2010 Olympic Freestyle Team... Can't Wait

Awesome Ain't It?

Baby Brighton? No Toddler Brighton!

Ha Ha... If looks could kill this girl would be a "DIVA"

She Says " I Princess"

She will be two years old in March. Time is certainly marching by.

Hoarders, with some of this and some of that.

My Gramps is a Hoarder. See he was a child of the Depression years.. I have no clue if that has a thing to do with it or not. See all this Crap... This is suppose to be filled with dirt. This is under my Gramps house. He has dug this out. The integrity of the home is at risk now. The house is sinking in the middle you can see it from the tile roof to the tile floors seperating from the baseboards... Yikes. I worry that this home might fall right down the hill. He has slowly been trying to bring things upstairs. He claims there are people down stairs that steal his things. He want's to clean this warehouse out and rent it to someone.... Rent a Rat Hole? I think not!!
Lately he has been hiding tools in the yard. As of a couple days ago he has started pacing the deck outside their house. It is a wrap around deck so you can get a pretty good pace going.

The last 2 days Gramma has gotten up by noon... yesterday was go to the doctor day for refills on Memory pills... which is actually something they give gramps to control his temper... It didn't work so good yesterday.. Gramma and my Aunt went into the Grocery store to get supplies for at home. Well, Gramps was in the car waiting... At the Checkout there he was standing, Mad as a Wet Hen... He said..."why are you buying these groceries woman we have no money"!!.. Gramma just ignored him... Hmm what else would someone do. He demanded, he didn't want to feed all these people... "who all people"? Said My Aunt... He didn't know for sure but all those people... he was certain. Then they all went home.

If I was my Aunt I would be a jumble of nerves.... he has a new name for the thief today. It isn't my cousin Richie today... It's the Ass something today is the thief...

My Grandpa his whole life has stolen from people, from his work... from everywhere... Kind of like a kleptomaniac... not the kind of thief that would break into your house.. but the kind that would take it in front of you. He was in my Dad's tool box about 5 years ago while visiting in Oregon... I said " Grandpa you go get that tool out of your car you just put in there and put it back." " what, he said".... I said " you ain't stealing from my dad"...... he marched off got the tool and put it back... I think he is scared that someone like himself may rip him off. This kind a makes it sounds like my Grandpa was a jerk... well he had tons of friends and they all liked him so I have heard. He always smiled. He was a fun grandpa.

He was raised in Hayworth, Oklahoma... there were 5 boys and 3 girls I think... but actually Gramps was raised by his grandparents... weird... I just remembered that.. maybe that little redheaded kid was a real brat and his mom couldn't handle him... The Shock, my goodness...

Two of his brothers were killed in Bar Fight's, Guns and such.. So you might get a since of what life may have been like...They were broke.. His dad owned a grocery store and in the depression he extended credit to families that couldn't afford any food, so in turn he went out of business because he couldn't resist helping people. No money, No food... Grandpa is the last child alive. Anyway the way he migrated to California is by hopping a train with his cousin Luke. They held over in New Mexico for a while.. working in a mine for room and board. After a little while and they figured they were spinning their wheels they hopped another train to Southern California and picked fruit. Finally he made his way to the ship yards in Frisco. There he met Gramma and 18 days later they were married for life. After they got married they got pregnant with my mom and the war summoned my grandpa to the Pacific... so he was in the army for 2 years and reserves after that. I don't know what he did for the Army but I know he talks about the latrines a lot.

My Grandma grew up in Texas, Arizona etc. in a 3 walled house.. it was basically a lean to. The only water was an irrigation ditch about a mile away. Grandma says. "We could get a bath about once a month"... They were lucky if they ate once a day. Their dad always had a job pretty much. But, he drank the income. I think there were 6 girls and 1 boy (he died from a mole that turned into cancer) Anyway again Grandma is the last of the clan.. So her and Grandpa have out lived everyone.

My other Grandparents came from a nicer side of the neighborhood.. Grandpa was born in Texas..He used to tell me stories about some old dude down the way that he would play checkers with. He said it was a good time as a little guy playing checkers. His mother died of Lightning.... No not white lightning, actual lightning that came thru the window and electrocuted the iron bed she was hanging on to... Deader than crap right there and then.. I knew he was a Texas Ranger that drove a Harley and was in several wars... then he somehow made his way to Calfornia and ended up being a pipe fitter for the Railroad and that was when he was nearly 50. Other than that I know he used to ride around Placerville California with a Crochet Beer Can hat on his head... he had a Moped... used to ride it all the time until it started leaning... found out later he was the cause of the leaning... he was losing his balance... DAMN... moped parked...

My Grandma was a kid from Boston, She was educated, did the college thing, was a nurse and such. She wrote poetry and was published in a book. I believe she was in her 30's when she became a mother. There was 21 years between her and Grandpa's ages... I got stories I could go on forever about these two..

I am a horrid editor of things I write so I guess that is just that, of which I have to live with.

Now I wonder if I could sleep... I layed awake for an hour and a half... Thinking... I have no idea what I was thinking about.

I am not looking forward to going into work tomorrow... Hitler is driving us to the State Offices to register trucks... I am dreading this.. like mini panic attacks... Like I could be sick.. He drives horrid, that scares me also... I don't think I have ever seen Hitler drive in real life.... didn't he have a chauffer????

Inside Grandpa's Head

Yep... Christmas is over.. Click back to life on Monday... Okay

My Grandparents Dementia is getting worse by the day. My Aunt is currently living with them but this isn't working. Dementia changes their personalities and anything logical just isn't part of the game any longer. Calm is a staple and needs to be a constant in their lives.

How do you settle a person that insists this isn't their home? They don't care that you tell them "This is your home you have lived here since 1986?" That is like talking Alien to them.

For a bit here I will play my Grandpa's thoughts out that he expresses to us through words

My Name is Bert Long I am 91 years old

Years, What's that???... I am here in the now.

I can't read my morning paper. But, I will go thru the motions and hold that paper everyday in my lap and flip it around. It was something that calmed me, something I enjoyed. The written word no longer is clear to me. No Rhyme or Reason.

I am worried I am going broke. Because I no longer work... Where is my money?? All I have are these Silver Dollars. Why do people go to the store and buy groceries? I have no Money?

My Routines are slipping away from me. Where are all my friends? I live in this dessert alone on a hill and never see anyone.

I have a friend that lives with me. She is a cook and she sleeps all day and all night. But, she doesn't cook for me any longer. I get hungry. I don't know how to make a sandwich... But I can make coffee.... I like my coffee in the morning. It makes me feel a connection.

I sit by myself a lot. I worry that people are stealing my things. People come in my house and take things all the time. This is all I am, all I have.. They are taking my things!

I want to visit with people but they are all gone, all dead. I did have a conversation with my dead sister the other day. Her name is Jan.. She died, I miss her but she visits me.

I once had an affair with a Red-headed Australian woman. Oh she was happiness in my life for a while. She visits me here once in a while... I think I was married to her a few times. She lives in the front bedroom... But now she is gone all she wanted was a light for her room. I miss her.

I have a cat that is old his name is Cooper. He is a good old boy. He comes in our room at night and visits. But then I fall asleep and he shits on the floor. I let him out. I forgot why I let him out so I walked back to bed and drug my foot that I had socks on thru the cat shit and tracked it around my room and went to bed. The next morning I put my feet in my shoes with the cat shit and walked towards the hall and noticed a big pile of cat shit. So I got a Putty knife and tried to scrape it up.. seems I just mashed it into the carpet more. My daughter isn't happy.

My daughter.. I call her "The GaL" I don't always know who she is. My wife is the cook. She sleeps all day. I used to wake her up and ask her to make me breakfast. Now I just don't care. When my wife does get up which is usually in the evening she feeds me wine and chips. I like the wine and so does she. It calms me.

My Wife doesn't like anyone to tell her what to do. She doesn't take her medications. She likes to argue with her daughters and yell at them. I don't understand what is happening there. I don't have any money and we can't afford groceries.

Why does that Gal drive my car.. People come and take my car and use my gas. That makes me mad... I search for keys all day long and then I hide things from people so they can't steal them but I don't know where I put things at.

If have decided the person that takes everything is my grandson Richie.... He takes my belts, my shoes, my pants. Did you know you don't have to change your clothes, but maybe once every couple weeks cause you don't get them dirty. They last longer this way. I haven't had a bath in months. I don't think I need one. I comb my hair and shave my face and brush my teeth most days. That is good enough.

This is a small portion of grandpa's day I will be back with more later.. It's five am.. I should go back to bed.

Putter X-mas Present from me.

When Putter goes to the race track they love cooking, but they had no cookware just a burner a big turkey pot and a barbaque. So I bought him this Cast Iron set of cookware.. He got to open it early.. Cause it is really really really heavy and I couldn't wrap it... I said "hey come here and help me open this"... He said "what is it?" I said "oh my birthday present"... so he opened and I said "Merry Christmas Silly!!!" He didn't even know he wanted this, but I know he will use it...

A new Cousin of mine has been born

This is River Rose Janet Lee... born before midnight last night in Placerville California... 7 lbs 8 oz 20 1/2 inches long... This picture is right out of the shoot...This is my Cousin Megans baby girl

monday... more later

It's getting colder by the hour around here today.. it was 50 this morning now we are down to 47... there is a slim chance in hell they say that we may get snow tonight... I ain't crossing nothing. I liked the last couple of warm days after that Arctic Blast that hung out for over a week... And yes, just got the electric bill... It doubled in that time zone.. crap...

The dogs went to the groomers this morning.. so they will be sleeping close to me tonight on account of freezing to death. I still feel yucky. Seriously yucky... I have Christmas Shopping to do... ideas I have some... no big deal although I really think I want a big old 4 wheel drive truck so I can sit up high and see the people below on the ground.. I seriously thought about a convertible sports car... decided against it.. I could get run over.. :)

I am the lone idiot at work today. All other idiots have no show, no call, who cares mode going on... So I finished my major work..

A Jotting Down of Stuff

As I jot down the list of things to do to get ready for something I am never ever ready for in the first place. I just got skeered!!!

Jack and Brighton...1 sleeping, 1 not..

• wrap the present I have bought for the Grandkids
• Whatever will I get Putter, every thing he wants is way over my budget, I really want to get him a new exhaust fan for his bathroom. But, that is like so uncool.. but I sure would like it.. LOL
• I want to bake, but I can't seem to get off my butt.
• for the second year in a row, could be more years I am uncertain. I have Christmas cards waiting to receive some hand written love... I will call them Holiday Cards once again.. I hope they make it to their destination this year... GADS
• I have more shopping to do for gifts... this is a slim jim Christmas around here. Gonna be tough. What to get those 2 kids of mine is going to be tough.. It's like what don't they need.
• I wish my Scentsy Check would show up.. that would help.
• I have not been feeling well this last week... my best friend seems to be a toilet. Blechhhh
• I need to go to Walgreens this morning... I had a big reason and now of course I can't remember why at all, for the life of me.
• well I guess now that my memory has left the room. I am finished... DRAT
  

I'm yours... (This little guy is adorable)

So what is new?

Nothing.

• We had a week from the bottom weather wise.. bottom digit temps
• freezing rain
• Putter is in Florida at the PRI.. Performance Racing Industry show
• Putter says it is humid in Florida
• I had Jack Pepper sleepover on Friday night
• My Boss gave me a Christmas Tree cause he has been hauling to California so I got a Grand Fir from him
• I need to saw the bottom off so that is why it isn't up yet
• Got new brakes on my car this week while Putter was gone
• That's it... Boring

Oh something just happened the house just creaked, by my desk, never heard that before.. it was up in the corner... Makes me think of Earth Quakes... hmm not good..