"Grown" Daughters

Hi, Desperate Readers,

Nancy tells me that I can't call my readers unfaithful if I am an unfaithful blogger....she wants something to appear when she clicks "Tiztalk". Well, I do, too. How about a comment or two or three?? I could make an outrageous claim like insisting that I am not a witch or a crook , and then you would all get on and come to my defense, right? Right....I've been thinking a lot about mothers and daughters lately. Mom is turning 100 next month, and I just visited her last weekend. While you might think that a 99 year old lady doesn't yield much power, think again. When I am with my mother, I must adhere to the strictest standards of behavior. I must account for all the Pinwheel cookies that go missing during my visit. "Tizzie, have you been into the Pinwheels?" Mom eats one - and only one - Pinwheel each night and my visits inevitably throw off her inventory. I must go to bed somewhere around 8:30 PM. I can and often do rebel and attempt to stay up later, but when Mom gets up for a bathroom break I am forced to explain why I'm dozing, whether I really need the light on, what I'm watching on TV, and why I don't just immediately go to bed. And so I do. Lunch must be eaten promptly at 11:00. Even if I am in the middle of writing out invitations to HER birthday party, I must put them aside and eat a proper meal. The same thing happens at 5:00 PM. In between meals, we take our required tour of the cemeteries. Mom once again ponders why a certain person is buried in a certain spot. I once again offer to dig up that certain body and move it to where she wants it. My sister and I agree we should have done this about 50 years ago. Last weekend Mom and I did get to have some extra fun. We picked up two of her friends who are 91 and 94 and we went to the new Castle Finn Winery near Marshall, IL. It was a picture perfect fall day and we sat outside and toasted ourselves. We also ended up in the middle of a wedding, but no one one seemed to notice. We behaved ourselves and only one of our party -- not me -- snitched a handful of peanuts intended for the guests. When you're in your 90s, who's going to stop you??...Okay, you're wondering about the photos. Well, my niece Coady sent me the link to her wedding photos . E-mail me if you want the link. It started me thinking about where my own wedding pictures are, so I photographed one of them for you. Yes, that's it, ignominiously perched on a heap of stuff in the basement. In 1976, I had envisioned it gracing the grand hall of my stately home or over the fireplace in my formal living room. Alas, I have none of the above, but I do have a roomy back basement that welcomes such things. So, I hope Coady reads this before she orders her wedding photos....Today is a big day in the University Bookstore. The new MU Student Center -- we are connected to it -- is having an open house today and a dedication ceremony tomorrow. Mort Walker of Beetle Bailey fame will be there. We've been told to "dress professionally" in Mizzou's colors, black and gold. So, I will pull out my trusty black pants that served me so well in Eire and make myself respectable once again...

Minding my mother,

I remain
Tizzie/Tiz/Tizmom/Mom/Liz/Elizabeth

P.S. Faithful and unfaithful readers know that I have no idea how to delete the extra photo above. I have tried, but the computer has outsmarted me once again.

Saving Face

Hi, faithful and unfaithful readers.

I have a confession to make. In a weak moment, I've done what I've been avoiding for years: I've joined Facebook. That's right. I can now stalk my children and maybe yours, too. I can see I really just wanted to see pictures of my great nieces and nephews, but it seems I have opened up a whole new world. In fact, I am afraid to open my e-mail as I keep getting all these requests from people and I'm not sure what to do with them or how to do it. I've also discovered that I don't know the proper Facebook protocol . Mary told me that if I didn't post a picture within 24 hours I would be considered a huge loser. That's the rule. It took me 4 months to figure out how to post photos on this blog and now I had 24 hours?? Luckily, someone posted a picture of me and I was able to click on it and it miraculously became my profile. I persuaded my sister to join, too. Tonight she tells me that she has 100 friends. I, on the other hand, only have 32. I made her read me her 100 friends. While I don't know half of them, I'm still wonder why she has so many, and I don't....In other news, when we last spoke I was threatening to mop the floor with a Shark, remember? Well, I managed to put the thing together in such a way that even Tim and Megan had to get out the direction book to undo my mistake. They did finally get the thing assembled I finally got the pleasure of pushing wet fluffy mop around the kitchen floor. It was exhilarating! .. Well, I will catch up with you slackers later.


Stalking and talking,
I remain
Tizzie/Tiz/Tizmom/Mom/Liz/Elizabeth

Football , Fun, and Something Fishy

Hi, Friends, Fam, and Frenemies,

Bob and I visited Tim and Megan last weekend. Bob and Tim went to the football game while Megan and I had the fun. We visited Tom, Marty and all 6 of their grandkids. Aren' t they cute? ..I'm sitting here watching _The Biggest Loser_ by myself. What does that tell you? I like having Molly and Nancy here so that I can comment on how many people cry, how many times the phrase "kick a**" or a variation is used, who has bad grammar , and how many times cuss words are bleeped out. It's no fun to make these observations to myself. I like them to roll their eyes and tell me that if I don't like it, I don't have to watch it and would I just shut up...I was so excited today as I got the car . I felt like a teenager. I was exhilarated! Bob and I share a car now which means that I rarely drive anymore. I'm the little old lady whose husband carts her around. But today the car was mine. After work I drove to Sonic and had a cheeseburger for dinner. Then I bought something that is all the rage among middle-aged -- well, that's stretching it a bit -- ladies. It is guaranteed to make my life easier or I get my money back. I even got a $10 gift card for buying it. I have discussed the purchase in detail with several friends. If you are a faithful reader of this blog, you'll know that I probably need this item. No, it's not a new wheelie cart. More clues? It's named after an ocean creature. It needs to be plugged in. Give up? It's a Shark Light 'n Easy Steam mop. Aren't you jealous? .. Soon I will do some butt kicking myself as I charge into the kitchen to try it out. Hopefully, I won't cuss and/or cry before I finish. After burning a few calories, I will vote myself out of the kitchen..All the BS (blog stuff) for now.

Currently viewing instead of doing,

Tizzie/Tiz/Tizmom/Mom/Liz/Elizabeth

Brides, Bridles, and Bridwells

Welcome to your favorite day, Slackers,

I guess you've missed hearing Tiz talk, or you wouldn't be here. My niece Coady got married in Lexington, KY last weekend. Oh, what an affair! I'm still recovering from the joyous occasion. While we didn't actually see any horses or bridles, we did drive past a few horse farms on our way to the winery...Bob and I are enjoying having Molly with us each week while she works here in town. If I didn't know better, I would think she had sent a Molly lookalike in her place. She is thankful for any slop I throw in front of her, she makes her bed, fixes her lunch, cleans up after herself, rarely goes out at night, and is safely tucked in bed sound by 10 each night. Did I mention that she only used one towel all week AND kept track of it? I may have to demand a DNA test to prove that she is truly my daughter...Need to go do some full scale slacking myself.

Dazed and amazed,

I remain
Tizzie/Tiz/Tizmom/Mom/Liz/Elizabeth

I'll Be Back

Hi, Folks,

Went to my niece's wedding last weekend in Kentucky. I haven't had any blog time. I have my brother Bob coming to visit Wed, and Marianne J coming Thurs. I promise to post some great pictures this weekend.

Tizzie/Tiz/Tizmom/Mom/Liz/Elizabeth

37 Works of Art

Hi, Blogfiends,

I've heard that people just can't resist reading articles with numbers in the title. I guess that's true in your case. You're like everyone else. You have no willpower to stop reading this blog. You are wondering about those 37 works of art. You know I won't tell you until the end, so relax. I'm not a "Bob caught a possum" type of person. I'm a "would you just get to the point of the story?!" type of person. That's why you like me, right? You like to have your mind filled with useless details...Since you insist...I've included Molly's picture to maintain your interest. Isn't she cute? Her picture is supposed to be the first one, but I have no idea how to move it to the top.. The other photos are from Bob's office. After 30 years, his office has been redone. He now has carpeting (!), new paint, a new desk, and his blackboard is being retired :( So, I'm sharing his last photos of it. If you look closely, you'll see loves notes from Nancy, Tim's mile times when he was training for the HS soccer team and other sordid scribblings. This blackboard -- which years ago used to have jock straps hanging on it drying out from Bob's noontime runs -- is itself a work of art. But, it's not one of the 37. No, the 37 works of art have been carefully curated (that might be word) on the kitchen table since Tuesday. They are the kids' artwork that has also been hanging around Bob's office for -- in some cases -- 28 years or more. Now they have been lovingly dumped at my place at the table. What should I do with Molly's Johnny Appleseed drawing? Her fourth grade "River of Ice" ballad? Nancy's preschool sunflower? Tim's "Boy and a Ball" poem? Of course, they are mostly on faded, oversized manilla paper. Many of you know that I have a mother who still has my artwork from grade school, which consistently earned me grades of "C" or "D" from the good nuns. One picture of beavers at dam -- where my teacher claimed not to recognize animal I had drawn --has been preserved for posterity. (Have you ever tried to draw a beaver??) So, I have a bad legacy to overcome. Do I save them forever? Chuck them all? Digitalize them and then chuck them? Stuff them into each child's overflowing "childhood stuff" plastic bin? Put them on e-bay? Or just leave them on the table until further notice?? ... Suggestions welcome.

Artsy but not fartsy,
I remain
Tizzie/Tiz/Tizmom/Mom/Liz/Elizabeth

Mops, Etc.

Hi, Non-laboring Labor Day lads and lassies,

Do you know where you mop is? Really. Do you know? You should go find it right now and put it where you can find it. Then write yourself a note. As the clock ticked and my bunco party drew closer, I decided to give the old kitchen floor a quick mop. Guess what? I couldn't find my mop! I could swear I have used it at least once since arriving home in June, but it was MIA, or should I say MII (Missing in inaction)? Now you and I all know that nobody but me would ever consider picking up a mop around here. Had Molly taken it to Kansas City? Unlikely. Had Bob taken it outside -- totally without permission -- to mop the back porch? He claimed innocence. Despite my best efforts -- which weren't all that good -- I could not find it. But, being the resourceful homemaker that I am, I solved the problem. I threw one of my many wet dishtowels (don't you have a lot of those when you are preparing for company?) to the floor and swished it around with my foot. It really worked pretty well, and I was able to clip on my pearls and don my apron before my guests arrived. (Yes, I made that part up.) Bunco was a big success. I did, in fact, make Rolo pretzel treats, spinach artichoke dip with pita crackers, corn and bean salsa with Fritos, and a frozen fruit dessert with cream cheese and a graham cracker crust. Add a few bottles of wine and my friends were once again fooled into believing I really know how to entertain with ease. They didn't see me flipping pretzel treats to the floor while attempting to get them off the cookie sheet or my bed overflowing with countertop papers and stuff that has now taken up residence on my bedroom floor...I did reveal my faux paus from last week's blog if you go back and look at my comment. You are all lazier and .. well, never mind ...than I give you credit for. And I give you a lot of credit. You surely have things to be doing right now, don't you? If not, you could come help me rid the basement of my new boarders: crickets! Sorry, Tim, your childhood friends have returned and are calling out for you. So far I have not seen any of the prehistoric variety(aka "camel crickets") , but they are probably lurking about waiting to assault me when I least expect it. One lucky fellow has already survived a wastebasket and a box of Tide being thrown on him. Now I have Tide all over the floor. I hope I can find my vacuum cleaner. You haven't seen it, have you??

Well, I've wasted enough of your time and mine. I just spied the mop hiding horizontally in the garage. I've made a note so I'll know where it is next time I have Bunco. In the meantime, I'm off to set my mousetraps, my cricket traps, and do whatever else it is I do.

Thinking about chirps and twerps,
I remain
Tizzie/Tiz/Tizmom/Mom/Liz/Elizabeth