Now I know why...

In reference to my previous post, I found out why the winter blahs hit me this week. Apparently I am not alone and there are good reasons for my feelings. I found the following online:

According to experts, this is the most depressing week of the year. And you may not have realized it at the time, but yesterday (Monday, January 14th) was the most depressing DAY of the year. The reasons why are obvious: The "holiday glow" is over, the weather stinks, night starts early, you don't have a vacation to look forward to, and you've flopped on your New Year's resolutions.

Ummmm.... yup!

Impending Doom!

NEWSFLASH! This blogger would rather take a daily beating with a big stick than deal with winter in the midwest. Well, maybe I'm exaggerating... but only a little. So far, the winter has been bearable. Cold, but not frigid. Accumulating snow has been at a minimum. In the next week or two, that looks to change (at least the temperature part). After unseasonably warm temperatures over the weekend (I'll take 67 in January!), the air is cold again. The weather man says next week is going to be colder than this week. Not exactly what a warm weather guy wants to hear. Relief is still a long way off. There are a lot of short days and long, cold nights ahead before we get to bask in the gloriousness of spring again. Why does winter get me so down so much? I honestly don't know. I know I don't like to be cold. I despise it actually. I know I don't like driving in or shoveling snow. I know I like long, hot days and short, warm nights. I know gloomy days far outnumber clear ones in the winter. I know being cooped up in the house can drive a man to the brink of madness. Whoever coined the term "Cabin Fever", was dead on! I've got cabin fever and the only prescription is more cowbell! (Sorry, that's a Christopher Walken reference if you're not familiar). Actually the only prescription is sunshine, daylight and warmth. I'd say winter is for the birds, but hey, even THEY fly south for the winter. I wish I could go with them.

Flyin' South!

Flyin' South--- IN STYLE!

Condo Life

It looks like Michael will be moving out of the house in a few weeks. I have many thoughts about this.

First, I am prepared for this to be final. In other words, it's very likely he will live away from home all through college and will likely get married not too long after. I was not prepared for this when Jessi went away to college. I guess I was naive in thinking she might ever move back home. At least this time I recognize the possibility that he may never live with us again.

Second, Michael moving out puts me 2/3 of the way to an empty nest. Abby abhors the idea of being an "only child".

Last, there's something not quite right when my son is moving into a place that's a lot nicer than my own home. He and a few of his buddies are renting a brand new, 3 bedroom condo. The father of one of these buddies just purchased it. We went yesterday to have a little peek at the place. To say I was surprised at what I saw would be a gross understatement. This place is NICE! The condo itself has 3 bedrooms and 2 baths, a fireplace (electric), nice furnishings and even an over-sized bathtub in one of the two bathrooms. Although I doubt any of these college guys will be taking any bubble baths :-) There is a small patio suitable for entertaining (these guys are going to invite their parents over for a cookout, right?) They also have a clubhouse, fitness center, swimming pool, gazebo and a nice sized pond (fishing permitted!).

The condo is very close to campus (less than two miles) and Michael's girlfriend has offered to cook for the guys as long as they buy the groceries. Tough life for this group of young bachelors, eh?

Here's the entrance:

Here's the waterfall just inside the entrance:

Here are a couple photos of the pond, gazebo and some condos in the background:

Here's the party patio:

Here are some other condos:

Sleeping Judy

Sveta told her daddy to put the princess dress on her because she wanted to be "Sleeping Judy" (Sleeping Beauty). How cute is that?

It makes me glad we bought her a pair of princess shoes for Christmas :-)

Snow Ball Photos

Here's Abby getting ready for her big night. Sorry the photos are a bit dark :-(

This is Abby with her big brother:

And here she is by herself:

A Warm Snow Ball

Abby had her big dance tonight. Her school's winter formal is known as the Snow Ball. I thought it was ironic and quite funny that the temperature was 67 degrees today.

It goes without saying that she looked stunningly beautiful. I would post pictures, but she is still at the dance and has the camera with her. I will post a few photos tomorrow.

I'm getting ready to go and pick her up about 11:00. These late night runs aren't so easy anymore.

Kickin' it old school

I am a history buff. I'm sure everyone knows of my fascination with maritime history and shipwrecks. I am also interested in any relics or artifacts from the past (particularly those found locally). I guess this is why I love my hobby of metal detecting so much. It's not just the hunt for treasure that fascinates me, but just never knowing what you might dig up is a thrill.

This post is not about metal detecting, treasure hunting or finding artifacts. It's about one particular photo I stumbled upon this week. The photo is taken from the air and shows the three old school buildings that sat on the grounds where the St. Bernard schools sit today. As near as I can tell, this photo was taken in the late 20's or early 30's. I cannot stop studying and staring at the photo. There are so many things to look at and compare to the buildings that stand today. The building in the center of the photo is the old St. Bernard High School. The building to the left of the high school is the old elementary school. The building at the top left is the old auditorium. The auditorium not only housed an actual auditorium, but also a gym, a running track and an indoor pool. These buildings are where my grandpa and both my parents went to school. (My grandpa graduated in 1936 and my parents in '61 and '62) All three of these buildings were demolished in the mid 70's and new buildings were subsequently erected in their place. I attended Kindergarten in the old elementary school and attended 1st and 2nd grade in the old high school (they housed us there while the new elementary was being built).

Looking at a photo like this makes me fantasize about time travel. I wish I could go back and just look at all this stuff. I'm not talking about a "Back to the Future" movie scenario. Just a chance to observe... to just look around without affecting the future. I know that sounds weird, but I've always wondered what it would be like to go back and look (as an adult, knowing what I know now). Call me wacky if you want to, but it would be awfully cool.

Going to Damascus

We went to dinner with the Mortons last night. We hadn't seen them in a few weeks and decided it was time for a visit. We had a lot of fun with Sveta and I wanted to report the line of the night.

Some time after dinner Sveta reported that tomorrow is Thursday. Being a Wednesday evening, her statement was correct. Then her face lit up and she said, "I'm going to Damascus!". Damascus? I jokingly asked if she was going to Syria. She repeated this several times when her mommy finally figured out what she was trying to say. Gymnastics! She goes to gymnastics on Thursdays. That one really cracked us up!

Then we were amazed when Sveta's mommy asked her who went to Damascus. Without having to think about it, she said, "Saul". She had apparently learned this in Sunday School. Saul did go to Damascus in the Bible. It was incredible that she knew that.

Damascus=Gymnastics. Classic!

Remember When? Part III

Tami suggested I add a third post of "Remember When?" because she wanted to add some. Some of the items in this list are hers. This will probably be the last one. Tomorrow I will find something a little different to post.

Remember when the milk man would leave glass bottles of milk on your doorstep?

Remember when you had to take your milk money to school? It's hard to believe milk once cost a nickel.

Remember when your dad reaching for his belt buckle struck terror into your heart?

Remember when you would get green stamps at the grocery store? If you filled up enough books with stamps you could redeem them for prizes.

Remember when the family went to the drive-in movie? Dad would back the station wagon into the spot and mom would put pillows and blankets in the back. Don't forget the clunky speaker hanging on the window.

Remember when the sounds of crickets on summer nights would sing you to sleep?

Remember when your mom made Jiffy-Pop popcorn on the stove? Remember when a hot air popcorn popper was revolutionary? Having popcorn for a snack indicated a special occasion.

Remember when you'd bang pots and pans at midnight on New Year's Eve? My family used to go bowling and out to eat that evening. I'll never forget the time my dad blew a gasket because we went to Arby's and they were out of roast beef.

Remember when you could race boats in the gutter after a rain storm?

Remember when the news was only on at 6:00? Now it starts at 4:00 and runs until 7:00. More isn't always better.

Remember when going to the Reds game was like taking a trip to paradise? The grass was SO green! (actually it was Astroturf, but hey, it didn't matter to me).

Remember when nothing smelled better than a hot dog at the ballpark?

Remember when you took a bath about every 3 or 4 days? (And you usually had a sibling in the tub with you?)

Remember when getting up at 6:00 A.M. felt like getting up in the middle of the night?

Remember when your mom had a Tupperware party? Moms LOVED Tupperware!

Remember when your biggest annoyance in life was having your mom make you go to bed?

Remember When? Part II

I had so much fun with yesterday's "Remember When?" post, I decided to add some more today. I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I enjoyed writing them. Memory Lane can be fun :-)

Remember when everybody in the car pitched in a buck and there was enough gas to cruise with your friends all weekend?

Remember when you would run through the lawn sprinkler on hot summer days?

Remember when you went to the corner store with a quarter and came out with a whole bag full of candy?

Remember when your mom sent you to the corner store with a note for her cigarettes and the storekeeper sold them to you because he KNEW they weren't for you? No? Maybe that was just me.

Remember when your dad smoked in the car with the windows UP? IN THE SUMMERTIME NO LESS! (This one courtesy of my wife)

Remember when your mom said, "Wait until your father gets home!", and there was a genuine reason to be scared out of your wits?

Remember when your dad gave you a sip of his beer and you felt like a big shot?

Remember when the needle on your record player broke and you had to wait weeks before you could listen to music again?

Remember when you played baseball in the backyard and there were bare spots in the grass where the bases and pitcher's mound were located?

Remember when you played touch football in the street and yelled, "CAR!"? It was everybody's responsibility to keep anyone from getting killed.

Remember when you sprayed your dad's cologne on a love note? I really THOUGHT that pretty girl would think I was a stud muffin!

Remember when you got that lump in your throat and the sheer terror that preceded asking a girl to dance?

Remember when you cheered your head off when you heard school was closed for a snow day?

Remember when you could eat anything and everything and it didn't make you look like a pregnant pear?

Remember when you thought your teacher lived at the school because she was there when you left and still there when you got back the next morning? Do you also remember when you were shocked when you heard your teacher had a husband and kids of her own?

Remember when you turned 18 and your dad was so excited because you could now drive to the store and buy his beer? (this was before the legal drinking age was 21). Maybe this one is just me too :-)

Remember when you thought your childhood friends would be your friends forever? Where are they now? Most of us probably have no idea!

Remember when you were first allowed to drive a car by yourself? The freedom was intoxicating!

Remember when you would fight with your siblings over who got the prize in the bottom of the cereal box? Remember when you first realized those prizes were a a bunch of JUNK?

Remember when you would buy a pack of baseball cards and you would rifle through them looking for Cincinnati Reds cards? Remember the smell of the bubble gum when you ripped the wax wrapper off?

Remember when you thought you were staying up really late when you heard, "Heeeeeeeeeeeeeere's JOHNNY!" followed by the Tonight Show theme?

Remember when your parents raided your piggy bank to buy a loaf of bread because there was too much week left at the end of the paycheck?

Remember when bullying consisted of someone saying, "Nanny Nanny Boo Boo" on the playground as opposed to threatening to kill them on Facebook?

Remember when you drank from the garden hose on a hot day? There's nothing like that rubbery garden hose taste. There was probably some nasty stuff in that hose, but we didn't care!

Remember when you would catch lightning bugs and put them in a jar? We thought if we caught enough of them we could make a lantern. Were we really dumb enough to believe they would all light up at the same time?