The Thompson Trials and Travels

I spent most of my day watching the eulogies, and funeral procession, for Ted Kennedy. Did I admire him? Not really. However, I did admire the Kennedy family in general. Forget the money and the affluence that Joseph and Rose Kennedy were blessed with...just imagine trying to raise NINE children and being priviledged to watch most of those nine children reach such greatness that their success sheds a blanket of shadow on everyone else. NINE children...born to a father of questionable character... and to a mother who, with a tiny spine, ended up being the backbone of the family. They had such plans for their children. Joe, who "would" have been President, died before he even had the opportunity to seek the election. John/Jack, who "was" President, died well before his fingerprint on this country could be sealed. Robert/Bobby, who "should" have been President lost his life while trying to integrate the nation. Ted, well as a Mother he would've broken my ...

The shot, and subsequent pills, have worked wonders on Sam. He slept through the night and didn't shake the bed with his constant 'scratching.' It's a miracle...and the vet bill was worth every penny! I awakened, after 8 hours of peaceful sleep, to what I thought would be a fantastic day; then I received a call from a friend...who told me that another 'friend' had passed away. Geeze...that's like four people I went to school with who have died this year alone! When did we get old? I was looking in the mirror yesterday and I was seventeen...long hair...parted down the middle...smirk on my face...and today...well...things have changed. No matter what age you are, I don't think you will age mentally more so than the age you were when you were at your happiest. You could be 90 years old...but in your heart...in your mind...you will still be 'that age' when you were at your best. As for me...I am seventeen. I am.... ohhhhh Lord........dare I say it.....

I somehow managed to 'pull my back out' several weeks ago. I suppose it happened while I was cleaning out the bottom cabinets in the kitchen...you do realize boredom will make you do strange things...such as cleaning pots and pans and sprucing up the graveyard where old appliances go to die...(mixer that you haven't used in 25 years...coffee bean grinder that you've never used...some contraption that dries fruit?) Anyway, everything was pulled, cleaned, and either tossed into the 'yard sale' bin, or put back into the cabinets in a neat, orderly fashion. I think my leaning over, (we have DEEP cabinets...this is an old house) and placing new cork shelf liners throughout, probably was the culprit of the aforementioned backache. It's been three weeks and I simply refuse to go to the Doctor. Ibuprofen will suffice. I'm not a baby, nor a whiner. It will heal...in time...and yet it still presents me with a constant pain I can't seem to get over. I live wit...

I didn't have anything to do this weekend so I - - - - scratch that...I'm totally lying...I had tons of things to do but got caught in a trap and couldn't complete anything. The trap 'sucked' me into its spell and pulled my heart out bit by bit and before I knew what was happening I was hooked...on 'v' juice. I had never seen an episode of True Blood, before yesterday morning, and after the first one I watched them back to back, one after the other, hours after hours after delicious hours. I watched twelve episodes yesterday (they run 55 minutes long) and watched the eight episodes of the 2nd season today...which catches me up on Sookie's life. The only repercussions are that I cannot see (I watched them all on line...on my 10" computer screen), and that Don is seriously contemplating two things; having me commited or leaving my ass. I don't really care what he chooses as long as I can watch the new episode tonight at 9! Here is my dilemma...I r...

Your children are going to go through emotional ups and downs for...well...basically the rest of their lives. You will be their one constant. Make certain you have open communication with them so they will feel comfortable telling you anything. That's the only way you are going to know what's happening in their world. Most children are warm and welcoming until they reach the age of... around 8 or 9. You taught them for the first years of their lives but now their peers have started making tiny "pin prick holes" into their brains...telling them to do this...and that. Not every child will be raised with your guidance so remember that. It isn't those children's fault...but it is your responsibility to watch over your own. You're going to hear, "he made me do it," and "if I didn't they would make fun of me," and "everybody laughed when I did it," and...on and on. These are their formative years...they're slowly becoming ...

A couple of weeks ago Kyle, my daughter, called to ask what should she do to get the smell of burnt popcorn out of her home. Her children, not paying attention, had set the microwave a few minutes longer than was necessary; she said the scent hit her the minute she opened the door. "Put a cup of vinegar on the stove on low heat and let it simmer. The house will smell like vinegar for a few minutes but eventually the vinegar smell, and the burnt popcorn smell, will dissipate" was my reply. Jason, my son, called today to ask how to tie dye things...he said, "I remember you dying things a long time ago but I don't remember what to do." My reply, "pick your colors in advance so you don't waste the dye, twist the item in different directions to give the sun splattered look, and use rubber bands to hold the material in place...then dip and let the dye seep into the material, but remember to wash the tie dyed object several times before you wash it with anythi...

Zeke starts first grade tomorrow. I always tell friends who have new babies to enjoy every minute because you will blink and they will be grown. Alas, it has happened again. It seems like just a few days ago Kyle flew home from California and she, Amber, and I took the trip to Savannah to meet the new one. He was so tiny and we sat watching him sleep, looking at his angelic face...touching him, smelling him, for hours and hours. It amazed me that we could sit and watch something for eight hours and never become bored. We stayed three days. When we headed home, I knew I had left part of me behind...my blood ran through that baby's veins and that's a pretty strong feeling. And, now he is six and starting "real" school tomorrow. Time goes by so quickly. He and Jase spent two days with me this week. We went shopping for school clothes and shoes...and anything else that he wanted. He found a tee-shirt that read, "You Can't Spell Awesome Without Me!" He wante...

For those of you who know me, you know I love animals more than most humans. Animals are not judgmental...they don't look at your clothes and turn their nose up...they don't care what kind of car you drive, nor what you do for a living. They just love...and love...and love. I have two Yorkshire Terriers, I've posted about them before, but the youngest...the one year old...is worrying me. He will not eat...anything. He's 18 inches long and weighs 6 lbs. Seriously, you can feel his spine at the top of his back and it scares me to death. His eating disorder could not have been due to early trauma, I got him when he was seven weeks old, nor being mistreated...I mean come on...have you met me! Fifty trips to the vet, since he came into my life, resulted with the same diagnosis; he's healthy and he'll eat when he's hungry. I don't buy that...he won't eat...and he's so pitifully thin. I've tried every wet, and dry, dog food on the market but he won...