HAPPY BIRTHDAY KEITH!!!

I'm writing this in advance since I'll be in Florida on May 31st. I just wanted to wish my son a Happy 40th Birthday.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KEITH!!!

This is a picture of Keith a few years ago when we visited Little Italy in New York City. We were in search of a good Italian meal. Keith was born in Naples, Italy.

Good Bye For Now...

I've fallen way behind and just haven't had time the last couple of weeks for blogging. I miss reading my favorite blogs, but hope to catch up soon.

Our oldest son is turning 40 on May 31st. Tomorrow he'll arrive from Austin and the family will get together and celebrate his birthday a little early.

Then we leave on Monday for a week in Florida. Jim and I will enjoy a few days rest and then I'll be attending the Fire Flies Convention while he rests for a few more days.

I'll see you all when I get back.

PINK SATURDAY TIME!

Once again it's time for Pink Saturday and today's post will have to be short and sweet. In fact, I almost forgot to compose this post...things have been a little hectic lately.

I enjoy collecting Vogue Ginny dolls...both the vintage and modern day ones. For today's Pink Saturday I'm sharing a photo of some of my dolls dressed in pink.

As you can see, they were performing a concert in the music room. What a talented bunch! The doll standing in the corner is a Vogue Jill Doll from the 1950's, sitting at the piano is a modern day vintage reproduction Ginny, standing with the violin is a modern day Ginny doll, the doll with the flute is my 1954 childhood Ginny, and the doll with the harp is another modern day Ginny.

For information on Pink Saturday and to see a list of the other participants click on the Pink Saturday logo on my sidebar. Thank you Beverly for hosting Pink Saturday.

I probably won't be participating in Pink Saturday for the next couple of weeks. My son is going to be visiting from Austin next weekend and then we're taking a short trip to Florida. I'll see you when I get back!

PINK SATURDAY AND A GALVESTON UPDATE

I've written before about Galveston Island since Hurricane Ike and today I'm going to combine Pink Saturday with another update.

Last Saturday we drove down to Galveston for the 35th Annual Galveston Historic Homes Tour. I wondered if they'd even have it this year, but they didn't let something like a hurricane deter them. The home tour was back and it was better than ever.

I saw plenty of pink on the tour. This is the 1892 Smith Cottage on Ball Avenue. It not only came through Ike OK, it also survived the 1900 hurricane. We wondered how long it took to paint all those shingles.

They don't allow photographs to be taken inside the homes, but the yards looked so pretty with all the new landscaping. The salt water storm surge from Ike killed most of the old landscaping.

I thought this looked pretty with the white picket fence...

This one had some architectural element from a demolished Galveston hotel decorating their landscaping. (There are some light pink flowers in there.)

I really thought this backyard was pretty...

And these people marked how high the water came in their backyard with blue tape...

Look closely...you'll see a little pink along the back fence here.

And someone had a pink bike just like mine! It goes nicely with the pink chair.

Lots of pretty pink blooms...

And this Oleander survived the storm although a lot of others didn't and have already been replaced.

This has no pink, but I liked it! On second thought maybe the cushions on the bench are pink-ish?

And really no pink here either, but don't you think it's neat the way they built the fence around the tree?

Bare with me pink people...no pink here either and this home wasn't even on the home tour. I just thought it would be so much fun to live in an old firehouse and had to take a picture. (I wonder if there's still a pole?)

And this was my favorite home on the tour. I know the picture is a little dark, but I really liked it and could actually picture myself living here. It's the 1904 Youens Home at 1512 Rosenberg. (Again, no pink...sorry.)

And now for the Galveston update. I'm happy to say that things have greatly improved since my last visit. It's now almost 8 months since the storm and things are looking a whole lot better. More and more business are opened. Along the Strand there are now more businesses opened than closed. There are still a lot of homes that appear to be abandoned or repairs have just recently begun.

And we still saw some of this, but not along the main streets any more. This was in some of the back alleys behind the homes.

And this is what I meant about some of the homes being abandoned or repairs just beginning.

And sadly it appears that a lot of the beautiful old trees on the island are dead. There are one hundred year old live oaks that probably won't make it. They're going to wait a while before they start taking them down in hopes some might come back, but it doesn't look too promising. All of the trees in these pictures should be full of leaves.

But there are a lot of things that have returned to normal on the island too.

The Carnival Conquest was getting ready to sail...

Some of the off shore oil rigs were in for repairs...

And one of our favorite eating places was opened again and we were able to eat outside on the dock overlooking the tall ship Elissa.

If you go back and read my earlier Galveston Island post you will see that things have greatly improved in the last eight months. Galveston is coming back!

For more information on Pink Saturday and to see a list of this week's participants click on the Pink Saturday logo on my sidebar. That will take you to Beverly's blog. Thank you Beverly for hosting Pink Saturday.

I'LL MISS YOU...

I've decided that Alzheimer's really stinks! I go over and see my Dad most days, but only stay a short while. He rarely talks and when he does it usually doesn't make any sense. I now totally understand what Ronald Reagan's daughter meant by the long goodbye.

I feel like I really need a break. Visiting him is depressing for me, but we're the only family he has here and so I have to go. When I don't go I feel guilty. I even feel guilty when I wish I didn't have to go. I love my father, but my father is already gone.

Yesterday he was sitting on the front porch when I arrived. I had gone by McDonald's and picked up a vanilla shake for him. He seemed to enjoy it, but didn't say more than a few words. I sat in the rocking chair next to him and we both rocked for a while. As I was ready to leave he looked up at me and said, "I'll miss you." I walked to the car and cried. That's because I already miss him.

ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL? HOW ABOUT PINK SATURDAY FOOTBALL?

Last Saturday we attended the Houston Texans Draft Party at Reliant Stadium in Houston. Football doesn't have to be violent and brutal. It can be feminine too. Take a look at all the pinks I found...



Pink footballs...what more could we ask for?

How about DeMeco Ryan's jersey in pink? DeMeco is a middle linebacker and I love to watch him play.

Or a Mario Williams jersey in white with pink numbers? (Yikes...I think I saw an $83 price tag!) Mario is a Defensive End and another player I really enjoy watching on the field. He was the very first player chosen in the 2006 draft by the Houston Texans. It has turned out to be a very good decision and Mario played in the 2009 Pro Bowl this past February.

And look at this...they had a silent auction and you could bid on a pink package that included all the pink items in the picture above.

GO TEXANS AND HAPPY PINK SATURDAY!

Be sure and visit Beverly's blog by clicking on the Pink Saturday logo on my sidebar. There you will find a list of today's Pink Saturday participants. Thank you Beverly for organizing this weekly event.

INTRODUCING ROSCOE...

*See note at bottom.

My son snapped this picture of Roscoe sleeping in a basket with the lamp shining down on him. All the cats like to sleep in this basket when the lamp is turned on. I say they're sunbathing whenever I see one there.

I always meant to introduce my animal family on my blog and thought I'd start with Roscoe. We don't know where Roscoe came from, but he showed up as a skinny cat at my son's apartment door. Keith put out a dish of food and he quickly ate it all. The next day he was back for more. Keith kept feeding him and after a few days decided to post signs around the apartment complex asking if anyone had lost a cat. No one responded.

One of my proudest accomplishments as a mother was instilling in all my sons a love and compassion for animals. Keith already had two cats, and that was all the apartment complex allowed. One of his cats was one that had been hanging around our yard and when no owner could be located Keith agreed to take him in. So, Keith now pointed out that it was my turn to take in a cat he found. And that is how Roscoe came to live here.

The first thing we did was take him to the vet to be tested for feline leukemia and to be fixed. Then we brought him home and fattened him up. :) Not intentionally...it just happened.

Roscoe has the sweetest personality. You couldn't ask for a nicer cat. He gets along well with the dog and all the other cats. He never causes any trouble. We enjoy having him as part of our family

*Note: I'm ready to scream. I've saved and published this post three times and every time the double spacing between paragraphs disappears. I'm going to try one more time and then leave it. Could it be because I changed the font?