idea. I don't know if the kids would like it, but I'd be the first one over there to see them, even if I didn't know one kid there. Anyway, I hope all of our students and parents have a grand and safe time at their prom this Saturday night.
We had a baby shower for our daughter-in-law Casey this past Sunday, out at Railside Golf Course. This little girl will be so well-dressed. I do believe they have almost everything they will need for her. Lots of friends and relatives attended from near and far. Casey looked radiant and beautiful. We had the cutest little cupcakes with roses made in lemon and chocolate along with little sandwiches and the usual nuts and mints. We decorated the tables with Casey's favorite flower, the Gerber Daisy and we made a cute little wall hanging with "Demi" on it, that hung over all of her presents. We are only about five weeks away from the arrival of our new little granddaughter, Demi Elaine and everyone is getting very excited. Aunt Ashley is getting very excited to meet her new little niece, along with Jack who came into the shower looking for her. He thought she was going to be there and kept looking around and saying, "baby Demi". You have to wonder what a two year old thinks of all of this. We have been talking about her for so long, I'm thinking he's going to be surprised when there actually is a baby to hold. When you ask him what baby Demi will be doing when she gets here, he says, "cry". Well, he got that part right. Guess he's smarter than the rest of us in that regard.
We finally got all of the painting done a week ago. Demi's room is "cotton candy pink" and her playroom/sleeping room for an adult is light gray. Frank and Casey have very steep stairs and thought it would be a good idea to put "mommy's" old futon up there, just in case. Sounds like a great idea to me. I do believe the crib is there and the changing table too. New carpet is going down this week, so things are almost done for her room. Most of her "loot" from the shower is at my house waiting for the carpet to be laid. I think her room is going to be so cute. Aunt Ashley had a special picture made of her letters and it will be hung up there also. Getting ready for a new little one is so much fun. And, especially getting little girl things is so much fun. I cannot believe all of the adorable little baby girl stuff that's in the stores. It is all so cute, it's hard to decide what to buy. She has gotten so many "Cubs" things from her daddy too. She can wear a different Cubs outfit everyday for a week, I think.
Daddy Frank looks to me to be getting a little antsy. Gary and I have been laughing about what a fussbudget he is going to be with this baby. Like father, like son. I can still see Gary leaning over Franks bassinet with his ear down over him to see if he was breathing. I'm sure Frank will be the same way with his little Demi.
April was the month for break-downs around here. We had to finally get a new lawn-mower, a new refrigerator, and a new coffeepot, all in the same week. Things always break in threes, you know. We still have a ceiling fan that needs replacing, but we will get to it one of these days. We are good to go, for the moment anyway. My kids have started using those terms, "it's always something around here" that needs fixing. Yup, welcome to adulthood and home ownership. Something is always broke and needs fixing or oftentimes, replacing. A lot of things just aren't made to be fixed these days. It's cheaper to just buy a new one than pay somebody $85 an hour in labor to fix it, if you can get the parts. Some things yes, some things no. Anyway, I hope we are done for awhile. I have painted way too much the last couple of months and as much as I desperately need to get more done around here, I am done for the moment. I am going to try to take some much needed time "off". Well, not completely "off", but how about, not busy 14 hours out of the day? Just the usual work around the house and at the Radio Station. Things will be quieter around there for awhile, too. At least until the Ford County Fair, then it will be time to start thinking about High School Football and school getting started again. I am going to try to relax and enjoy the summer with my family and especially my two grandchildren. I did say that, didn't I? I am going to be a Grandmother for a second time. I want to sit outside and relax with a drink and a good book. That sounds like heaven to me. Yes, I know that's not very exciting, but exciting isn't what I am looking for, just a little time to breathe and enjoy the great outdoors. Yes, I also know I need to start going over to the track to start walking again. That, I definitely need to do.
Please, get outdoors and enjoy this lovely cool spring weather. For soon it will be summer and the heat will be here. Is there anything better than having your window open at night and feeling that cool air coming in the window? It is great sleeping weather, and I plan on doing a little more of that too! Enjoy the weather. Happy Spring to everyone!

April showers bring May flowers...

2010-04-10T23:20:00.002-05:00

April is finally here and April usually brings lots of rainy, cool days. We have been very blessed with a lot of warm, sunny days lately. The Willobys got all moved into their new home in March and Jack is loving his new room and playroom. All in all the move went very well. We have been enjoying lots of walks in the stroller and trips to the park.
Frank and Casey have chosen a name for their baby girl, that will arrive in early June. Her name will be Demi Elaine McCullough, she will share her middle name with both of her Grandmothers, as we both have Elaine for our middle name. Frank and Casey have been getting ready with some re-decorating for their daughter. Like spring, Casey is blooming, too.
I have been doing some painting and re-decorating, also. I painted my family room a soothing teal green color and added some new chocolate drapes. The room looks very inviting and relaxing, too.
Our refrigerator and lawn mower both needed replacing this past week, along with my old coffeemaker, that decided to start leaking all over. My hubby and I made a trip to pick out a new refrigerator and we decided on an old-fashioned, normal refrigerator with no water and ice thing on the front. I am tired of cleaning up after the old one. I also picked one in black so I don't have to wipe off dirty fingerprints all of the time.
The gazebo in the backyard got a much needed spring cleaning and it is up and running for the summer, with the tv, fridge stocked, and the satellite and comfty chairs ready. We use the screened in gazebo a lot in the summer. Some much needed raking and burning of leaves was done the other day, too. The patio furniture came out of the shed and the hot tub got worked on and after all the painting I have been doing, it has felt mighty good these evenings.
I have managed to get out of doors for a few walks, but need to get a little more motivated to do it every morning. Last summer, I walked at least two miles every day on the all weather track at the high school. It has been a long winter and I have gained a few pounds back and need to get it off. So, it has been a busy month for all of us. I am ready to get these tasks done so I can enjoy the nice days when we get them.
We are also getting ready for a baby shower for daughter in law, Casey. The shower is scheduled for early May. Frank and Casey are keeping busy getting prepared for their little one coming. Frank has been busy on the internet watching videos of births and parenting tips. I told him, don't worry about it, you two are going to do fine. They are both pretty relaxed, so I think they will be fine parents. After all, you just can only prepare yourself so much until the baby actually gets here.
The Radio Station has been very busy and finally we are finished with basketball. The guys didn't have any down time this year in between football and basketball. With GCMS in the football playoffs and basketball starting the very next Monday, it's been a very busy year. I think the guys are all ready for some rest and relaxation, until football season starts again.
Get out and enjoy these warm, sunny, spring days. They won't last long and soon the heat of summer will be upon us. I think we are due for a really nice spring, after the winter we had. Last spring wasn't very nice and I think mother nature "owes us", that's for sure. I won't even mind mowing the yard again, as long as the mower runs. By the way, we haven't mowed our yard yet. I think my husband feels that he puts it off as long as he can, because once you start, it's an every week thing. I actually am looking forward to getting out and doing some mowing, believe it or not. I can't wait to get out and plant some flowers too, but that will have to wait a little while longer, as the last frost date is May 15, and we can certainly get frost up until that date. Yes, April showers bring May flowers, and trees budding out, and hay fever, and all the rest that goes with it.

March opened wide the golden doors and Spring tripped gently through....Ann Thompson Jester

2010-03-04T14:13:00.009-06:00

March entered simply, quietly, without much fanfare. It's like that most years. March comes in with a cold, cloudy day, usually. Nothing much to write home about. We all have a lot of expectations for March. I really feel sorry for her, because no matter what she brings to us, she never quite meets our expectations. After several months of cold, snowy, blustery, cloudy days, we are so happy to see her arrive, but, when she doesn't bring us the warm, sunny days that we want, we get mad at her. Yes, I feel sorry for March and I really think we need to have more appreciation for her, more realistic expectations for her. After all, she tries to bring us as many sunny days as she can, and, by the end of March, the days are longer. We have a time change waiting for us, soon. She gives us the gift of longer days. Most of the snow is gone in March. Yes, I know, sometimes she likes to play a little trick on us, by leaving us more snow, but she's just having a little fun, she's just teasing us. She also likes to have fun with us by blowing us around, alot. March definately has a sense of humor. You have to give her credit for that. And, sometimes she brings us Easter, but not this year. There are a lot of you who like to take off for the warmer states and leave her high and dry, for your Spring vacations. I really don't think she likes being left high and dry, for somewhere warm, where you are enjoying a beach, or a pool, or a Family theme park. In fact, I'm sure she just gets down-right angry at that. Maybe, that's why when you get home from your trip, she likes to throw you a one-two punch of really bad, cold, rainy, and windy weather. That way, you will be more respectful of her, and not take off next year. The one really good gift that she always gives us, is St. Patrick's Day. It's always tucked right inside of her, every year. It's the same date, every single year, no floating Holiday for it. And, I can tell you that I have had some of the best times on that date. The best St Patrick's Day I ever had was in Chicago with some dear friends. It was a week-end to remember. The Chicago River was turned green, and if you have never seen that, it is well worth the trip to view it. The Pubs and Restaurants are just thick with people, and everybody is every ones best friend. People are dancing and happy, and just having the time of their life, as we did too. That, was quite a few years ago, when I was much, much younger, and could get over a week-end like that relatively quickly, not so much, today. I don't think that I would live through a week-end like that now, at age fifty-four. But, I can look back and laugh at what fun we had! Everyone should experience St Patrick's Day in Chicago, just once in their life.
We are getting busy with some family things coming up. The big move for Daughter Ashley and Son-in-law, Jimmy and little Grandson Jack will be right after St. Patrick's Day, so no fun for me, because I am going to be busy helping right after it. I am looking forward to their getting into their new home, the move itself, not so much. I have been preaching to my Daughter about getting started with her packing, to no avail. She does everything on her own schedule, in her own fashion. There has never been any action on her part, ever, after I have prodded her. She keeps informing me that she has plenty of time, and that it won't take that long to get packed up. That is the sound of my laughter you are hearing, please turn down your computer, as I laugh even harder now. Now, this is the same Daughter who, when coming over to move her out of her apartment, took five big vans and trucks to get all of her belongings home. Yes, you heard that right. Five vehicles full. And, we didn't have more than a few pieces of actual furniture. The apartment was furnished. That is the sound of my not laughing, as I also remember that her apartment was on the third floor of that same building. What you are hearing is the sound of my joints, still groaning, after that move. My body will never be the same, and has not yet recovered , after five years. Now, you may add one small, two year old, who owns more toys, clothes, and books than any small child, plus one husband, who is some-what of a clothes horse, and refuses to throw anything away, and one female, who, has an affinity for purses, shoes, jewelry, clothing, and enough home decor to decorate the entire first floor of Macy's Department Store in Chicago, for every season of the year, and I think you pretty much get the picture. Now, in their defense, there was some cleaning out of the basement, last fall, as I recall. I think you probably can walk through it, now. So, when she says that it isn't going to take that long, you can see why I am laughing. She has never moved after having a family. This will be her first, and I can't wait. She doesn't think they have much stuff to move. Yes, I am still laughing. I have been given the best, and most important job for the day of the move. I get to drive Grandson Jack to Bloomington to meet "Nona" to "hand him off" for the week-end. He will be in Pekin, at the other Grandparents for the big move. That, is my big contribution. (If I take my time, and drive very carefully, don't you think I can at least make that job last, say, four hours?) I am going to do the very best I can to do so. Maybe by the time I get back, they will have everything moved, so I won't have to do anything. Yeah, that's a really good plan! Now, all kidding aside, I do plan on helping move a few things. There is that one small box full of dried flowers that will need my undivided attention, so that none of those flowers get broken off! That is part of the all-important "home decor".
Son Frank and Daughter-in-law Casey are doing some "home" projects of their own. They are getting ready to paint the new little one's bedroom, and adjoining bedroom and lay the carpet. I have made a mad dash to Strictly Kids, and bought up every cute little baby girl, frilly, pink, and cute thing I could find. I also bought them the cutest baby bassinette you ever did see. Little baby girl McCullough is going to look just precious in all of the clothes and her new little bed. Casey also just got her bedding set for her crib. They still will have to get the crib and changing table later, after her room is all ready. I have dug through some more stuff at my house and found a beautiful picture for her room, that was in her Aunt Ashley's bedroom, when she was a baby. It is a picture of a little girl hugging a little white lamb. They still have not chosen a name for her, so Rhonda (Casey's mother) and I have been having a little fun. We've been calling her "Summer June". I have put her name on facebook with my friends several times and I had to let people know that, "Summer June" isn't her "real" name, but her play name. I am hoping soon for her real name. We are anxiously awaiting Mom and Dad's announcement. We have also gotten the baby shower invitations printed, and they are almost ready to send out. Casey and Frank have registered for all of the "much needed" baby paraphanlia. They can't believe how much stuff a baby needs. I also have readied Frank's old bedroom, and Michael Jordan and the rest of the gang have left the premises. The room has been freshly painted, and new pictures and shelves adjorn the walls, along with new drapes. Jack will be getting a new bed soon, and I received his new blue and white plaid bedding too. The crib also will have a new bedding set that arrived the other day, little princesss bedding, with crowns and castles on it, all pink and purple, fit for a princess.
So, now March needs to be especially cooperative, and get Spring here, and soon! Our family is in "busy mode" and we need the weather to cooperate, to get us through all of our tasks. If we all talk really nice to her, maybe she will bless us all with warm, sunny days, and no more snow. Wouldn't that be really great? Let's give March all of the respect and appreciation she deserves, as, she has quite a lot to accomplish in a short amount of time, and I hope she is happy and "goes out like a lamb", that would be really nice!

My friends are little lamps to me, their radiance warms and cheers my way, and all my pathway, dark and lone, is brightened by their rays.

2010-02-02T06:14:00.015-06:00

Well, we made it through January, didn't we? It certainly went fast, as all the months seem to do these days, at least for me. The weather made it a little tougher to get through this year. I've heard some say they didn't think the weather was so bad, and others, like me, thought it was pretty cold and the snow has stayed on for a long, long, time. I've heard tales of lots of ice mishaps with broken arms and sprained body parts. Thankfully, that doesn't include my falling down, as I have mastered the "ice shuffle" walk pretty well. Now the latest weather forecast is predicting more snow in our area. Thankfully, February is a short month and seems to go even faster than January. It seems at this time of the year we are all just trying to pass the time to get to the "eternal spring" that will soon be here. My parents mail is full of "gardening" magazines along with seed catalogs and soon the "plant" catalogs will be arriving. I want to touch on something coming up in a few days, February 6th, to be exact. My parents fifty-fifth wedding anniversary. It just seems like yesterday our whole family had an open house for them at Railside Golf Course to celebrate their 50th. I mentioned to them the other day, when I was visiting about their impending anniversary and my dad said, "so what? It's our 55th, no biggie." Well, I beg to differ, Dear Father, it is a "biggie". My husband and I plan to take them out to dinner on Saturday night to celebrate this milestone. I personally think every year after the 50th anniversary should be celebrated, because these days alot of couples just don't make it that far. That is a long time to be married. I think my parents deserve to celebrate the event and should be very proud of their accomplishment. Now my folks are just like everybody else's. They are both retired and don't get out of the house much in the winter. I try to stop up with Jack at least once a week to "liven" things up a bit and he definitely does that. They added a little miniature greyhound dog to their family a few years back named "Belle" and she flits around like a little flea when we come in. This dog has tons of energy and loves to lick and love on Jack. I think she's been good for them, although she does not like to go outside when it's cold, at all. This dog is so tiny and thin, she must freeze when they take her outside. They got her a sweater to wear outside, but when you ask her to put it on, she runs and hides, guess the sweater isn't going over too well. Dogs and clothes just don't seem to go along too well. Mikko has gotten a little more used to the cold and we haven't had to don the booties and coat as of late. Another interesting thing I have come to enjoy as a pastime to get through this winter is the Facebook program on my computer. Now if you don't know what Facebook is, well, you must be living under a rock. Some of my friends from High School talked me into getting on Facebook this past summer. My daughter has been on it for quite some time, but I didn't really understand what it was, so I took the plunge and I am enjoying it, alot. Yes, I spend some time on the computer with Facebook everyday and I have read that "they" were concerned about people spending time on Facebook instead of spending time with people and that it actually disconnects people. I disagree, I have re-connected with High School buddies that I hadn't spoken to in years and I get to keep up with important events in their lives, births of babies, weddings, engagements, deaths, illnesses, important milestones in peoples lives. Some say it's being nosey, but I disagree. A person can put what information they want out there and there are applications where you can talk "privately" to someone that isn't on the "open" page of Facebook. Personally I think it is marvelous. Can some use it the wrong way? Yes, they can. I don't like to talk about "controversial" subjects, like politics, but some like to, that is their prerogative to do so. Can you give away too much of your personal information? Yes, I think you can. But, there are steps you can take to insure your privacy and the privacy of your family, you just have to take the time to get those "personal settings" done correctly. There is alot to learn about Facebook and how it operates. But, for those who like to stay updated and connected with friends and family, it is quite the tool for that. I would suggest to parents who have children on Facebook that they monitor what they are putting "out" there for others to see and I personally don't think I would let a child under the age of 12 on there at all and if they are over 12, then you need to have access to what they are writing and putting on there. Anyway, this fifty-four year old is having fun with it and it makes the days of winter go faster, indeed. I had to share some fun news on Facebook, so I guess I will also share it along on my blog, too. A few weeks ago, our son Frank and Daughter-in-law, Casey found out that they are going to have a little Daughter in early June. So, Grandma is thinking " pink and frilly", that's exactly what I put on Facebook, to see if anybody was paying attention, some got it right off. Now we are thinking baby girl clothes and I recently dug into the old "cedar" chest and got out all the baby girl things I had saved from when Ashley was a baby. I did some "soaking" and washing of things and was amazed at what good condition everything was in. Some of the items are hand-made, crocheted and knitted baby blankets, sweaters, booties, and caps that my Grandma Greenlee had made and my Mother had made several items too. These things are so precious to me and I am thrilled that another generation of my family will be wearing them, soon. We are planning a Baby Shower in early May for Casey and we will be getting busy with that, soon. We also have another big event coming our way, and soon. Our daughter Ashley and son-in-law Jimmy, recently sold their house and will be moving soon into a much larger and spacious home. They outgrew their cute little bungalow very quickly after little Jack arrived and little Jack is getting bigger and bigger, every day. He has hit the stage where he is repeating everything he hears you say, so we all "watch" what we say, very carefully, these days. My little grandson will be getting a toddler, "big boy" bed, as Grandma calls it, when they move into their new home. Grandma went shopping and got him a new bedspread set and a couple of cute pictures to match recently. Of course, it has pictures of trucks and cars on it. We are so into trucks and cars these days. While cleaning out a closet the other day, I came upon a case full of old Matchbox and Hot Wheel cars that belonged to Frank when he was little, that had been passed down from my brothers. We went through the case and most are dated on the bottom. Some go back to the late 60's and early 70's. I believe their might be some "antiques" in the box. Anyway, Jack has been having so much fun playing with these, everyday we go through them and he finds a new car or truck to delight him. Another hand-me-down that another generation will be using. And the new little granddaughter will find lots of treasures awaiting her too, as I saved all of "Aunt Ashley's" barbie doll paraphernalia, too. Someday, little one, someday... so I look forward to the spring and to new events coming soon to our family, yes spring will soon be here!

Happy 2010!

2010-01-09T06:39:00.009-06:00

There will be no cute little poem at the beginning of this blog entry as I am not feeling very "poetery". I know that's not a word, but what the heck! It is the rottenest, meanest month of the whole year. Is there anybody out there that can find one good thing to say about the month of January? Unless you are sitting on a warm beach somewhere sippping a tall, cool drink, sitting in your swimsuit, cocked back in a comfortable chair, with that big yellow, warm orb shining down on you from the sky, probably not! At least not here in Illinois! Do you remember the descriptive blog I wrote about the fall? How much I love it, the warm days, cool nights, crunching of leaves? Well, I take it all back because of what comes after..yes, I think I truly do hate winter in Illinois. Yes, the first time it snows I kind of think it's pretty, the first time I have to go out to shovel snow, not so much. I only like snows that do not require shoveling, snow boots or involve my spending ten minutes bundling my dog up in his coat and booties to get him to do his "dogie" business outside and did I mention that always involves at least devoting fifteen minutes to walking around? Now this dog of mine is the biggest sissy dog in the world. He is a Pomeranian with a long, full, thick coat of fur and he isn't one of those little foo-foo, tiny Pomeranian's, he weighs twenty pounds, so I don't understand why he should be bothered by a little rain or snow, but when it rains, oh my, trying to get him out in the yard is like pulling a donkey that doesn't want to move through the yard. He straightens his front legs and digs in like he is a donkey! This dog definitely has a mind of his own. Now, here's the funny part, if it's a fresh snow, he loves to run out and frolic in it, but if it's been there a day or two and has gotten colder, forget it, he wants nothing to do with it. Also, he insists on climbing on top of the highest snow pile he can find to do his business. I love it when cars drive by and here I am standing by a huge snow pile with this dog up on top perched..well, I think I would probably laugh if I was driving by and saw that sight! These booties we have for him have gotten kinda rough looking and worn-out, as we have had them for five years and cannot find any like them, anywhere, they are felt-like and he tolerates them very well. We guard these booties with our lives. I always tell the husband, when you take him out at night in them, take a flashlight with you, because Mikko has been know to throw a bootie off in the yard while your walking him. One time, hubby came back in without one bootie, he was met at the door by me, "where is that other bootie? He said, "I don't know, he must have lost it out in the yard". I handed him a flashlight and said, "Don't come back without it!" "What if I can't find it?" I repeated in my sternest voice, "Don't come back without it!" I think he might have given me that look, you know the look that men give you when they can't quite understand what you are saying? But, out he went without another word with his little flashlight and back inside some fifteen minutes later with the little black bootie! Now this might seem ridiculous to some of you, but when it gets this cold out and a person takes one of these dogs outside and their little paws just aren't toughened up to this cold weather, you have to put these booties on, or the dog just stands out in the yard, lifting their feet up and looking at you like, "Are you nuts?" "Do you expect me to actually do something out here, now, in this cold, with my little paws freezing?" Well, enough of the dog adventures, now for my adventures since the start of this glorious year. On Monday after New Years week-end I went out in the garage to get in my mini-van to go to work. Said mini-van hadn't been out of the garage all week-end and it was very cold that morning, so I didn't think much of it when I started the vehicle up and it seemed very sluggish, when I tried to back out of the garage, but I talked nice to her and said, "come on, you can do it, you'll warm up in a bit". She still moved very slowly getting out of the driveway and then I started down the street and thought, something isn't right, what's going on, why is this thing so bumpy and slow? Then it dawned on me, you got a flat tire, you ninny! So I turned it around, very slowly and drove at inch-worm speed back to my garage, got out to inspect the van and the right-front passengers side tire was actually flat and now, off the rim! Oh, man, this is not good! Now I know all you men are going to say, "doesn't she look at her tires before she takes off?" No, I don't and I really don't think most other people do either. Maybe if I am taking a big trip, I actually look at the tires, but not just on a short trip across town. Well, the van had to take a big ride on the back of a big tow truck and then to the tire shop to get fixed. That was also the day that I had to go to the doctors as I have been a lot under the weather, sick would be the correct word since Wednesday before New Years Eve. I have had the worst ear ache and head full of ... well, use your imagination. My head feels like I went out the night before and had the best time of my life, of course, I have had no fun of that sort at all. I am on my second round of medicine and still cannot hear out of my left ear, I am always saying, "I can't hear you to everybody right now." No, this year isn't getting off to a very good start, but what the heck, I am going to get it all out of the way in January, because as soon as it's over, all the good stuff will start. I keep telling myself that, anyway. I hope the weather does improve somewhat, as this has been kind of bad, so far anyway. Hey, that lawn mower sitting outside in my shed is starting to look pretty good about right now, the darn thing just better start come April, if it knows whats good for it!

The New Year is a promise and a prayer, a new beginning and an open door to hope and joy...Myra P. Ellis

2009-12-29T06:16:00.010-06:00

Christmas 2009 is in the rear-view mirror. New years is fast approaching. Christmas at the McCullough household was very nice, it seems like it got here way too fast, as usual and was over far too fast, also. The snowfall on Saturday was very nice, indeed as we had one more family Christmas at my parents to attend. My folks home used to seem larger, every Christmas there are more of us in attendance, grandchildren bringing boyfriends and more great-grandchildren are looming on the horizon, next year there will be at least one more of us. We are packed in like sardines, but I really think it makes for a loud and fun Christmas. So, this week has been dedicated to getting my house back in order, cleaning out space for the new and getting rid of some of the old. I always say, "Don't get much for me, as I just don't need anything", but I do enjoy getting some new "stuff". Grandson Jack was ill during Christmas with lots of coughing and he just wasn't feeling very "festive". He did pretty well, just a little out of sorts and wasn't eating very well. It has turned into a full blown, visit to the doctor illness and he spent yesterday on Grandma's lap, pretty much. Hope he gets to feeling better, real soon. Its hard when little ones are sick. Been there, done that, many times. I do feel better when I get the Christmas decorations down. I have never been one of those people who get "down" about Christmas being over, I thoroughly enjoy it, while it's here, but when it's past, I am ready to move on and look ahead. Yes, I know that means the end of the year and the beginning of a New Year and all that comes with it. The end of the year at the Radio Station means lots of extra work, closing out 2009 and getting ready for 2010, files to re-organize, end of the year tax "stuff" to do, that's one part of the holiday I could do without, but it has to be done, so I just dive in and "get er done". Closing out 2009 and moving ahead to 2010 kind of makes me sad, in a way, because I know that it means my little two year old grandson, Jack is getting closer to three with every passing day and I would like to "slow" him down, just a bit, but we all know that isn't going to happen. Two is such a fun age, he's still kinda got a little of the "baby", I love so much, in him, but potty training is looming in the future and more "grown up" behavior will be expected of him this next year. I wish I could just stop the clock for awhile. It makes me sad when I think about it, the older I get the more I want to drag my feet. I am looking forward to 2010 with much anticipation on the birth of the next "little one" in our family. Frank and Casey's baby will be here in early June and we are all very excited about that and June will be here, before you know it, they have lots to do to get ready. They will probably find out in the next month or so whether they are having a "son" or a "daughter". I have no preference, just so he or she is healthy, that's the most important thing. These young parents-to-be are sort of lucky to be able to plan and get ready for the new arrival by finding out what they are having. I have mixed feelings about it really, we never had a clue what we were having, back in the olden days, but I think I would miss the element of surprise, it was so much fun for my husband to come out and tell all the relatives, in the waiting room, whether they had a grandson or granddaughter, niece or nephew. The bad thing was you couldn't buy much ahead of time and the bedroom always had to be done in neutral colors, now the rooms are all ready with the appropriate "sports", "bears", or blue or pink. Frank and Casey will have fun getting ready for their new son or daughter. We had fun at Christmas with the "ring" on the string thing. We have done it several times and it didn't do anything back at Thanksgiving, but at Christmas, it definitely had it's path, it will remain a secret as to what the "ring" thing said, my hubby laughed at us, but it was fun. Old wives tales are fun to do, just the same. 2010 should hold alot of adventure, look to the New Year as an open door for you. Yes, I know that means January, and I really would just as soon crawl into a cave in January, the month seems to go on forever and there really isn't much to look forward to. I am always so happy to see the end of January come, cause that means February will be here and that means, yes, Groundhog Day, who can miss that lovely holiday? Skip that holiday, go to the next, the one with the red roses, red hearts, chocolates and "dates", yes, I mean Valentines Day. Thank goodness for Valentines Day, it couldn't come at a better time. At least February is a short month. Now, you know I cannot talk of a New Year without mentioning, yes, those horrible three words, "New Years Resolutions". Do we really make them? Do you? I did last year and I pretty much kept mine, but I have some new ones this year and yes, it does have to do with weight and exercise, but I also have a different one this year, and it is this, my New Years Resolution is to not look ahead, to take each day for what it brings, to not be so rigid with "tasks", to try to let some of the "junk" that has to be done, go. I think, for me, this is something I really need to work on. I know it's hard to change a type "A" to something else, but I am sure going to try. And I would be eternally happy if the TV stations would not "air" those Nutrasystem commercials non-stop, I don't care how much weight "Marie Osmond" or any of those other people have lost, they haven't even started them yet and I am already sick of them. I don't want to see "Weight Watcher" commercials either. Please leave us "chubby people" alone and quit making us feel guilty. I think that would be a good "New Years" resolution for us to not have to watch them or pay attention to them and for the TV stations to not ram them down our throats, especially five minutes after they air a McDonalds or Pizza Hut commercial, please......! Have a Happy New Years Eve, we are going to spend the evening at home babysitting little Jack and probably watching a "Nutrasystem" commercial while I munch on something fattening! Happy 2010 to you all!

Christmas is for wishing upon one lovely star..Christmas is a longing to be where loved ones are.

2009-12-18T06:09:00.004-06:00

Well, here we are, one week before Christmas. If you are like me, you have spent the last month in a frenzy of decorating, list making, shopping, and wrapping. Trying to get everything done and ready for that big day. My goal every year is to get it all done so that I can sit back the last week and just enjoy the anticipation. I've taped countless movies and programs on my dvr at home so that I may sit down and watch some of them this next week, but it's questionable if I will actually get that done. I always try to watch "White Christmas". This old classic always gets me in the mood, especially with the ending, it truly is one of the most beautiful Christmas scenes from a movie, I just love the little ballerina girls all dressed in red and white, and Rosemary Clooney and Vera Ellens dresses were breathtakingly beautiful. The music from "White Christmas" is just so wonderful. WGCY Radio Station hosted a "Christmas Party" at the "Perfection Coffee House" this past Wednesday night and we had a lovely evening, the meal was very good, the company was great, and the entertainment from the area was nothing short of spectacular. Ann Spangler and her daughters, Katie and Emily did the cutest skit of "White Christmas", included all the important points of the story, along with all of the songs and dancing parts, pared down, of course. It was very entertaining, they are a very talented family, indeed! The Duquette Family with Heather Bradford provided some wonderful harmony to some old Christmas favorites, Sam Duquette sang a couple of solos and did a great job! Aaron and April Nettleton also are a very talented pair and added some "spins" on some old favorites, too. Steve Anderson is always a consummate professional with his vocals, Bing Crosby doesn't have a thing on Steve, his version of "White Christmas" was just magnificent. Steve was also kind enough to set up all of his equipment for use that evening. Thanks so much Steve, your always there to help out when we need it. All in all, it was an evening not to be missed and would have put one in the "Christmas Spirit", indeed. This week-end will include the usual chores of cleaning and I am going to try to do some baking, but alas, the baking fairies did not bless me with the "baking gene". For some reason, I am just not a very good baker, probably because baking requires very precise measuring, and I am not great at that, I'm a pinch of this, pinch of that, throw in a little of this, throw in a little of that kind of cook, which is the kiss of death for a cookie or cake. My daughter Ashley is a superb baker, everything looks and tastes as it should, and never burnt or too under-cooked. I just love to get goodies from her kitchen. The girl could open a bakery, she is that good! My cookies always come out burnt or raw, never do they look like Paula Deens cookies, that's for sure. I was watching Paula doing some baking last night and it's magical how her cookies always come out looking so good, I really think they should show the ones that got burnt while she was talking, and Paula does alot of talking on her show. I wish they would show something ruined just once on the "Food Network", it would make the rest of us feel much better. Now the main course is my speciality, I can roast the best turkey, prime rib, or pork tenderloin, that I can do. So at Christmas, I always let Ashley and Casey bring the desserts and Casey can make the most wonderful salads, they are always unique and so different. Ashley made the best pumpkin cheesecake for Thanksgiving, it was a beauty and tasted even better! I guess that's the answer to pretty much everything in life, find what you are good at and do it and let others do their thing, too. We have a very good mix of bakers and cooks in our family, I'm very thankful of that, it would be bad if we all were bad cooks or bakers. And Christmas is all about the food, never forget that. Everyone so looks forward to all of the "goodies", at least I do, because we just don't have many "goodies" at our house the other 364 days of the year. My birthday is on Christmas Eve and I always spend the day in the kitchen, I enjoy it so much. Our married children come over, along with little Jack around 5:00pm for appetizers and drinks, then we ease into our meal. I just love the evening before Christmas Day, the anticipation of opening our gifts on Christmas morning, listening to the Christmas Carols on the Radio, the glow of the Christmas tree and the decorations, it truly is a special evening. Christmas Eve has always been my favorite part of Christmas, I love Christmas morning too, but it's closer to being over, then. We spend so much time and energy getting ready for it and sometimes it gets over just a little too fast for me, I wish we could slow it down, just a tad. We do take our time opening our gifts, we never just tear into them. Each person gets one gift at a time and we all watch that person open their gift. I think it's good that way, it does take time, but you get to actually watch that person open the gift and see what they got. It's especially good for children, it teaches them patience and that it's good to acknowledge each gift and person opening that gift. The one thing that is a little different at our home now is, I get up Christmas morning by myself, if Christmas falls on a week-day, as Hubby has to be on the air. Bob Benefiel was so good to work for Gary when our children were younger, so that Gary could be home with his family. There is a special place in heaven for people like Bob. We miss him at the Radio Station. Troy Hutchcraft was our evening announcer for years and did such a great job, Troy was always there to help out when you needed it, we miss Troy very much, also. For those of you that go back a few years, you would remember Laverne White also. Laverne had a soothing, deep voice and played his own special kind of music. Laverne White was a staple at our station for many years and was a very talented man, indeed. Especially at Christmas, I miss them all so very much. We were so lucky to have them as friends and employees of the Radio Station. The Christmas music on WGCY, I think, is the most traditional and beautiful Christmas music you will ever hear, we try to find music that everyone can appreciate. We hear from lots of listeners each year that enjoy the Christmas music on WGCY. It is our Christmas gift to you. Yes, it's one week away, Christmas of 2009, get all of your chores done so you can sit back and enjoy it, relax, sit down in a comfortable chair, turn off all of your lights, except your Christmas decorations, turn on your radio, and enjoy the sounds of the season. Don't get stressed out, if everything isn't perfect, it's ok, cause no one but you will know it, that's for sure. If your cookies get burnt, just make another batch. If your presents aren't wrapped perfectly with perfect ribbons, who cares? No one will notice, I promise you. I always say, as far as I know, there was only one perfect person here on earth, and he could care less about things being perfect, so just give that notion up, you'll give yourself, your family, and others the best gift of all, the gift of a relaxed mom and grandmother. Burl Ives said it best, "Have a Holly Jolly Christmas, it's the best time of the year, I don't know if they'll be snow, but have a cup of cheer. Have a holly, jolly Christmas, and when you walk down the street, say "Hello" to friends you know and everyone you meet. Ho Ho the mistletoe hung where you can see, somebody waits for you, kiss her once for me. Have a holly jolly Christmas and in case you didn't hear, oh by golly have a holly jolly Christmas, this year!"

Especially at Christmastime we find great joy in little things..

2009-12-07T13:08:00.006-06:00

the melody of carols sung, the memory an angel chorus brings. The happiness and love on this one day bring thoughts which warm and cheer...may we keep Christmas in our hearts through every day of all the year....Gertrude Bryson Holman. And so we come again to Christmas with all of it's color and joy, its magic and wonder, its spirit of good will and warmth. What it means to us depends on what we bring to it, not in gifts and outer displays, but in the inner offerings of love and faith that live within our hearts. What will you bring to Christmas to make it more memorable for your family? What are your favorite memories from Christmas's past? One of my earliest memories is when I was three or four years old. My Grandpa Greenlee had been warning me for sometime that if my behavior didn't improve, I would perhaps be receiving a box of sticks as a Christmas gift. On Christmas Eve, I was handed a beautifully wrapped package, (it was also my birthday) I gladly ripped the paper off, pulled back the tissue paper only to find, sure enough, a box of sticks! I can remember my Grandma Greenlee consoling me, as I was crying, and giving my Grandpa a look that could kill, all the while he was chuckling away at the trick he had played on me. I think he must have been in trouble with Grandma for a long, long while for that. If memory serves, I did eventually receive my real Christmas present, but that box of sticks still lingers with me, to this day. There hasn't been a Christmas since that I haven't thought about being just a little bit better, so I don't get another package like that. One of my other special Christmas memories, from the age of five, concerned my other Grandmother, who, upon arrival at her house Christmas morning, informed me that she had heard sleigh bells and prancing hooves on the roof on Christmas Eve, and that I should go outside and look in the big pine tree in their front yard, that was decorated with those large multi-colored old Christmas lights. Sure enough, there nestled in the boughs of that tree was a Christmas package just for me. It held a special doll for me. Every Christmas, I went back to that tree to see if Santa had left me another package, but alas, it was not to be, just that one special Christmas. The Christmas I turned seven was the most memorable Christmas for me, but not for the reason you would probably think. That was the Christmas I learned a very hard lesson, Santa doesn't always bring children everything they want for Christmas. That Christmas, I had dreamed and asked for and wanted, in the worst way, a Chatty Cathy Doll. This was Mattel's first talking doll and I coveted that doll in the worst way. Ironically, Chatty Cathy is celebrating her 50th birthday this Christmas. I can't remember what I received that Christmas, but I can tell you I was one, mighty unhappy, not fit to live with, child that Christmas. To make matters worse, my younger cousin Dee Dee received Chatty Cathy from Santa. Pea green with envy and mad as a hornet, was I. I almost feel sorry for all of my relatives, that Christmas, that had to be around me. In years since I have asked my mother, "Just why didn't you get me that doll"? She has told me, "You know, I really don't know, maybe we couldn't find her in the stores or maybe we couldn't afford her, I really can't say". I had told my kids this story every Christmas, when they didn't believe in Santa anymore. One Christmas, about six or seven years ago, there was one gift left under the tree, after we had opened everything, there wasn't a tag on it, so I wasn't sure who it belonged to. My son Frank reached under the tree and brought it out, handed it to me, and said, "This is for you, Mom, from me." I ripped off the paper, opened the lid, peered in through the space in the tissue paper, and all I could see was this little face with a few freckles and these two little teeth and I knew in an instant what it was, a Chatty Cathy Doll! Well, I can tell you, there were a lot of tears, I just cried like a baby and for all of my life, I will never receive a Christmas gift that means more to me. My son had found a man who knew someone who had an old doll collection, and from what I understand, she had been in a box in a basement for a very long time. My mother helped Frank clean her up, find some clothes for her and work on her hair. I keep her proudly in my formal living room, where she stands and I look at her almost every day. I have since been in touch with a woman in Ohio, and after Christmas, Chatty Cathy will be making a trip to her house for a new voice, a new hair-do, and new clothes. To think that my son thought enough to look for that doll for me told me just how much he loves me. I have many Christmas memories with my own children, a few stick out in my mind, one year we had neighbors who had small children and we knew they weren't going to have much of a Christmas, so we bundled up a box of toys, clothes, and food, wrapped it up and took it over to their front porch, we left it, rang the bell, and disappeared around the side of the house. That family never knew who left it on their doorstep. Our children learned about helping others, without their knowledge. Another year, our daughter Ashley came home from school, upset, as a classmate had confided to her that her family wouldn't be having any Christmas presents at their house, she had three younger brothers and sisters. So we found lots of clothes and toys and wrapped everything up with name tags, loaded up our ministers van and he took everything over to them. I told Ashley, you must never tell your classmate that it was our family that gave them the gifts and she never did, but the little girl came to school after Christmas vacation with a big smile on her face and new clothes. I also had my kids go through all of their toys before Christmas every year, took a car full up to the American Legion, and we always made sure the toys had all of their parts, and were in good shape and clean. We also had our kids go up and help put the food baskets together and even helped with the toys one year. I always wanted my kids to be appreciative for what they had and to help others, and they always have. I am very proud of that. One Christmas that sticks out in my mind was one snowy evening right before Christmas, hubby was off doing a basketball game, it was such a pretty night, snowing gently, no wind, not too cold, I bundled them both up in their snowsuits, gloves and boots and we went out for a walk around the neighborhood. All of the Christmas lights and decorations were up, it was just magical. I will never forget that evening, those many years ago. Simple, lovely, special times that don't cost a lot of money, but things you and your family will remember, always. That's the special meaning of Christmas, just as Linus of "A Charlie Brown Christmas" said, along with the "Grinch who tried to steal Christmas", it's not in the presents, it's not in the food, it's not in the decorations, it's in your heart. So, put up your tree, decorate your house, bake some cookies, do some shopping and wrapping, play Christmas carols, send out your Christmas cards, go to church, do all of the usual things, but take the time to do the unusual, simple things, for those are the memories that truly last a lifetime..And, Have Yourself a Very, Merry Christmas. From our home to yours, Merry Christmas!

Open Doors have golden hinges, and when they are opened wide, the best that life can offer is found waiting there inside...Craig E Sathoff

2009-11-23T13:17:00.007-06:00

Twenty-six years ago, on November 28, 1983, WGCY Radio Station in Gibson City signed on the air for the first time. Several years of hard work and determination by John and Bill Noble and my husband, Gary McCullough proceeded that. Back in those days it was considerably harder to get a license to broadcast from the Federal Communications Commission in Washington D.C. Lots of paperwork, aggravation, ups and downs, insides and outs, legalities, formalities, studies, in other words, lots of patience and diligence was required. I remember well the day the construction permit was officially granted, it was the Friday before Labor Day and to add to the excitement, I was two weeks overdue to give birth to our second child. I had just been informed by the Doctor on my visit the Thursday prior that if I was still walking around "with child" on Tuesday after Labor Day, I was to present myself at the hospital bright and early to get things moving. The construction permit was granted the next day, Friday. My hubby got busy on the phone with engineers, carpenters, and equipment salesmen, virtually anybody involved in the preparation work for the Radio Station to make appointments for Tuesday morning. He looked at me with a perplexed look when I asked him, "Have you forgotten something"? "What, he said"? I calmly spoke "We have to go to the hospital Tuesday morning to have this baby, because you know it's not going to happen this week-end." Not missing a beat, he asked me, and I kid you not, "Do you think you can be done by One o'clock"? I remember laughing and said, "Well, I'll do the best I can." So, he put all his appointments off until Tuesday afternoon. Tuesday morning came, we deposited Frank at the Grandparents and trotted off to the hospital around 7:30a.m., I got admitted to the hospital, got things moving along, did my Lamaze breathing and proudly produced our daughter, Ashley at exactly 1:08p.m. I have always taken great pride in that little feat, and always say, "Wasn't I a very accommodating wife"? By 2:00 pm he was out the door and on to his appointments. Less than three months later, WGCY signed on the air waves for the first time. Between son Frank starting pre-school, daughter Ashley being born and getting the Radio Station started up, the next three months were a complete blur. Hubby was gone most of the time, over seeing equipment installation, construction of the Radio Station studios, getting towers erected, printing done, employees hired, over seeing a million and one details. We saw very little of him during that period. I remember how excited and proud we all were to hear a voice say, "WGCY Radio Station, 106.3 FM" for the first time. There have been alot of changes in twenty-six years. John and Bill Noble sold their portion of the station to my Father-in-law, Fred McCullough some years ago and it officially became "F & G Broadcasting, Inc", standing for my Father-in-laws first initial along with my husband Garys' first initial. WGCY has been a family collaboration ever since. I began working at the Station in January of 1986, in fact, my first day working at the Station turned out to be the day the Challenger Space Shuttle exploded and I got a phone call from my children's babysitter telling me what she and all the kids had just witnessed on television. I will never forget that day. WGCY moved it's studios to the building next door, what used to be Steinberg Chiropractic Offices and Grant & Ross Credit Union in November of 1989. Son Frank started helping his dad by keeping the stats during basketball games when he was about age twelve. He also recorded commercial spots at the station at an early age, when a child's voice was required. He later starting helping his dad broadcast basketball games and then football, later. He graduated with a degree in Broadcasting & Communications and started working full-time at the Station after his graduation. He is the current Sports Director and is an advertising salesperson, also. Frank is invaluable to his parents in the day to day operations at the Radio Station. Frank is married to the former Casey Hornstein of Melvin and they are expecting their first child in June of 2010. Daughter Ashley also has done alot of commercial recording throughout the years and worked at WGCY her Senior year of High School at GCMS High School, as a student with the Vocational Cooperative Education Program. Ashley is married to Jimmy Willoby of Pekin and they have a two year old son, Jack. She works as an Aesthetician for Dr. Jeremy Hendrichs, at the Paxton Clinic. Sometimes it gets a little interesting working with your family, but we all have our respective jobs to perform and we keep busy and out of each others hair, most of the time. We have also been very fortunate to have a dedicated and hard-working staff throughout the years, some have come and gone, some have been there for quite a few years. To all of them, we say, "Thank you". There have been a few changes in these twenty-six years, but one thing will never change and that is this family's dedication to serving the Gibson City and surrounding area with beautiful music, sports, news, and all of the other services it provides. We have been privileged to serve the area for twenty-six years. Our family has called Gibson City our home for many years and we have great love and pride for our hometown and are very thankful for all the wonderful advertisers we have had throughout the years. We especially appreciate all the loyal listeners we have, and have enjoyed speaking with, or hearing from them, from time to time. We always appreciate the kind words and compliments we receive and strive to have a Radio Station that we, our listeners, and advertisers can be proud of. My husband, Gary had a dream many years ago that he could come back to his hometown, that he loves so much, and start a Radio Station and I am very proud that he was able to fulfill his dream. It all started many years ago, on Saturday nights we would sit down in his basement, when we were in High School, and he would play records on an old record player and tell me of a dream he had. I knew then, when I heard him speak and saw the look on his face that he would accomplish that, I had no doubt. So, we will continue on as a family owned and operated Radio Station in the town we are so very proud to call our hometown, Gibson City. On to the next 26 years and God willing, beyond!

But let us hold this thought before November days depart...not just for now..Thanksgiving is a season of the heart.....Catherine E. Berry

2009-11-12T13:10:00.004-06:00

Soon Thanksgiving will be here. To me, Thanksgiving is the most treasured and overlooked holiday of all. Nestled in between Halloween and Christmas, it is often times the "forgotten" holiday and the one I personally look forward to and enjoy the most. For weeks prior to Thanksgiving I scour through my cookbooks and magazines, and watch the Food Network cooking shows looking for new variations on the old recipes we have all come to love and expect on Thanksgiving. Of all the holidays, Thanksgiving is the one that all expect to see their favorites on the table. You can fool around somewhat with Christmas, some have elaborate meals, some have a ball fixing different appetizers and desserts, some have turkey or ham, or prime rib or roast, some do Italian beef sandwiches. But, you just don't mess around with the Thanksgiving menu, lest you find a mutiny of relatives on your hands, at your dinner table. I spend weeks getting my menu in order and sit down to make the list of ingredients needed for all of my family's favorites. I go through my cabinets and throw out all my old spices and get new as I'm just not sure if they were bought last year. Just how many packages of poultry seasoning, sage, and cinnamon get bought new every year? Alot, I bet. I usually get started the evening before Thanksgiving, getting some of the prep work out of the way and I always check my turkey to make sure it is thawed out, I made that mistake one year and had to thaw my turkey in the kitchen sink, using very cold water and changing it quite often. I don't want to mess around with that, ever again. I usually buy my turkey the week-end before Thanksgiving and bring it right home to the refrigerator to spend the next four or five days thawing out. The night before is usually very quiet at my house, as the kids were always out with friends and hubby always found something exciting to partake of while I'm quietly at home chopping vegetables for my dressing. I love the quiet the night before and wouldn't have it any other way. Thanksgiving morning I am always up early and begin my day with my rendition of "Over the river and through the woods, to grandmothers house we go.." I fondly remember singing that in school right before Thanksgiving vacation began in music class. Miss Fogler starting us with a "toot toot" on her magical little round instrument that got us singing the right note. I don't have any idea what that was called, but I just loved it and wanted to have one when I grew up. I'll bet there aren't many of the old gang that attended Gibson City Grade School who don't have memories of Miss Fogler and her magical little instrument. Brings back memories, doesn't it? After I sing that little ditty, the television usually goes on to catch a couple of minutes of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, it's usually on in the background while I'm working away in the kitchen. There is something about cooking and listening to marching band music in the background that gets me going. I always run in to catch the big turkey with the batting eyelashes float and yes, I still run in to see Santa on his sleigh. I always love to watch the Rockettes and their number too. It's just not Thanksgiving without the Macy's Day Parade! I particularly enjoy the big balloons too, and always wonder, just how tired are those people that have to walk along pulling on those ropes for hours and miles and miles? Bet they are hungry and tired when their done! When I was a child I would always walk over to my Grandma Kreitzers house to help with Thanksgiving Dinner. I was fortunate to live right next door on the same farm next to my grandparents. My grandma Kreitzer was a spectacular cook and she would always save a few jobs that I could help with. I had my own special apron she made for me and I also had a special stool to stand on so I could reach the table and counter. I can remember walking into her kitchen and the aromas of Thanksgiving would overtake you. Thanksgiving would soon be here! I always got to help make the scalloped corn, whip the potatoes, butter the rolls before they went into the oven, put the finishing touches on the dressing, and help out with a pie or two. When I am in my kitchen today preparing these same dishes, I fondly think of her and give thanks for her patience with me in the kitchen. I make these dishes just as she taught me those many years ago. The menu at Thanksgiving at my house is the same as then and never will change, even though some additions are made by my daughter-in-law and daughter. I especially enjoy the quiet and peacefulness of Thanksgiving. There is nothing to do but cook and enjoy spending time with family, give praise and bask in it's simplicity. The decorations are so simple and lovely, turkeys, pilgrims, pumpkins, gourds, mums, cornucopias, and leaves. A new addition to my decorations last year is a framed picture of a beautifully colored turkey made out of my then, one year old grandson Jack's hand. It will always be put out along with my other decorations. Take a moment at the beginning of your Thanksgiving to just enjoy the peacefulness and simplicity of the holiday, remember past Thanksgivings and think of family members no longer with you, say a prayer for them along with a prayer of thankfulness for all you have been given, for your family, friends, good health, for all the blessings this life holds for you, for this wonderful country we live in, for all of those serving in the armed forces all over the world who will not be home with their families this Thanksgiving, and especially for those who won't have a Thanksgiving Dinner or a warm place to sleep. Happy Thanksgiving!

And as He was dreaming, an Angels song awakened our Little Boy Blue....Eugene Field

2009-10-31T12:33:00.004-05:00

On Friday, November 2nd, 1979 at 5:25am in the very early morning, I became a mother. Before that, I had been a baby, a toddler, a little girl, an adolescent, a teenager (sorry Mom and Dad), a young woman, a sister, a daughter, a granddaughter, and a young wife. Lots of phases, lots of changes, and new responsibilities. All had contributed, each in their own way, to the most wonderful, exciting, thrilling, scary, heart bursting, and awe inspiring phase of all...motherhood. I had one younger sister and two younger brothers on which my child rearing teeth had been cut. From the age of eight, I learned to change diapers, give bottles, burp, bathe, dress, and watch over my younger siblings. I was the original "little mother hen" to our brood. I played with baby dolls alot when I was a child, too, and always dreamed of being a mother someday, but none of this quite prepared me for the intense feelings that I felt for my son when he was born. Brothers and sisters and baby dolls don't cause that stir to your heart when you look into their eyes, as your own child does. No words can express it, only new mothers can understand this. I think back to that time and realize it was a blessing to be young and "blissfully ignorant" of the magnitude of responsibility of parenthood that rested squarely on my shoulders. As a grandparent, I know what lies ahead for Mommy, Daddy, and Jack. It is hard for me to "sit back" and not put in my "two cents" worth, especially when it's not solicited. But, if my advice is asked, I will gladly give it. I never professed to being a perfect mother, there is no such person, but I have learned a little something along the way. My mother has always told me that I hovered too much over my own children and she tells me that I'm still that way with Jack, and she is probably right. (Please don't tell her I admitted that). One of my mothers' favorite stories about over-protective parenting comes from her own father and his younger brother, her uncle. My Grandpa Greenlee was a soft-spoken, no-nonsense kind of guy, who only spoke when absolutely necessary. One day my grandpa, his brother, my mother, her sister, Judy, and younger cousin were all sitting on the front porch, the girls were running around on this porch that had no railing. My mothers uncle kept getting up and down and stopping his daughter from falling off the edge of the porch. After awhile, he looked at my Grandfather sitting there calmly and asked him, "Aren't you afraid your girls will fall off the porch"? My grandfather, smiled, and said, "They will only fall off once". I have to laugh every time I hear that story, and it so true and hard to do...let your kids have a few falls. They have to fall off of the porch occasionally to learn a lesson. Every parent would love to wrap their child in "bubble wrap" to keep them from getting the bumps, bruises, hurt feelings, and hard knocks that comes with growing up. That is just not possible. In those first few days home with my new son, Frank, I recall one day in early November sitting in the chair in my living room rocking the day away with my baby in my arms, as he slept. Then, a voice from inside said to me, "You are his mother now, you can't sit here holding him all day, he needs to be in his bed, it's what's best for him". I have listened to that "little voice" many times throughout the years, as I had to make the hard choices. That's what being a good parent is all about. That afternoon, I got right up and put him in his bed to take his nap. The official separation of mother and child had begun. You soon realize that your children come through you, are a part of you, but they are their "own person" right from the first moment of birth. They are there for you to love, teach, nurture, discipline, and send on their merry way, someday. This is a job that you will work yourself right out of. One of my favorite lines from a wonderful movie, titled "Parenthood" comes from a grandmother as she shares her analogy of being a parent. She says to Steve Martin, who just found out his wife, Mary Steenburgen is pregnant with their fourth child and is feeling ambivalent about it, " When I was a young wife, your Grandpa and I went to the Fair, some decided to ride the merry-go-round, it just went up and down and around and around, it was pleasant and safe. Your grandpa and I decided to ride the roller coaster instead, it was so scary, so exciting, so thrilling, so fast, with steep hills and drops, we went around sharp curves, and my heart was in my throat. Yes, we decided to ride the roller coaster". That grandmother summed up parenthood perfectly, I think. It is just like a roller coaster ride! I'd like to wish my son, Frank McCullough a Happy 30th Birthday, my first baby, now a grown-up, one of the two best "gifts" I ever received. He and his wife Casey, will be receiving their own "special gift", their first baby, in early June of 2010. Frank has always loved to ride the roller coaster, Casey will learn to love it too! So, climb in the seat, buckle up tight, keep your eyes wide open, (you don't want to miss a thing), be excited, thrilled and a little scared while the roller coaster ride begins!

Darkness falls accross the land, the Midnight hour is close at hand....Vincent Price from "Thriller"

2009-10-21T17:12:00.011-05:00

Whooo! Eeeee! Whooo! Eeeee! It's that creepy, crawly, bumps in the night time of year, Halloween! Bowls of candy corn and peanut butter chews, jack-o-lanterns glowing faces on front porches, spiderwebs, bats, black cats, witches, goblins, skeletons, monsters and such, all mean one of my favorite "holidays". Halloween is one of the biggest "retail" holidays of the year, after Christmas. When driving around, more people decorate for Halloween every year. I love those big blow-up "characters" in yards, they spell "Halloween". When I was a child, I simply couldn't wait for Halloween. We would usually dress up in whatever we could find in my grandparents old trunk, add some creepy make-up and you were set. Back in the "olden days", as my kids called it, the only stores that Halloween costumes could be purchased at were K-Mart or Loys Dime store, uptown Gibson City. Now these costumes consisted of a plastic outfit with a tie at the back of the neck and included a plastic mask with cut-out holes for your nose, eyes, and mouth. The eye holes never quite lined up with your own, and after breathing through the mask for a few minutes, condensation from your breath would cover the inside of the mask, very comfortable indeed! And, don't forget the rubber, stretchy cord in the back that held the mask on your head, that usually broke after you had it on the first five minutes. Yeah, those costumes were wonderful! NOT! We found out after having these a few times, it was much more fun and comfortable to find "old clothes" at Grandma's and Grandpas! Alot cheaper too! We also didn't have those wonderful plastic pumpkin candy holders with a handle. No sir, we had old grocery bags, that worked just fine and they held lots more candy! No fancy flashlights either! What's a Halloween without at least one free-fall off a curb or down some steps when you couldn't see?
If you didn't come home with at least one skinned knee or hand it wasn't Halloween! We would load up in the car and head for Anchor, where our Grandparents lived to descend upon the little village to collect our hoard of candy. Mom would stay at Grandma's to visit while we took off in search of candy. In those days, we knew every house and who inhabited said home, along with where every child lived, and there were lots of kids, back then. We were very methodical and would end up hitting every house in that town, and all by 10:00. Yes, we stayed out trick-or-treating till 10:00. There was nothing to worry about, no one had to check our candy and we even got home-made popcorn balls! My grandmas' next-door neighbor always had home-made popcorn balls, so that was always the first place we went, cause when they were gone, they were gone! Those were the days! When we were finished, we had soo much candy, we could stuff our faces for weeks! We always hid our stash when we got home in a secret place, from brothers and sisters, and especially our parents! Even back then, yes, parents would get in their kids bags and take out their favorite candy! Where do you think I learned this? So, when my own kids came home, I always took their candy into the kitchen, to check it out to make sure it was safe, while secretly stashing away my favorites. Now don't tell me that you didn't do that, because parents have been doing this since the beginning of time, and don't deny it! I kind of feel sorry for kids today, because they don't have the freedom that we had as kids and my parents didn't have the worry that I had, and as parents have today. Some really bad adults caused this many years ago and it still makes me mad every time I think of it. Now parents have to follow set trick or treat hours, lights have to be on front porches to signal that it is alright to "trick or treat" there. Parents have to check through candy to make sure it is safe. Some people think it is not right for a child to dress up in any costume that is scary or evil. Just why do adults have to try to impose their beliefs on kids at Halloween? Halloween to me as a child meant one thing and one thing only, it was a night for kids to dress-up in the costume of their "choice" and go out and let people try to guess who you were and give you candy. That's it, that's what it meant, and if you ask most kids, they'll tell you that's what it means to them. A night to dress-up, be something or somebody they usually aren't, have fun, run around and get lots of candy. I never quite understood people calling it "begging". We never begged, we laughed and said, as loud as we could, "trick or treat". We never tricked anybody, cause everybody gave us candy and we wouldn't have thought to do anything, except go to the next house, if they had ran out of candy or said they didn't have any. End of story. One thing that used to go on that seems to have stopped or at least diminished somewhat, is the smashing of pumpkins. The year our daughter was born, we had a medium sized jack-o-lantern for our son and a little bitty jack-o-lantern for her. That Halloween evening, some pranksters came by and snatched the little jack-o-lantern and smashed it in front of our house. Our son was so upset over this and I don't think he ever forgot it and never would go out smashing pumpkins. Every Halloween when he went out with his friends, I would always remind him of how upset he was the year the little pumpkin was smashed and he always said, "I remember mom, I'd never do that to some little kid". Some lessons are learned and remembered. One year we had a "special" Halloween party at our home, the kids were 8 and 4 and they were allowed to each have 4 friends over for apple bobbing, pin the heart on the ghost, pizza, and candy, dressing up, spooky music, and scary stories. It was a very fun Halloween indeed! The kids still talk about their "Halloween party". So parents, remember Halloween as it should be, a night for your kids to dress-up, use their imaginations, have fun, run around, get candy, jump, yell, and just be kids. Halloween is truly a night for your kids to just be kids. And being a kid doesn't last as long as it should! Eat a popcorn ball or a candy apple, play some scary music, decorate your house, carve a jack-0-lantern with your kids, have a party, put on a scary movie (not too scary, you don't want them up all night), let them have some friends spend the night, go all out! Have a great Halloween everybody! Whooo! Eeeeee! Whoooo! Eeeeeee!

A mother's love is warm and sweet..an everlasting spring...Ben Burroughs

2009-10-16T15:55:00.007-05:00

This past week has been a very busy one, indeed. Last Saturday, we had a big birthday bash in honor of little grandson Jack's second birthday. It was a lovely party with balloons, a pretty M & M birthday cake, ice cream, and of course M & M's. Family and friends celebrated along with several other little children that will be Jack's little buddies when he gets older. There were three of them there, two little boys, and the cutest red-headed little girl you've ever seen. All born within one month of each other. This is the first time we had the opportunity of getting them together at one time. They were simply hilarious! Jack loved his cake and running around, but could have cared less about the presents, his mommy and daddy had to do the honors of un-wrapping his loot. He would amble up and observe what was being unwrapped and then would grab it, if it was toys, certainly not the clothes. Of course, the three toddlers always wanted the one toy that someone else had. M & M's were eaten by the handful. By the time the party was over, those three were so sugared up, I'm sure they were bouncing off the walls, but oh, what fun! It was decided that Jack would come to grandma and paw paws house for his nap, as mommy and daddy wanted to put away all the birthday loot. When we got to our house, we did a little relaxing and un-winding before I tried the nap, oh yes, we had a badly needed diaper change too. Up stairs we went and sat down in the rocking chair with blankie and tried to "rocky rock", as grandma calls it. As soon as his little head hit my shoulder, he started saying, "mama, mama". Then he switched to "dada, dada". Well, he wasn't having anything to do with a nap. I called mama and told her that her little birthday boy wasn't having anything to do with taking a nap. Too much sugar, I bet. The next day, on Sunday, there was another birthday party up in Pekin with the other grandparents and their side of the family. Jack has the privilege of being the first grandchild and first great-grandchild on all sides, so let's just say he got plenty of clothes and toys for his birthday. On Monday, the Radio Station took a bus trip to Nashville, Indiana. We left Gibson City at 6:00 am. It was raining hard when we left Gibson City and I know several of our "guests" were concerned that the day was going to be a "wash". We assured them that we had checked the weather forecast for Nashville and it was supposed to be a lovely, sunny day. We had a really great group of people that day that followed our directions perfectly, made it back to the bus when we stopped and made it back by 4:00 pm to travel back home. The day turned out to be just as the weatherman predicted, warm and sunny. Nashville is a beautiful, picturesque village with some quaint shops and restaurants. The town itself is very pretty and well-kept. The homes are old, painted very prettily and turned into shops. It is worth the trip to visit this cute little town. I managed to get a beautiful necklace and earring set for a steal and I also found the cutest Christmas outfit for Jack. We ate at a nice restaurant for lunch, had a delicious bowl of french onion soup. Mmmm good. The funny thing was, when we got back to Gibson City, around 7:30pm it was raining still. It was so nice to get away from dreary, rainy weather, if even for the day. Tuesday brought a busy day of work and I had Jack all day, when I went to take him home, I found two very sick people, named mama and dada laying about looking like death warmed over. They both had the flu, the achy, sore throat, fever, coughing, miserable flu, so back out the door I went with little Jack, he was banned from his home until his parents recovered. He spent the night Tues, went to my mother's Wed am, and spent the night Wed night, all day Thursday. His parents felt like they had re-joined the land of the living by Thurs. night. Grandma was bushed. Wed and Thurs nights I was in bed by 9 pm, I also had a ton of extra work and the station this week, so let's just say, it's been one mighty tiring week. We did manage to get Jack off to Paxton to get his flu shot this afternoon, so hopefully it will "kick in" a few weeks from now. This flu they had was bad, and so early in the season. I have since talked to lots of people who either have been ill with it, or know someone else that has had it. Anyway, we mother's do what we can to take care of our families when they become ill. Believe it or not, I very rarely get ill with anything, don't know if it's because I have taken care of so many "sick" people that I have built up immunity to it or just that the germs know they won't have a fighting chance on this tough mother and grandmother. No flu germs are gonna stop me. Or maybe it's because I just keep telling myself, "I can't get sick, I can't get sick." Too many people depending on me, gotta stay healthy. There is lots to do and I just plain refuse to get sick, of course, I do drink lots of water, get my rest and try to eat right. We mothers have to stay strong and healthy for our families. They depend on us. On the occasion that I am a "little under the weather", I don't let it stop me, I'm just like that "energizer bunny" that just keeps on "going and going". Here's to all you mothers and grandmothers out there who have tirelessly taken care of all the "ill" people in your households all these years. My only question is, just who's gonna take care of me, if and when I get sick? Knowing my luck, the rest of them will get sick at the same time and will be worse than me so I will be dragging myself across the floor to make them tea and toast. So, all of you mothers and grandmothers out there, take good care of yourselves, get your rest, eat your veggies, drink your water, take your vitamins, cause this fall and winter looks like it's gonna be a doozy and we are going to be real busy playing "Florence Nightingale".

Old man winter is hiding right around the corner.....

2009-10-01T06:07:00.008-05:00

Yes, it will soon be here, it's coming...it's just around the bend, we don't want to think about it, but whether you like it or not, old man winter is peeking around the corner at you. It's the time to put away the patio furniture, empty the hot tub, clean out the gazebo, put that lawn mower up, empty out and clean up your flower pots, give that garage a good cleaning, take the watering can to the shed along with all the other summer tools, dig out the snow shovel, salt, car de-icer. window scrapers, make sure you have those battery jumper cables in your car, where they belong, get your car winterized, check your tires, get your furnace cleaned and checked, and don't forget to get more furnace filters and change yours. WHEW! Getting ready for winter is a lot of work, oh, and don't forget my two FAVORITE jobs, cleaning out the eve spouts and raking up all of those leaves that come down and come down and come down. Just when you think you have gotten them all taken care of, your lawn is leaf-free, a good wind comes along and blows all of your neighbors leaves, who haven't done any raking at all, back in your yard, or the wind shifts from the north and all of them that were tucked against the fence across the street decide they don't like it there anymore, they have been wistfully looking at your clean yard and decided to make it their new home. Gotta love the leaves! I sure like them better when they are up in the trees. When I choose to complain out loud about these pesky leaves, this is just about the time my son takes the opportunity to "remind" me that I always say I love the Fall so much! Oh yes, I almost forgot, the final task is to mow your yard off as short as you can, that way all the rest of the leaves just blow right on by and onto your neighbor's yard! I have learned that little trick. The best thing about completing all of the tasks previously mentioned, is the great satisfaction I derive when I sit back and look at my home and yard from a distance and see the simplicity and clean lines without all of the "summer clutter". Then it's time to start inside, I am a fall cleaner, I don't do or believe in large "spring" cleaning, I instead do large "fall" cleaning. I feel like the fall is a much better time to do this, although I do clean my home in the spring, just not like I do in the fall. I have my windows open as much as possible in the summertime and that means lots of dust and outside allergens make their way inside, so why spring clean? Nope, mine gets done in the fall when the house is going to be closed up all winter, I want things clean, closets organized and things in their place. I recently threw away about two garbage bags of "old clothes". Now, don't get excited and say, "Debra, you should have given those clothes to those who could use them". Trust me, no one would have wanted these "old clothes". They had all had their day, most of them had been around for a long, long time and I had gotten my wear out of them. I have lost weight the last few months and they were all way too big anyway, and I decided that if it was too big, it was going AWAY, far, far AWAY! Keeping them would be a big mistake and much too tempting. If they were gone, there would be no excuse to get back into them, EVER! So, now I have to get some new clothes, yippee! Now, for some women, this would be an exciting, interesting prospect, going shopping for new clothes, but for me, yes, I am probably the only woman on the face of this planet who detests shopping! There I said it, I HATE SHOPPING! There is a "shopping gene", my mother has this gene, my daughter has this gene. I do not have this gene, it skipped a generation. My mother and my daughter love to shop! They both love to look, look, look at everything. They are both their happiest wandering around stores. Come to think of it, my mother's mother, my Grandma Greenlee loved to shop too! So, when I mentioned that I needed to get some new clothes, they both smiled excitedly and said, "We love to shop, we'll take you shopping"! I thought for a moment, "Lets, see, shopping for clothing with them, hmmm, nope, I don't think so". It would be a three-day event, this shopping trip, I wouldn't make it home alive. I'd disappear in a clothing rack and never be seen or heard from again. It would be like going into the jungle and just disappearing, forever! A week or so ago, I had to make a "quick trip" out of town to get a much needed piece of equipment for the Radio Station, so I planned a trip down and back one afternoon, by myself, soon word had gotten around about this trip, this also was daughter's day off, soon she and grandson were going along, then hubby decided he was going too. I planned on making a "quick stop" at my favorite store to "maybe" purchase a pair or two of much needed dress slacks, this trip ended up lasting forever, got home with the wrong size slacks, the saleslady put the wrong size ones in the bag, I was not happy. This easy trip turned into a long one as the piece of equipment wasn't ready on time either! Shopping for me is a chore, everything looks the same, the racks of clothes are endless, I can never find what I want, and I detest trying them on in those small changing rooms. The mirrors always make you look so good too! Do they have to put such large mirrors in these dressing rooms? Maybe they could put them on all sides and add more glaring lights that are so flattering to all. Yes, winter will soon be here, oh, i just remembered that I will need to get a new winter coat too, my old one is way too big! Shhhh, don't tell my mom or my daughter, they will want to take me shopping! Let's see, I could sneak out of town one afternoon and say I have to go to an appliance store or get a root canal, yeah, that might work!

Look to this day and see all things anew, it's hours are precious...forever passing you... Catharine Plumb..

2009-09-29T05:28:00.016-05:00

As another year is passing by so swiftly, I find it a good time to reflect on what it has held for me. My goodness, where has 2009 went? I find my days to be busier than ever and there are just not enough hours in the day to get everything done.
I am a mental list maker, always deciding what needs to be done on which day, while checking my schedule. In the early days of marriage it was so easy to get it all done. Then the children came along and it was a challenge, along with trips to the park, swimming pool, and little league games, to get all my chores completed, while cooking "three squares" a day, with an occasional batch of cookies and a cake thrown in here or there. After being home full-time for about six years, I decided to start working part-time (mornings only) at the Radio Station. The children adjusted well to the new schedule and were more than happy to get out into the world, with others, and spend some time away from their mother. These were pre-computer days, of course, and many an afternoon I would drag the old typewriter home and spend it at the dining room table, typing station logs, bills, and other assorted paper-work, while daughter napped and son was in school full-time.
On days when there was illness, that required "Mom" to be home, "Dad" would come home at noon and stay with the sick child while I went to the station to work. This schedule worked out great as the kids grew older, allowing me to be home in the afternoons when they came home from school. My children very rarely came home to an empty house through the years, and for that, we were most fortunate. Some days were a challenge to get it all done, but I managed.
Then the really busy years began, you know, the PTA, brownies, tiger-cubs, Sunday school, soccer, little league, MYF, basketball, football, cheer leading, dance team, dances, dates, proms, homecomings, graduations, college, engagements, showers, weddings, and "the icing on the cake", a grandchild. Sometimes it all seems like one, big blur.
Two years ago, October 9th, to be exact, little Jack was born about 2 months early, weighing Two pounds, fifteen ounces, spent seven weeks in the hospital, no problems, thank the good lord above, and came home from the hospital weighing over six pounds. He has spent the last two years growing at break-neck speed and is like any other rowdy, into everything, busy, two-year old. It was decided by all that it would be best if "grandma" did the babysitting for him when his mother went back to work, as being a preemie meant that germs and illness would be an especially, big challenge for his immune system.
When he was just a wee little one, he would sit in his little seat by my desk while I worked. I thought to myself, this is going to be a "piece of cake". I jumped into taking care of a baby with no problems and it seemed "old hat" to me. Little did I know the surprise waiting for me and would be coming sooner than I thought. The mind has a wonderful thing it does for you, as it lets you forget all the "hard stuff" and remember only the good. My children were easy and the days were wonderful, in my mind, then reality set in, this small child became mobile very quickly, soon sitting in the chair by my desk didn't work out anymore, he wanted out, to be down on the floor crawling, getting into everything, crying, so being at the station didn't work out so well anymore. I have since found out that being 24 and 27 and raising children was sooo much easier than being 53, by the end of each day and each week, I was absolutely exhausted!
Then last January, this small child started walking and running soon followed! I then decided this "grandma" was going to have to make some changes and fast! I went on an exercise and healthy eating plan to get my energy level up, up, up, because I knew summer was going to be here fast and summer meant Jack would be out of doors running and this grandma had to keep up. Minus thirty seven pounds, I have had a very busy summer, running after him mainly. I have learned what the old saying, "love to see my grandchild come, love to see him go" means, and boy, is it ever true!
I can see one thing I have acquired through my age, and that is "patience". We spend our time together, taking long walks in the stroller, looking at books, when I can get him to sit still long enough, rocking in the rocking chair, when I can get him to sit still long enough. I adore my grandchild and I think he likes me alot, too. Seeing that little face so excited when I come over to his house at the front door, is worth a million bucks! But, when his "Paw Paw" comes in the door, I am "chopped liver", I can't hold a candle to "Paw Paw".
We both hope our days will slow down a bit, work can be put aside, and aside it is put, these days, there is dusty furniture, dirty windows, weeds outside, our yard has never looked worse, all fertilizers and weed killers have been banished because of "Jack" playing in the yard. We will not take chances with that. He is our first priority when he is with us. So in closing I would like to say that with age comes wisdom, we cannot "slow down" the clock, but we can choose to spend our time enjoying and playing with our precious grandson, because we know just how fast this time will go, and chores will always be there waiting for us, while our grandson will continue to grow and grow, much, much too fast!

Bright Autumn brings us dreams come true and hearts know sweet content..-Ruth B. Field

2009-09-15T14:40:00.007-05:00

There is nothing that delights the senses quite like a crisp, sunny, and cool morning that emerges into a warm, breezy, fall afternoon then back again to a brisk, invigorating evening. Mid September to late October is truly my favorite time of the year. As the days grow shorter, there is almost a frenzy to spend as much time outdoors as one possibly can. We all know these days will be fleeting and over much too soon, as fall swiftly lends itself to winter. It is nearly impossible to describe the giddiness one feels in the fall at a Friday night football game, a wiener roast, a camp-out, or as one sits by a glowing fire pit while listening to a football game on the radio. From the bottom of a drawer or from the back of a closet, a favorite, comfortable, well-worn, hooded sweatshirt in your old school colors is pulled out and proudly worn along with a pair of faded jeans, topped off with your old sneakers. What more could one person ask for? You've waited all summer for this, dreamed of it, this season you love so much. Planters outside your home that had been filled with red geraniums and white impatiens, have since been replaced with gold, white, and burnt-orange mums. Flags of summer have given way to flags adorned with fall leaves of all shapes and colors, along with the sugar maples, red maples, pin oaks, crimson king maples, and locust trees out in your yard. The squirrels out in these same trees are busy hunting and storing food for the winter, with a little play mixed in. The night sounds with crickets, tree frogs, owls, the occasional coyote pack and dogs barking off in the distance. Going for an early morning or late evening walk through the crunching leaves, while visiting the stars and the beautiful harvest moon overhead, is something everyone should take the time to explore. The peacefulness and quiet is like a meditation for ones' soul. When our family was much younger, we enjoyed fall camping so very much. Our children flourished in the great outdoors without telephones, television, and video games. Taking walks, fishing, or sitting by the campfire and just doing nothing, but talking, while staring into it, was more than enough to fill the time. Those were cherished family times and I look forward to taking our grandson, when he gets a little older. Growing up on the farm as a child, the fall harvest was an especially exciting time. Pulling up to our farm in the big, yellow school bus and seeing our father and grandfather out in the fields, with the combine and wagons, meant that homework could be put off till later and we could join them to ride home in the wagons full of corn and beans. We would usually get scolded for dumping the crops on the ground while diving into them from the sides of the wagon. Oh what fun! Even now, after some 37 years as a "city girl", I still feel a certain wistfulness as I look out into a field with the harvest in progress and fondly remember those days. High school Homecoming with it's floats, parade, snake-dance, bonfire, football game and big Homecoming Dance was my favorite time of year, at school. I met my husband-to-be this time of year and we had our first date, subsequently, got married five years later, almost to the day. Yes, we had a beautiful September 27th wedding, exactly 35 years ago and there was a home football game that evening, too. Five years later we had our first child, a son, born in early November and four years later, a daughter born in early September. Imagine to our surprise and delight, smack dab in the middle of it all, two years ago, on October 9th, our little grandson was born. So you see, the fall holds a very special place in my heart and always will. You will blink and it will be gone, this fall of 2009, so get out and enjoy the splendor, the sights, the sounds, and the smells of fall.

2009-09-14T13:41:00.000-05:00

Welcome to my new blog here on the WGCY Radio Station Website. My husband and General Manager, Gary McCullough and I, his wife and Office Manager/Girl Friday, Debra McCullough put our heads together and came up with the idea for a new blog written from a woman's perspective. When discussing what the subject matter would include, I, of course reminded my husband that I would have to be totally honest, forthcoming, and that I have always been truth full, oftentimes to a fault. Having always been an avid reader, especially newspaper columns written by women dealing with everyday issues and always wanting to take a shot at writing, this will be the perfect forum to attempt this feat. I would certainly welcome any feed-back by way of the comment section at the end of this blog. When considering topics for consideration, a long list of interesting thoughts crept into my brain. As a working wife, mother, grandmother, and daughter there is a long, laundry list of areas to explore and I will attempt that here. My first attempt will be about the frustrations of broken down contraptions around the home and how they always seems to go haywire in multiples and at the same time. To my way of thinking, the least favorite outdoor machine would be the lawn-mower. 2009 will go down in history at the McCullough household as the summer of lawn-mower adventures. Our self-propelled mower of seven years decided at the start of the summer that it didn't want to be self-propelled any longer, so off to the "repair shop" it went and later we were informed of it's demise. We cried at it's death, as this was probably our favorite lawn-mower in our almost 35 years of marriage, it always started right up, without much pulling of the cord and it was remarkably quiet, compared to other mowers. We then decided to borrow our son's self-propelled mower sitting idly in his garage. This mower had a mind of it's own and needed a tune-up, so back to the "repair shop" we went with mower in tow. It soon arrived home and was happily munching the grass in our yard. So, last Saturday I decided to surprise husband and have the yard mowed when he returned from his morning sports program, "Speaking of Sports".

The lawn mower started right up without too much yanking of the cord, we happily started through the yard, when I noticed that I was doing all of the work, the mower was not doing it's self-propelling thing at all! Forty-five minutes and much exertion and perspiration later, said mower choked on a thick patch of grass, promptly stopped and refused to start back up. Hubby arrived a few minutes later, got the mower started and a few passes later, the wheel fell off! While trying to get the wheel back on, husband got his hand too close to some part that was hot and burned his hand rather badly. I took him inside for first-aid and then went out to finish pushing this mower through the yard. Whew! Can any sane person explain to me how man can invent the cell phone, computers, GPS systems in vehicles that can talk to you and tell you just how lost you really are, but cannot invent a lawn mower that runs properly and starts without your having to pull your arm out of it's socket? I am convinced that women and lawn mowers are not compatible in any way, shape or form. If they were meant for us, they would be made in fashionable colors like fushsia and would play music when they start with a push-button, have a tray for your drink and a large umbrella over-head to keep you cool and out of the sun while listening to the built-in radio with head-phones. Now that would be a lawn-mower a woman could love! That was last Saturday, this Sunday my washing machine just let out a large banging noise and stopped while loaded down with a large load of towells. So you know what I am going to spend the next 30 minutes doing, wringing out the water before I put them in the dryer that will probably stop next. Don't you think the title for my blog is catchy and totally appropriate? Join me now and then for "Just Another Day in Paradise".