Thursday, November 05, 2009
The last signs of Autumn....
Sunday, November 01, 2009
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
The beauty of Autumn....
Monday, October 05, 2009
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Life sure has changed.....because of some....
Monday, September 14, 2009
How funny, brings back memories....
1. My mother taught me TO APPRECIATE A JOB WELL DONE.'If you're going to kill each other, do it outside. I just finished cleaning.
'2. My mother taught me RELIGION.'You better pray that will come out of the carpet.'
3.. My mother taught me about TIME TRAVEL.'If you don't straighten up, I'm going to knock you into the middle of next week!'
4. My mother taught me LOGIC..'Because I said so, that's why.'
5. My mother taught me MORE LOGIC.'If you fall out of that swing and break your neck, you're not going to the store with me.'
6. My mother taught me FORESIGHT.'Make sure you wear clean underwear, in case you're in an accident.'
7. My mother taught me IRONY.'Keep crying, and I'll give you something to cry about.'
8. My mother taught me about the science of OSMOSIS.'Shut your mouth and eat your supper.'
9. My mother taught me about CONTORTIONISM.'Will you look at that dirt on the back of your neck!'
10. My mother taught me about STAMINA.'You'll sit there until all that spinach is gone.'
11. My mother taught me about WEATHER.'This room of yours looks as if a tornado went through it.'
12. My mother taught me about HYPOCRISY.'If I told you once, I've told you a million times. Don't exaggerate!'
13 My mother taught me the CIRCLE OF LIFE.'I brought you into this world, and I can take you out. '
14.My mother taught me about BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION.'Stop acting like your father!'
15. My mother taught me about ENVY.'There are millions of less fortunate children in this world who don't have wonderful parents like you do.'
16. My mother taught me about ANTICIPATION.'Just wait until we get home.'
17. My mother taught me about RECEIVING.'You are going to get it when you get home!'
18. My mother taught me MEDICAL SCIENCE.'If you don't stop crossing your eyes, they are going to freeze that way..'
19. My mother taught me ESP.'Put your sweater on; don't you think I know when you are cold?'
20. My mother taught me HUMOR.'When that lawn mower cuts off your toes, don't come running to me.'
21. My mother taught me HOW TO BECOME AN ADULT..'If you don't eat your vegetables, you'll never grow up.'
22.My mother taught me GENETICS.'You're just like your father.'
23. My mother taught me about my ROOTS.'Shut that door behind you. Do you think you were born in a barn?'
24. My mother taught me WISDOM.'When you get to be my age, you'll understand.'
25. And my all time favorite: My mother taught me about JUSTICE. 'One day you'll have kids, and I hope they turn out just like you.'
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Watching the baby
I just finished a half a glass of cranberry wine.....and now I'm going to bed....catch ya tomorrow...
Wednesday, September 09, 2009
The Birthday Princess.....named Megan

Thursday, September 03, 2009
The tea party......
Lola, Ginny and I had a tea party at Lola's house for 10 church ladies....and Bob, Lola's hubby and Les, Ginny's hubby served us....Bob was known as Jieves, and Les was known as Perciful, or Percy.....we ate for hours....thurs us three girls baked, then on fri. Bob and Lola made chicken salad and other sandwiches....and then Sat morning they put everything together....we had three different kinds of tea, Jasmine, Ginger Peach, and Orange OuLong.....sp?......we had little bells at the 3 tables, which we would ring when we wanted more tea....the guys were great sports.....and let me tell you we really had them working....Thank You Lola and Bob for lending us your house for our tea party....the church ladies really enjoyed it.....how could they not.....
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
American Idol tour concert
*****************************
We hopped the bus for Cleveland....ate at Country Buffet... and made it to the American Idol tour concert... I haven't been to a concert in ages, and probably won't go again unless Adam comes to town. I knew it would be loud and thats ok but it distorted the sound....and the singers you couldn't even understand them, because they were screaming so... but Adam had a standing ovation from the time he walked on stage, until he walked off...he being the runner up, was second from last to sing....Kris was last... I kind of felt sorry for Kris, because no standing ovation, and people around me were starting to leave... Adam was the star....and I say that honestly....as a granny groupy...
Sunday, August 09, 2009
The Night walk and the Screech Owl....
Tuesday, August 04, 2009
Max and Chloe.....Sweethearts....
Monday, August 03, 2009
Grandma T's nightgowns....
My kids great grandma Tallhammer......every year for Christmas she would make all the girls their flannel nightgowns.....in the picture on the top is Susie, left top is Lori and grandma T and Krissy, and on the bottom left is Becky and Lisa.......My granddaughter Anna who is Lisa's daughter thought it would be nice if I made all my granddaughters nightgowns....I love her dearly but it would cost me a fortune, since most of the girls are grown up....and I found out last Christmas that I am not a seamstress like Grandma T or my mom, for I went out and bought all kinds of flannel for I was going to sew up som PJ bottoms.....like all the kids wear that looked pretty simple....straight line, and feed in elastic, right?....the first ones I cut out and sewed up, I think I could fit all my grandkids in.....so now I have to figure out something to do with all my excess flannel....I might do some quilting....that is straight sewing...LOL....Traditions are something that means alot to my kids, at least the girls....yep they sure did look forward to getting new nightgowns that always were the same....so they looked like 5 peas in a pod.....Friday, July 31, 2009
When living on Plymouth St. we had this huge swimming pool LOL....Lori seemed to enjoy it....that is Lisa standing by the chair....I use to get in the pool with the kids.....to cool off of course....also in the backyard was a large play house that my dad built for the girls....it sure did keep them busy... the place on Plymouth st. was a duplex.....so we rented out the top first to my classmate Carlene and her hubby Leon....they had two girls Susan and Jeanne at that time.....so my girls always had someone to play with, or fight with, what ever the case might be....and then they built a home in Oregon and we rented it to Bob (Jim's best friend and our best man) and his wife Rhoda.....they had a couple of girls while living there.... sometimes we would all go out and weed the yard together....not many times though.....but what was great was we use to get together when the kids were sleeping and play cards.....back then we had a phone that you could dial a number and when the person picked up the phone we would both lay the phone down right outside the bedroom of the kids and it acted like a walky talky....so we could play cards and still keep our kids safe....it seemed like it was a good idea back them....I can think of all kind of reasons not to do that now.....LOL
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Growing up with me....
I always did have a head of hair, and wow, that is a huge du.....I was always busy on Plymouth St....we bought a duplex when Lori was a baby, and lived there until Lori was in the 2nd grade. I think...I always cut the girls hair....and both of them usually had short cuts....and I sewed...I made all kinds of those simple dresses....poor kids, wouldn't put up with it now....and they always matched....what was wrong with me, didn't i think they had a life of their own....or did I run into a huge sale of material....when you look through the screen you can see we had orange walls....I don't know what that mark is of tan.....I thought there was no other neighborhood as wonderful as the one we lived in on Plymouth St. We had wonderful neighbors, who always got together evening to have a cup of coffee, or a cold pop.....we really never got into the beer or mixed drink evenings....until we played cards...then we make malt like drinks....pink squirrels, grasshoppers....always with plenty of ice cream and booze.....that only happened like once a month.....thank God....
Tornado warnings and off we would go to my neighbors basement, with our bird and the kids.... it make the warning more fun, for we played pool, danced and soon the warnings would be up...
Well I'm off to the movies right now, so I gotta go, but I thought it was time for some memories of when my kids were young....it's not always all about me.....LOL
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
The Joys of getting old....
..........................................................................
". The nicest thing about the future is that it always starts tomorrow.
2. Money will buy a fine dog, but only kindness will make him wag his tail.
3. If you don't have a sense of humor, you probably don't have any sense at all.
4. Seat belts are not as confining as wheelchairs.
5. A good time to keep your mouth shut is when you're in deep water.
6. How come it takes so little time for a child who is afraid of the dark to become a teenager who wants to stay out all night?
7. Business conventions are important because they demonstrate how many people a company can operate without.
8. Why is it that at class reunions you feel younger than everyone else looks?
9. Scratch a cat and you will have a permanent job.
10. No one has more driving ambition than the boy who wants to buy a car.
11. There are no new sins; the old ones just get more publicity.
12. There are worse things than getting a call for a wrong number at 4 AM. - Like this: It could be a right number.
13. No one ever says 'It's only a game.' when their team is winning.
14. I've reached the age where the happy hour is a nap..
15. Be careful reading the fine print. There's no way you're going to like it.
16. The trouble with bucket seats is that not everybody has the same size bucket.
17. Do you realize that in about 40 years, we'll have thousands of old ladies running around with tattoos?(And rap music will be the Golden Oldies!)
18. Money can't buy happiness -- but somehow it's more comfortable to cry in a Corvette than in a Yugo.
19. After 60, if you don't wake up aching in every joint, you are probably dead!"
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Waite Classmates Luncheon
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Picasa 3 and me....

With the help of Picasa 3 I put all my flowers in a collage on one page.....and also the showing how different the sky can look....these are all pictures that I have taken.....I was so happy to find Picasa 3 from google....it is free and you can fine tune your photo's, crop, and store...plus create beautiful collages......blog, email, and many other things.....and did I mention it's FREE...Tuesday, July 14, 2009
A lesson to be learned....
Wednesday, July 08, 2009
Some people just are organized.....
My best friend in 8th grade, had a grandmother who strung a velvet rope (like the ones in movie theatres) across the entrance to her living room in order to protect her stark white carpet and sofa-- from people. I thought she was nuts. I bring this up, because there was a time when the tracks the sweeper made in the living room carpet had to be straight and free of footprints or I couldn’t relax. If little feet dared to trample over it, out came the sweeper and a lecture. I wonder why it never occurred to me that I was nuts.
In addition, my cereal boxes were aligned by height and my spices were arranged in alphabetical order. Laundry was done on Mondays, toys were picked up before bed and when I canned jelly in sweet little jars with handmade flowered labels—it bothered me when someone removed one from the shelf to actually use.
I inherited these things from my father, who often smelled more of Comet and Pine Sol than Old Spice. Knick-knacks on our dressers were kept to a minimum and you didn’t do anything in the kitchen without first putting a paper down on the counter (it really did provide much easier clean-up). Although, I always cringed when I heard dad coming up the steps to check on our cleaning progress, I always felt a greater sense of calm when everything was in its place.
I thought about these things the other day when I finally rounded up all of our DVDs, which number well over a hundred and put them in a single cabinet where I arranged them alphabetically-- by category. I had to say—it felt good.
Organizing my environment and having it clean and neatly arranged, was how I garnered control in my life. This, combined with my first-born perfectionism, allowed me to look at Martha Stewart and believe that gold-leafing the ‘powder-room’ trash can was both normal and highly desirable.
Then one day, all of the control I thought I had, flew out the window. I was put in my place and I quickly realized that alphabetizing your spice drawer was no protection against chaos; it was just a way to find Cream of Tartar in a hurry. In those days, I was lucky to have had the forethought to purchase cereal—let alone make sure the boxes were in descending order. For two years in a row, my Christmas trees were up until nearly February—and the scary thing is they were live trees (well, until mid-January anyway).
Four moves in three years did not help either. Each time I unpack there are fewer and fewer things. I managed to keep track of ten boxes of books, however, I still have no idea where Grandma’s waffle iron went, but I sure would like to have it back.
I have absolutely no money to my name and I still sleep at night. Where once that would have sent me into apoplexy, I find that I have become quite at home living on the edge. For a while, I thought that the edge was a better place to be—after all, lower expectations saves you from bigger disappointment and sheets wrapped in bundles and tied with ribbon will never be your saving grace.
But, now, after coming to the conclusion that I have developed deep-seeded commitment issues, I realize that desiring too little control in your life is just as counterproductive as an overabundance of it. It’s like daring life to catch you, so you continue to run away from what feels good because you know how quickly it can all turn bad. Numbing yourself is not an answer, it’s just a less obvious way to try and grasp some control.
It is a long process, trying to ease yourself off of the edge and tiptoe past the guilt that comes from carrying on. No one gives you a formula because it is different for everyone. I am still working things out, but I will confess to you the following:
I have been looking at antique engagement rings and picking out paint colors. I once again feel much better about life when the house smells of Murphy’s Oil Soap and cranberry candles. I like the blankets neatly folded and I refuse to believe that it is a character flaw to find contentment in a well thought out DVD cabinet or by the smell a pie baking in the oven. Unfortunately, this has not yet filtered down to an alphabetized spice drawer or a gold-leafed trash can, but who knows what the future holds.
We are all irrational in some way—it is how we cope with a scary world. Some of us put ropes around our living room and some of us put ropes around our hearts.
by Lori Schuster Cloud
Tuesday, July 07, 2009
A message from Ben Stein....
Remarks from CBS Sunday Morning - Ben Stein
I Only hope we find GOD again before it is too late ! !
The following was written by Ben Stein and recited by him on CBS Sunday Morning Commentary.
My confession:
I am a Jew, and every single one of my ancestors was Jewish. And it does not bother me even a little bit when people call those beautiful lit up, bejeweled trees, Christmas trees. I don't feel threatened. I don't feel discriminated against. That's what they are, Christmas trees.
It doesn't bother me a bit when people say, 'Merry Christmas' to me. I don't think they are slighting me or getting ready to put me in a ghetto. In fact, I kind of like it. It shows that we are all brothers and sisters celebrating this happy time of year. It doesn't bother me at all that there is a manger scene on display at a key intersection near my beach house in Malibu . If people want a creche, it's just as fine with me as is the Menorah a few hundred yards away.
I don't like getting pushed around for being a Jew, and I don't think Christians like getting pushed around for being Christians. I think people who believe in God are sick and tired of getting pushed around, period. I have no idea where the concept came from, that America is an explicitly atheist country. I can't find it in the Constitution and I don't like it being shoved down my throat.
Or maybe I can put it another way: where did the idea come from that we should worship celebrities and we aren't allowed to worship God as we understand Him? I guess that's a sign that I'm getting old, too. But there are a lot of us who are wondering where these celebrities came from and where the America we knew went to.
In light of the many jokes we send to one another for a laugh, this is a little different: This is not intended to be a joke; it's not funny, it's intended to get you thinking.
Billy Graham's daughter was interviewed on the Early Show and Jane Clayson asked her 'How could God let something like this happen?' (regarding Hurricane Katrina).. Anne Graham gave an extremely profound and insightful response. She said, 'I believe God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are, but for years we've been telling God to get out of our schools, to get out of our government and to get out of our lives. And being the gentleman He is, I believe He has calmly backed out. How can we expect God to give us His blessing and His protection if we demand He leave us alone?'
In light of recent events.... terrorists attack, school shootings, etc. I think it started when Madeleine Murray O'Hare (she was murdered, her body found a few years ago) complained she didn't want prayer in our schools, and we said OK. Then someone said you better not read the Bible in school. The Bible says thou shalt not kill; thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbor as yourself. And we said OK.
Then Dr. Benjamin Spock said we shouldn't spank our children when they misbehave, because their little personalities would be warped and we might damage their self-esteem (Dr. Spock's son committed suicide). We said an expert should know what he's talking about. And we said okay.
Now we're asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill strangers, their classmates, and themselves.
Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out. I think it has a great deal to do with 'WE REAP WHAT WE SOW.'
Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world's going to hell. Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible says. Funny how you can send 'jokes' through e-mail and they spread like wildfire, but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord, people think twice about sharing. Funny how lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene articles pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion of God is suppressed in the school and workplace.
Are you laughing yet?
Funny how when you forward this message, you will not send it to many on your address list because you're not sure what they believe, or what they will think of you for sending it.
Funny how we can be more worried about what other people think of us than what God thinks of us.
Pass it on if you think it has merit.
If not, then just discard it... no one will know you did. But, if you discard this thought process, don't sit back and complain about what bad shape the world is in.
My Best Regards, Honestly and respectfully,
Ben Stein
Monday, July 06, 2009
Little old ladies and policemen

glitter-graphics.com
While driving down Wheeling St. today I saw the flashing lights up ahead.....ah awh... as I passed I couldn't help looking over to see who got pulled over.....Lordy, it was a little old lady....I didn't mean to laugh, but it reminded me of a couple of incidents....once while driving over to my daughter Lisa's, I was going down front street.....minding my own business, and getting my nerve up to drive on the the expressway.....I stopped at the corner, ready to turn, and on comes the flashing lights, behind me....so I pulled over.....my heart was beating so hard, I forgot all about driving on that darn expressway.....all the people going around me, looking at me, and wondering why that little old lady was pulled over.....well Mr. Policeman came up to my window and ask for my drivers licence.....I gave it to him and then he ask for my registration....didn't have it in the car.....well the problem was (he said) that my license plate expired,.....I said no it didn't I put one on in July....(my birthday is in Aug.).....he argued with me.....he said the little square 07 was off.....computers were down, so he couldn't get proof from headquarters.....so I got a warning.....here someone must of took off the little 07 tag that I attached to my plate.....I did go down and get a dup. and it cost me $2.00.....the point of this story is that I can feel how red that little old lady's face was.....nerves and blood pressure running high.....*****another funny little old lady and policeman story was my mother in law.....she was a back road driver and when living in Blissfield, she decided to come back to Toledo for a visit.....she was going down one of the back roads when she drove by a policeman parked in a parking lot, just waiting for a little old lady to go speeding down the street.....he waved at her, so she waved back at him....in the little town of Blissfield, everyone waved at everyone.....all of a sudden the policeman came after her with lights a flashing...."Lady, your going 40 in a 35 mile zone"....Yikes! mom was speeding.....she didn't realize that a wave didn't always mean HI!
Friday, July 03, 2009
Sunday, June 28, 2009
The End of the Cottage



The End.....the storm hit about 40 years ago....and took everything....all the added on rooms were jerked off the foundation....after the first storm the cottage was moved off the foundation but it was possible to move it back onto it...then came the second storm which was a stronger north eastern and moved it a whole cottage away....after growing up summers at this cottage I was sad for my dad....he loved that place....I was two when they bought it...and they rented the land....for only $50 a year.....no taxes.....they just owned the building....no more weeding the sand, no more fish fries, no more parties.....no more fishing in our 14 ft lyman boat...but I can and do walk across the same creek on the bridge, which Maumee State Park has provided...I look down the creek, no more fishing boats, only memories.... I had a great childhood....with the best mom and dad in the world....they left me lots of pictures which helps to trigger my memory....
Monday, June 08, 2009
It was great to have family around....
The second cottage going left was my aunt Elvera and uncle Willy's cottage.....they were sitting right about in the same spot as the Maumee State Park Lodge is now....it was nice to have family around....
This is my aunt Elvera, me, my dad Fritz and of course Trixie my dog...
This is little cousin Jeffrey....he is about 8 years younger than me, which makes him around 60... in fact I think I just missed his birthday....June 5th....I'm in trouble now....I think he just turned 61....now I can't remember how old my kids are, how can anyone expect me to remember my cousins....if it wasn't for our church book, I wouldn't even know his.....
Trixie, Dad and Aunt Elvera.....
in the 14 ft. Lyman Boat is uncle Willy, me peeking behind, my Auntie, Jeffrey and my Grandpa Mux....with daddy pushing out the boat...I don't have many pictures of my grandpa Mux....(my dad's father)
Jeffrey and me....in the water that was so clear you could see the bottom? don't look like it in that picture....since we bathed in that water, I hope it wasn't my imagination on the clarity of it.
This is my dad taking a break....where he is sitting is amongst a bunch of willow trees...not weeping willows of course....down farther it was thicker, and he cleared out the center and put a picnic bench in....it sounds like mosquito heaven, but I don't remember them back them....do you think they were invented when I got old, or just because I was a kid, I didn't notice them...now I noticed the spiders back then....Friday, June 05, 2009
Another days adventures......
The cottages down the line that I would visit....
The farm house Katie lived in....across the creekImagination...isn't it grand...
The get away car.....
My week end friend.....*************************************************
Imagination…..isn’t it grand….
Back when I mentioned playing elevator with the rolling door, and I mean one with wheels that rolled back into the wall….that in itself was an imagination….but I pretended it was an elevator….now, all you do is press the buttons on the elevator yourself, but back when I was a child they paid a man to run the elevator….he would sound out “GOING UP”….and people would get on the elevator, that had this beautiful music playing…..and then when you got to your floor, he would call out what floor we were on…I got to experience this when my grandma, or mom, and I would go shopping…
Now when my imagination really kicked into gear, I would drive the car down to the carry out or the laundry mat…..and I was only about 8 or 9 years old….but remember I was an only child with only, week end friends to play with….and not that many, for the younger kids were mostly boys, and I didn’t really appreciate them when I was 8 or 9... I would look for a cattail, not a real cats tail, but the weed, and I would break it off…get into the car, and pretend to light the cattail, pretend to start the car, and pretend to drive away….and I would sing, since no music in the car….in my imagination I really was driving…to the corner….turn right….go down a ways to the carry out….puff on the cattail….and since my dad always bought me a magazine and a chocolate cow, which was chocolate pop, that’s what I would do in my mine…..and then off to the laundry mat….and I would fold the clothes…now I don’t remember washing them in my imagination, but folding them…LOL….(mom would use the laundry mat on rare occasions ) …
On other days to pass away time I would walk the beach….maybe I was about 10 or 11 and really bored out of my mind….so on my walk, my mind would kick into a gymnast… We had large old trees that fell into the water, with big roots on the end….I would jump on the tree, and hold my arms out and walk back and forth, singing again…pretending I was this lovely gymnast…..bored after a few times, so on my way back to the cottage, I would find wild flowers….well it was only one kind, they were purple, and everywhere… so for mom I would pick her a bouquet….
I tried not to get bored to often, well lets just say, not let mom know I’m bored, for she would have me out weeding the sand….yep you heard it, she weeded, as the case might be me, weeded the sand on the beach….Our cottage had the creek in front, and the lake on the left side…and a beach that had beautiful sand, sometimes dead fish, but it was weedless….you would think that my mom and my hubby were mother and son, for never a weed to be seen in my yard when he was alive either…to think that now I grow weeds, and think they are beautiful….or….am I using my imagination again….?…LOL.... to be continued........
Thursday, June 04, 2009
A fun and festive place to be...
Dad at the grill he built....Tuesday, June 02, 2009
A Fish Tail...or is it Tale....
The creek in front of the cottage with little fishing boats....
Coming back with the big catch......
See the one right in the middle, the biggest one, I think that is the big one I caught...
Daddy cleaning the fish....I never could be found at that moment.....when dad cleaned the fish, he always left the tail on.....and it fried along with the beer breaded fish, and was delicious...crispy like a potato chip....don't knock it until you tried it......**********************************************
Monday, June 01, 2009
The Grandmas visit the Cottage....
Grandma Lena in her pants suit and her catch.....
Grandma Bertha waiting to see the big catch.....
And the catch is in...and the closest to catching fish was holding the catch....and look at those meany eyes....she would much rather eat them....I' m sure....************************************************
*****************************************************








