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"Twas the night afternoon before September

and all through the house

not a creature was stirring...

...they were all Napping!"

(Yes, I even hear some snoring

among our ranks.)

I've opted to stay awake and bemoan the fact that this is really the last day of Summer.  Once September arrives "it's all over".  Forget the Flip Flops, the Beach, the Lemonade. It's time to say goodbye to Summer 2014.  

Woe is me!

*sniff  *sniff

Yes, I live in the south.

Yes, it's still gonna be hot here for quite a while.

Still, the air smells different, and that means summer has gone,

but don't worry about me.

I'll get over it.

Heck, by the end of May 2015

I'll be back to my good time Summer ways!

Only 274 more days!

Fudge

"Families are like fudge - mostly sweet

with a few nuts".
   ~author unknown

We had such a good "fudgy time" when we were in Tulsa last week.

Our oldest Grandoll

turned Sweet 16!

I still remember clearly the day she was born.

I can tell you what I was wearing

and how my hair was combed.

Becoming a YaYa is a highlight of my life.

And, wonder of wonders -

she was born on MY Birthday

and named after me.

Mister with his Sister (rhyme)

meeting our new little Grand niece,

Linley.

Aunt Erma.

Everyone should have an Aunt Erma.

Two of our cousins

all grown up now

with babies of their own.

"Cheese!"

Family Dudes.

Scott, one of the nicest people

I know.

Forever to be known now as

"Linley's mom and dad".

Youngest Tulsa Granddoll.

Few people more fun than

a feisty red head

Me, enjoying a chat with my

handsome nephew.

I.Am.One.Blessed.Sweet Tea.

Oh the Things You'll See. . .

As planned, we made the trip to Tulsa and enjoyed and nice long weekend.  Nice person that I am, I shared the tummy bug I'd had previously, with Mister, soooooo one of the days we were in Tulsa we spent to ourselves, so as not to spread the nasty tummy bug with others.  (Perhaps I have just written the longest, run-on sentence in the history of blogging!  You're quite welcome.)  We spent our quarantined day in the car driving around the town we once called home.  Lots of changes we noticed, as well as some amusing things along the way.  It's absolutely amazing what one can find when driving randomly for hours.

Ever been to a "Bean Bar"?

This was a first for us, but we didn't go in.

Late in the day we came upon this monstrosity.

Look at this.  

Look hard and see all the intricate details.  

What is it?

To get here one must drive south from Tulsa.  Waaaay south to where there is nothing but country roads.

Then take a right at the stop sign, go across the railroad tracks, up a small hill, then just as you begin to come down the hill - BEHOLD!  We did some asking around but no one seemed to really know what this is.  I have my own theory but would probably be arrested if I shared my thoughts with you

Things that make you say, "WEIRD"!!

Kombucha, anyone?

We've been told about this drink that is to be extra good on one's tummy.  I couldn't find the drink here, as we have no Whole Foods or Sprout's stores, so we made it our business to grab some up to try while we were in Tulsa.  The first flavor we tried was "Pineapple with Greens".  It looked, smelled, and tasted like stagnant creek water.  I tried to like it, but ended up pouring it down the drain.  YUK!  Then, after leaving the other flavors in the hot car we realized these are to be refrigerated immediately - so the other flavors had gone bad and we didn't even get to try them.  At $3.69 a small bottle, this was a "FAIL".  But I'll try again the next time I have the opportunity.

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

BTW, while we were away I had a very "serious" birthday.  It's official - "I'm old!", but I refuse to linger in that thought.  Denial is my friend.  *smile  We had a huge family party to celebrate the many August B-day's in our family.  I'll share this in my next blog post.  Remember to breathe between now and the next post.  I know it'll be hard to wait.  *smirky grin

Nuts.

Sometimes blogging serves as my therapy.
Today is one of those days.
You've been warned.

Doctor:  So, Ms. Sweet Tea, what seems to be bothering you today?

Sweet Tea:  Let's begin with the fact that my toe is killing hurting me.  I have jammed it, or broken it, and it hurts with most every step I take.  *whine  *whine

AND,

we're going on a road trip next week to see lots of our extended family to celebrate a carload of birthdays and meet our newest little "grand niece" (my term) and to take my Mom for an extended visit with my sister.

Doctor:  So Ms. Tea, those sound like happy occasions, so why the long face?

Sweet Tea:  Doctor, you know I hate road trips, but even putting that aside, my Mom finds the process of going for a visit both bitter & sweet.  She likes the thought of visiting my Sister, but also feels that neither of us "want her".  This breaks my heart.  Everyone tells me that we must have breaks from time to time since we are full time Caregivers.  I know that's right, but it makes for guilt on my part. . .Once Mom knows she is going for a visit she begins to over think it and obsess, like dementia patients do.  Then the constant barrage of questions and insinuations begin.  Over and over and over and over...Did I mention that my toe is in a vice?  Well, it feels like it...Mom doesn't understand that she has dementia and that the court has ruled that she must live with me and have extended visits with my sister periodically.  This ruling allows her to stay out of a nursing home.  Doctor, she views us (my sister and I) as mean children who won't let her live in her home.  Of course there is a part of me which wants desperately to reason/explain to her what the issues are.  Perhaps she'd feel differently if she could understand, but that's just it.  She can't understand or reason, so this will go on for the entire next week until she actually arrives at my Sisters.  *sigh*  I love my Mom and it's so frustrating that she can't see that. . .Thanks for listening, Doc, I feel so much better just getting to vent a bit...Perhaps I forgot to mention that my toe ACHES.

Doctor:  Ms. Sweet Tea, take some Ibuprofen and quit whining about your toe.
You.Big.Baby.  You have friends who are battling cancer and there are people in an Atlanta hospital with Ebola.

Sweet Tea:  Oh, Doctor, I wanted to talked to you about the goofball who decided to bring Ebola into our country.  I'm worried about that too.

Doctor:  Ms. Tea, your time is up.