NYC bound

Well the kids- Erin and Joey are off to NYC for the next couple of days.....:( I miss them already!! But I know they will have a great time.

Yesterday morning before leaving for Boston, they went to Northampton (where Erin's Mom's family is from) and had a nice visit with Erin's Uncle Russell (in the picture).

They had a blast in Boston yesterday, got home around midnight and then up at 8AM and off again to NYC.

It was so much fun having them here and the time just went by to fast!!
I cooked them a hot breakfast of sausage, ham, eggs and toast, with orange juice to get them going for the drive to NYC.

I am expecting to hear from them sometime today once they get to NYC.......so til then..
I will post more later.

Random pictures of the Lobster Feast!!

As you can see Erin is not to thrilled with Mr. Lobster!

But by the look in Joey's eyes, he is just about ready to feast!!

It's been Great!!

Erin has arrived and we are all having a blast! Yesterday (Wednesday) we all went to Rhode Island (Joey, Erin, Cher and I) to visit with my Mother and Grandmother Nanny. They were very happy to see us and we exchanged Christmas gifts with them.

After leaving RI, we then took the "kids" (Erin and Joey) out for a lobster dinner, Erin never having had lobster before. She was so funny, she was a little afraid of the lobster because it still had its eyes. We helped her through cracking the thing, and showing her all the good parts to eat. She was a riot!! The faces she made, and like I, she had to clean off the Lobster "poo" before eating it. She wasn't so sure about the whole process as you can see in the picture, but she learned and did like the taste of it (I think). After that we went to a wonderful bakery in Northampton to get some delightful desserts.......which I think Erin liked alot more! No eyes!

Finally around 11:30PM Erin recieved her lost luggage......that she has been waiting for since she arrived here on Tuesday. Backing up, before that we made a mad dash to North Hatfield to the FedEx pick up place to pick up a new cell phone that Joey had ordered and we have all been waiting on that to for the last few days. Got there just in time before the place closed.

So yesterday was a fun filled eventful day. The "kids" are off to Boston today, Joey wants to take Erin to the Boston Aquarium, show her some of the sights, topped off with a seafood dinner (bet cha she won't be ordering Lobster!) at one of the resturants near the Harbor.

Tomorrow they take off for New York City...........but that's another blog.
Til then...................!

Christmas Day

Christmas Day is here! As you can see in the picture Cleo and Felix are enjoying their Christmas present! Spoiled eh? Naw..........not much!!

The plans for today are to exchange gifts this morning with my son Joey and my best friend Cher. I have a Broccoli Salad to make this morning .......a recipe given to me by Ms. Lucy Paulette from Blacksburg Virginia, a fine southern lady. Today we will be going over to Cher's parents house to share Christmas day and partake of the Christmas feast! Cher's 3 neices will be there, along with both her brothers, who at some point will show up........what I mean by that is that they are both Firemen and have to work some today. But they will join the family when they get off of work.

I will be taking pictures and posting them so all can see how we have enjoyed our Christmas Day.

I spoke with Ms. Erin last night............my son Joey's true love! she is the sweetest young lady!(You have seen her picture in past posts........(she is the one that is half of the Most Adorable Couple!) She is excited about coming up North, she has never been up here, so it will be fun for her and fun for Joey to show her around Boston and NYC, where they will be staying with friends and sharing the coming in of the New Year together.

I plan to serve her my son's favorite dish........Mom's homemade Tuna Casserole, and on another evening.........Lobster! I hear she has never had it before, so she is in for a treat!! Here in the New England states Lobster is a common delight. They are caught live off the Maine and Massachusetts coast here, kind of like where I moved from..........the Chesapeake Bay area where it is known for the Chesapeake Bay Blue Crabs ( I sure miss fresh crab!).

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

Wonderful news

The first wonderful news is that Mr. Wagner came home from the Nursing Home, so now he will be able to spend Christmas with his family, friends and loved ones. He is doing better, slow, but on the mend and that is a Wonderful thing! We are all so glad he is back home and can't wait to celebrate Christmas with him.

The other wonderful news is the picture you see of the Cutest Couple in the World! (being a Mom here).........love them! Aren't they adorable?? :)

Joey my son in the picture is coming tomorrow night!! I can't wait to see him!! And Erin, the cutest girl in the world you see in the picture, Joey's love :) will be coming here on Tues!! I can't wait to see her again!! I met her when I went down to Virginia this past October.....she is a wonderful young lady and I am so happy to have her in my son's life and mine.

Today is the company Christmas party, it should be fun, with lots of good eats, presents and laughter.......a good time to be had by all. I am also giving out my handmade Christmas cards to some of my coworkers, and a few gifts. I can't wait! I love to give and let others know how much they mean to me and how much I care about them. I wish I could do more, but I just don't get paid enough!! :)


The Christmas stockings are hung and waiting for Santa to fill them with lots of surprises and treats. Even the kittys Felix and Cleo have their own stocking. Last month I bought them a flowing water fountain, so they will have fresh water......it flows constantly, that is "air filtered" for that "fresh taste" and better for their tummys.........no stagnet water for my kittys! They deserve the best! Better for their kidney functions too.


Well work calls.....so I have to end this for now.

Happy Holidays, Seasons Greetings and MERRY CHRISTMAS!! (hope everyone will get this and know...........CHRISTmas is our saviors birthday.......and no "group" or non believers can take that away! YaY!

Christmas Tree 2005

The Christmas tree is decorated and now awaiting the arrival of my oldest son Joey and his girlfriend Erin!! I am so excited! Joey will arrive at Bradley Airport in Hartford CT. on Friday evening followed by the arrival of Erin on Tues. Dec. 27th! Can't wait to have them both here for the holiday! All the presents are wrapped (mine are anyway.........Cher has yet to start :), but that is her, last minute Kate....she usually waits til Christmas morning to wrap before going over to her parents for Christmas to spend the day with all her family. Last year I helped her wrap ahead of time, and I plan on doing it this year too! I love to wrap, so it will be fun!

The snow is still on the ground and will stay here til April I am sure......more predicted on Christmas Day, don't know how much yet but we will see. If we do, it will be pretty, as the snow that is on the ground now, has gotten all dirty from cars and people. It is so pretty when it has freshly fallen.
Tomorrow is my works company Christmas party...........of course I think now to be politically correct we have to call it a Holiday Party........long story but there has been alot of.........should I say "discussion" on Christmas this year.......what to call it as not to offend anyone. It is still CHRISTMAS, Christ's birthday and know one can take that away no matter what!! You can't take the CHRIST out of CHRISTmas.....and that is just all there is to it!!

Anyway, back to the party.............the company has the food catered.....which is nice.......usually with all other events everyone has to bring a covered dish. It will be nice to have someone else make it. Also we do what they call here a Yankee Swap, now that is fun.......we all exchange gifts by picking out a number...when your number is called you have to pick out a gift that is located all in a pile in the center of the room. It's fun and we get some good laughs out the of the reactions of others.........seeing what they have chosen. Some great gifts!!

As you know I made my own Christmas cards this year, well they are all done and ready to be given to my co-workers with a little "surprise" inside.....and something on the outside too........don't want to say right now just what it is, cuz some of my coworkers read this blog and I don't want to give anything away.

Well that is about it right now......

Update on Cher's terrible cold........she took Zicam and it is something! She is so much better now after 4 days........I recommend it to anyone! It shortens the length of the cold and the severity. It is wonderful!!

Will write again soon................til then............MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! (got that everyone! )

Making Christmas Cards

So I decided this year to make my own Christmas Cards. I enjoy trying to be creative and the fun in making them. I looked on the internet for "Christmas Quotes" to write in the cards from famous to not so famous people. These are just some samples of what I am creating.

Needless to say I am still sick, so I did not go to RI to see my Mom and Grandmother today. I do have to go to work tomorrow though, no matter how I feel. Right now we are just to busy to take any time off.

Cher's father isn't doing so well. He was in the nursing home for rehab but has had a setback. Cher went to see him today (I can't go, I don't want to give him my germs) and his Blood Pressure is up, he has a temperature, and his urine is not good. So they are sending him back to the hospital. Please everyone pray for Mr. Wagner and all the Wagner family. He has been through so much, as all the family has. I just want him to get better so he can go home and be with the ones that he loves and loves him. He would rather be home in his easy chair and being with Mrs. Wagner. They are just the greatest people and parents anyone could ever want. Pray that all will go well with them.

Called my youngest son Allen today, he says he is doing well, I do pray for him too. He sounds like he is getting more of a "grasp" on things at times, but with him it is one day at a time. I try and call him every day to let him know I love him, and am thinking of him and to find out how he is doing.

I still have some Christmas shopping to do.......mostly I do it on the internet....it is great! Just order and it comes right to your door! The way they have bargains now, and free shipping, it really is worth it, you don't have the hassle of traffic, finding a parking space, crowded stores and lines. I hate shopping so internet shopping is the way for me! I owe it all to my oldest son Joey, he introduced me to the home PC when he went away to college some years ago and has taught me so much about it. Thanks Joey! Your Mom is gettting more computer "savy" every day!

Last night Cher and I went to the First Annual Redneck Christmas dinner right here in Easthampton. Yes, I know I shouldn't have gone being sick and all, but we had gotten the tickets and I just couldn't turn down a Redneck Christmas Dinner! They had all the fixin's (but unfortunately here in the north they still have a thing to learn about "southern" cookin).....there was no Collard Greens or Hush Puppies!! Oh my! They substituted cole slaw, and they did have corn bread ...not to brag but my corn bread is alot better! We had some raffle drawings in which I won a Santa Magnet for the refridgerator and a case of Pabst Blue Ribbon beer! Yee Haw! Yuck! I don't like beer anyway, so I gave it to one of my friends sons (yes he is of drinking age). They had a great band, which is a local band from around here where the guys started playing together in High School and they are all around my age, so it has been a long time playin! The money that was collected for the dinner went to Habitat For Humanity for the victims of the Hurricane's down south this summer.

So that is the happenin's around here in Easthampton MA for the weekend.

Til next time...............:)

Snow!

Yes it has snowed again here, about 6 to 12 inches on Friday. Today it is sunny and nice and the snow looks so pretty! Luckily the Dept. of Public Works gets the trucks out pronto to remove the snow from the roads.

I am sick with some kind of virus, went to the doctors yesterday but there is nothing they can give me to make me feel better since it is a virus. So I will just have to get through it with Tylenol and rest! I was suppose to go to RI today to visit with my Mom and Grandmother, but maybe I will make it tomorrow, depends on how I feel.

I'll be taking more pictures of the pretty snow when I get outside more.

Until then, have a great weekend!

Christmas Kittys

Christmas is coming and my kittys are getting into the holiday spirit too.
Of course they have to check everything out, including the decorations.
Luckily they now have "fake" pointsettia's that look real. You can't have real ones with cats. They are poisonous!!

As you can see Felix (black and white) has to check it out.

And Ms. Cleo thinks she is the princess among the Christmas flowers!

A Miami Morning

This past April 17th (my birthday) I along with my best friend Cher, went to Miami, Fl. for a week of fun in the sun! It was great there........wonderful weather, blue skys, no humidity (the locals say this is the best time to come, as it gets very humid in the middle of the summer) and white sandy beaches.
We did the tourist thing, when on a Casino gambling boat (where I won money!) and shopped around South Beach.......let me tell you, there is some SERIOUS money down there!
This picture is what I saw every morning when I woke up out of my hotel window...swaying palm trees, the blue sky, the beach, sometimes an early morning jogger going by. It was so peaceful and quite. Cher and I would sit out on the balcony in the mornings and just take the beautiful scenery in.

Felix

This is my cat Felix, he is a big boy, about 20lbs. He has the life, a real "mama's" boy........spoiled rotten!
He came with me from Virginia with his brother BooBoo (who is now deceased, and boy do I miss him!)

Little Nanny

Here is another picture of my Nanny, isn't she cute!

Nanny and her bird

Nanny and her bird are just about inseparable.......she would rather live with animals and she said she is going to animal heaven when she dies.....I believe it!

My grandmother has contributed for over 50 years to the foundations, institutions and any other cause for the prevention and cruelty to animals. Any pets she has had in her life time has been loved and spoiled rightly!

At about 4'2", she is a dynamo at her age of 96. Her mind is still very sharp (once in a while she forgets things, but don't we all).....it is the body that is slow and unsteady now. But she still gets around and goes grocery shopping every Sunday (with the help of her neice Judy that picks her up in her car, my Nanny can't drive anymore.......and believe me you wouldn't want her too! She is bad enough with a shopping cart, ramming others and pushing them out of the way in the grocery store).

I LOVE HER!!

Trip to RI to see "the girls"

My Mom
This is the building that my Mom and Grandmother live in, it is for older, retired folks.

Saturday around noon, Cher and I took off for RI to visit with my Mom and Grandmother again. We hadn't seen them in about 3 weeks since last weekend we were just getting back from Virginia.

We had a nice visit and Nanny (my grandmother ) made a Wonderful! beef soup. Yum!! At 96 yrs old, she can still cook up a mean dish! She has always loved to cook and has always been great at it. My Mom's cooking is ok, not as good as her Moms. Sorry Mom!!

Here are a few pictures............

Update on the most adorable couple in the world..

Joey and Erin went to the Founder's Dinner and Dance in Roanoke Virginia last Saturday night (Oct. 15th (when I was flying back to Massachusetts from Roanoke).

They sent me a picture of them there........aren't they the most adorable!!

They are just the cutest!!

Mr. Bailey and his family

Yesterday Cher and I went to RI to visit with the girls again (pictures to follow in next Blog) on the way home we met up with 2 of our very dear friends, Mary and Deb.

We had the best time! We met at Longhorns in West Springfield for dinner (critics corner: the place was spacious and clean, the service was "annoying" and the food honestly wasn't the greatest - for stating "fresh steaks never frozen". The steaks were bland, kinda like dull cardboard........the potato was good though :) (never can mess up a good baked potato) but the "Buds" visit was the best! Cher and I got there around 6:30PM and Mary and Deb had already gotten there and had our table ready.
We ate, drank and talked til about 10:30PM........shut the place down just about! It was the company that was so great. We have not seen Mary and Deb in quite a while and got to catch up on how they and their family's are doing. And talk about families.......there is a new addition to their family, Mr. Bailey (in the center of the picture, isn't he handsome!) and Ms. Brandy, there she is smiling in the picture, she is so proud of her little family.........and then the new "baby" of the family Ms. Amazing Grace! she is adorable!!! Gracie for short she is called, but she is an Amazing Grace, cuz she almost didn't survive when she came into this world. But with LOTS of LOVE, CARING, and CONCERN (and many sleepless nights) she made it......isn't she AMAZING!
It was a GREAT night and Cher and I can't wait to do it again! Mary and Deb, you're the best!!

Some shots of Cher

Traveling on the Blue Ridge Parkway we decided to take some pictures of our adventure.

The car I had rented was very nice, as you can see Ms. Cher is modeling it for us.

It is a 2005 Chevrolet Malibu..........nice ride! Something to consider when I decide to purchase a new car in the future.

I've been looking at the new Chrysler.......ya never know :)

But for right now, I have MORE IMPORTANT things to save my money for in the future.......good things are happening ahead!!!

The cutest couple in the world!!

So here they are.............the cutest couple in the world! At least I think so........being "Mom"

My Joey and Erin, dancing together on a Friday night at Floyd County Country Store.

We all had a great time, and you can see by the smile on their faces that they were having a great time with each other!


Aren't they just the cutest!!

Where do you go Pee in the middle of the mountains?

Arrg! Cher and I were driving the Blue Ridge Mountain Parkway, having a great time, enjoying the solitude and the scenery...........we had also been drinking coffee earlier and then diet cokes........you know what must happen next!

Well let me tell ya, we were looking and looking for a port-a-johnny, a rest stop with a restroom.........or by the time my eyeballs were floating......a big bush!!

Low and behold at the top of the mountain, which let me tell you the Blue Ridge Parkway is MILES long...........we FINALLY found a picnic area that had a bathroom! (Tourist note: there is only one bathroom facility on the Blue Ridge Parkway).....so I turned in and parked the car.......
Well here I am doing my rendition of the "peepee: dance. Cher wanted to take a picture and I just wanted to get in there! I must say, for a rustic bathroom, it was quite nice........clean with all the amenities (toilet paper, paper towels and soap! Real clean too :)

Anyway, this was just another stop on our journey in Virginia..........later!!

And then there's Claude...

This is Claude, he is a Lama. He is kinda shy, he was hiding behind a hay bale when I first met him. But I slowly coaxed him out for a picture. Isn't he the cutest!! He belongs to the Paulette family, dear friends of my son Joey. Mr. Paulette works at Virginia Tech and manages the farm for the college, all 1700 acres! They have goats to but they were up on a mountain hidden behind some trees so I didn't get to meet them, but I could hear them Baaing off in the distance.

Also there were the sheep! They were BAAAAING.....and Baaaing!! wanting to be fed. They were so cute and so strong! I didn't realize how strong sheep were until I was trying to hold their feeding bowl as they ate. They would push and nudge each other out of the way to get the grain.

More updates from my trip to Virginia later!!

More pictures from Virginia

Ahh..............still enjoying the memories of my trip to Virginia.


Here are a few of the highlights, I hope you enjoy! Here are some from Floyd, Virginia, the best little knee slappin', tobacco chewin', foot stomping, tooth grinnin', and you might win a Ham too! place in western Virginia.

Back from Good Ole Virginia

Well I am back from Virginia and had the best time with my son! Everything was beautiful there, the sun shining, nice fluffy clouds........the mountains everywhere.
The flights were nice, nothing eventful. I love to fly anyway, it is one of the most relaxing things to me (they need to do something with the seats though....kinda squished).

Cher and I flew from Hartford, CT. to Charlotte, N.C. and then into Roanoke, VA. Rented a car (very nice one I might add) and headed towards Christiansburg, VA. to the hotel we were staying at....the Howard Johnson's Express Inn (I would NOT recommend it). But it was a place to "hang our hats" and sleep. Joey (my son) had to work since he had just gotten back from a vacation in Hawaii, so during the day Cher and I took in the sights of the GREAT Virginia Tech. campus, the sights of Blacksburg and Christiansburg, and went for a sightseeing tour of the BlueRidge Parkway.

I got to meet Erin!! She is adorable, sweet and a wonderful young woman. I can see why my son Joey is so taken with her. They make such a cute couple. I was so happy to meet her and get to know her. I also got to meet her family, we all went out for dinner and had a great time! So much to do and see in the short amount of time I was there, but I was so glad to be back in Virginia!
A few highlights were also meeting some of Joey's friends (Wednesday night get together at Joey's house with dinner fixin's) and the Paulettes, a very nice southern family that has "adopted" my son and taken him under their wings. I also got to meet some of their "pets", 2 dogs, some sheep and a Lama named Claude. He was a little shy but did let me take his picture.
Then off to Floyd! You have not lived unless you have been to Floyd, VA. It is a cute little southern town nestled in the mountains of western Virginia. There is a store there in the center of town and every Friday night they have an honest to goodness Blue Grass Hoe Down! It was great! So much foot stompin', hand clappin' , heehawin", it was a blast!
Saturday morning Joey and Erin ran a 5K while Cher and I watched :) No going for these 2 "old" ladies.
I was exhausted when we got home (late Saturday night) that Cher and I didn't do much of anything but lay around all Sunday. We had gone hiking to the Cascades hours before our flight took off and we were sore! the next day.
I will be posting some of the pictures of my trip to VA.
It was WONDERFUL! to see my son again, and can't wait til he comes here for Christmas with Erin!

My "monkeys" and Virginia

Well the weekend is finally here.YaY! It is rainy here this weekend but I don't mind a bit, I am thinking of this coming week and going to Virginia! Going to visit my son Joey, meet Erin and go to Floyd's! Can't wait to get back to the land of "y'alls" and southern comfort.

The picture is of my 2 "monkeys" my sons, I keep it on my desk at work and Mr. Monkey watches over them. I look at it everyday and think of them.......LOVE them!!

Today (Saturday) my plans are to get ready for VA! Gotta go get my nails done and a little shopping (clothes.......as I have gained weight!) Also need to print out my airline tickets and the itinerary.

Have a great weekend and I'm on my way to VA!!

Aloha from Hawaii

So my son has sent me a beautiful postcard from Hawaii, where for the past week he has been with friends. His BLOG has kept me updated as to what he has been doing and where he has been going........I am so happy that he has had this opportunity to go there and be with friends.

I am leaving Oct. 12th to go to Virginia to see him! Haven't been back to VA in over 2 years........can't wait!!

Weekend happenings

So the weekend was busy and went well. Saturday as planned, Cher and I went to visit "the girls". I brought my Mom a new Swifter Sweeper to help with all the cleaning of the birdseed that gets all over from my grandmothers bird. Also brought her a few more books, she loves to read and I go all over the place trying to find her books she hasn't read yet. Left Cranston, RI around 4PM, and headed to the University of Rhode Island to visit with Cher's neice Amanda. URI is a beautiful campus right next to the ocean! The 3 of us went to Narragansett to have dinner at a seaside resturant called "Turtle Soup" excellent place with good food. Headed back to Easthampton that evening after dropping Amanda back at her door, arriving home around 11PM.

Sunday morning was a morning of leisure, then in the afternoon off to the BIG E! Emily ended up not going as her and Julia had to babysit, so it was just Cher and I.
We had a great time, the weather was perfect, saw the parade, had lunch at the Lion's Club (always for a good cause).......checked out all the vendors, saw a great show from the People's Republic of China.....balancing, chairs, plates, and each other! It was fantastic! Ended up the evening by watching the concert of Taylor Dayne. She sang some of the "oldies" from the 80's and a few new songs that are coming out in her latest CD.

Monday I had my first bike ride on my new bike!! Just around the block, but it is a start.........gotta get the ole legs in shape for the bike trails......again hopefully this coming weekend I will get to the trail.

Back to work tomorrow.............yay *sigh* :)

4 Generations, RI and the Big E!

YaY! It is Friday.....finally! Been a busy week at work.
Looks like the weekend plans have changed a little...........bike riding on the trails will have to wait.
On Saturday going to RI to visit with "the girls" then on to the Univerisity of RI to visit with Amanda (Cher's neice) hopefully taking her out to dinner with a friend and seeing her dorm room for her 2nd year at college.

Sunday it is off to the BIG E! This is an annual event here in Western Massachusetts, it is like a humongus 16 day Carnival of events, activities, roller coaster rides, cotton candy and just about everything you can imagine going on at a BIG Fair!

Cher's brother who is a Firefighter was nice enough to give us some tickets so we can get in free. Miss Emily (Cher's youngest neice...Ms. Deva the fashion queen) will be going too........she wants to get more sequined belts......I think she has already bought 5 (every color) at the BIG E. :)

Thought I would also post 4 generations of my Mom's side of the family, it was taken last Christmas......it is of My Grandmother (Nanny) my Mom, my oldest son Joey and me.

Have a great weekend! and I'll keep you updated!

Peguins, 42nd Street and A New Bike!

This past weekend I had alot going on..........Saturday started with a trip to a bike store for a new bike! Can't wait til this weekend to try it out. Around here they have awesome bike trails that connect from town to town. Saturday evening ended with going to the movies and seeing "March of the Penguins". A beautiful love story of the desire, determination, agonizing and awesome lives of the great Emperor Penguins.
Sunday was the Valley Medical Group (where I work) annual picnic at Look Park. Everyone was treated to a Lobster, and with all the usual picnic foods, hamburgers, hotdogs and the like. We held a silent auction with all the money going to the relief efforts of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Our company collected $8000.00 from employee donations, matched by the administration...total.......$1600.00, and the silent auction brought in an additional $800.00. Go VMG!!
After the picnic, that evening Cher (my best friend) and I went over to the Mullins Center on the campus of the University of Massachusetts and took in the production of 42nd Street. It was wonderful! (although I wish we had better and closer seats).....didn't get to sleep til after midnight which is a "biggy" for me..........so I was tired at work yesterday. Update on the work time.........I now go into work at 8AM instead of 8:30 and work til 5PM.

The weather here has been great (minus a few rain days) Fall here in New England is crisp and beautiful! Can't wait til the colors of the leaves are at their peak! Will have pictures as the season arrives.
Work is waiting..........so bye for now! and I'll keep ya updated on my (hopefully) bike trail riding this Sunday. I am going to RI this weekend......Saturday to see my Mom and Grandmother (the "girls" as I call them). Bye!!

Nanny

My grandmother (Joey's great-grandmother) is 96 yrs old. Here she is at the grocery store with determination on her face .........get to the car without falling down! (unfortunately she did, but was ok, thank goodness, just her pride was bruised). She is a stubborn and determined woman, that grandmother of mine and I LOVE her!

According to my son, I don't send enough pics, so I thought I would start out by showing my work space :)
This is where I am most of my waking hours, I LOVE my screen saver! Also you will notice all my little "critters" who keep me company every day.