Just a pirate and his dog

9/11

Gone, but not forgotten.

There is probably not a single person in America, that was old enough to remember and watch what happened on 9/11, that can't tell you exactly where they were when they heard we were under attack.  I remember that day vividly.  Phil will tell you he was loaded on a plane to go to NTC.  They finally had to get off the plane and fly out the next day.  I was waking up in Phoenix, far from family and friends, to a new life, a new country.  I watched the second plane hit, I watched the towers fall, and I couldn't believe it was happening.  I was getting ready for work, like I did every Tuesday, at the NY&CO in the Fiesta Mall.  When I got there, my manager and I were rattled, the reality settling in, and wondering if Phoenix would be hit and where.  There was a message on the phone from the offices in New York that morning.  They were screaming to get out, close all the stores, we have lost all our sister stores and our NY&CO in the Trade Center Towers.  Go home, we don't want to lose anymore employees today.  My first thought that day was is my Mom and Dad ok and my next, when is Phil going to war?  Will he be safe?  I haven't allowed myself to watch the reruns of the events in the last 10 years.  It was too painful for me, even though I didn't know a single person who lost their life that day.  Today I've watched and remembered and felt again the total disbelief that it could have possibly happened.  Our country changed that day, and I hope it was for the better.  My personal life changed the day Phil shipped out to Iraq, before the war even started.  Too this day I haven't watched those imagines, because it was too scary for me.  Phil has lost friends to the ensuing wars, started on 9/11.  His company was the first of any American forces to cross into Iraq when the war started.  Today I dressed for church in red, white and blue, hung the only flag I had on hand, and asked that we not forget about the troops we've already lost, their families and the troops that are still fighting and their families, as well as the fallen on 9/11.  Gone, but definitely NOT forgotten.  May God bless the family and friends of all the people we lost on 9/11.

Haute Couture

The best part, I'd caught that he was wearing 2 tee shirts before we left the house, but didn't catch the double pants until we were going home. I have no idea what the preschool teachers thought. Sigh...

Matthew-isms:

In church, during children's service, he's been talking, so we have had several conversations.
"Don't talk during children's service today." "Ok!" chatters the whole time. after church, "Matthew did you forget not to talk during service today?" "Could you see me?" "Yes" "Don't look next time!" next week "Now Matthew during children's service today" "I know, I know, no talking!" and he didn't.

kinderGARDEN Thursday: week 16, 17, and 18

Hello, all you kinderGARDENERS, we are still here, just overwhelmed with life and underwhelmed by the bounty of the garden.

Week 16 can be summed up by 2 words: squash bugs. I went out that week and it was like squash bug lovefest on the zucchini vines. I had a picture of about 100 drowned bugs, but I decided it was gross, so be thankful you don't have to see it. Matthew helped me for 3 days straight, night and day, pick off bugs to squish or drown.

Week 17 had a return to a bug less garden, beautiful flowers, as shown above, and...

watering in intense heat...

and a baby mini pumpkin. I actually stalked the bloom so that I could personally fertilize it, to be sure we got something!

It was also the week, Matthew and I replanted parts of the garden with winter crops.

Considering the creek behind the house as quit flowing, parts have completely dried up and it hasn't rained since mid August, I have started watering once a week. Week 18, most of the garden is dead or not producing no matter what I do anyway, so I have decided it doesn't matter. I keep telling myself to just pull it all, but I can't stomach it. But with the lack of watering and high temps, I doubt much of the newly seeded areas are going to grow let alone sprout.

So there you have it, crunchy-ville. We have gotten, 7 purple green beans, 5 Chinese red noodle beans, 25 cherry tomatoes, 15 peppers, 9 mammoth sunflowers, 1 mini pumpkin, and basil, mint, and sage leaves the entire summer. Not exactly worth the time so far.

Sailing

To use up the last gasp of summer, the little man and his Mamaw, decided to journey out on the water. A good time was had by all.