If I Tweeted..

If I were to "Tweet" on Twitter...which I don't..I would have tweeted this yesterday:

Sitting at Jack's office getting a treatment on my back and knee with this nice piece of equipment. I love this machine..I want to marry it...

Nothing like a little electric shock treatment to make your body behave!

Nothing like a handsome Chiropractor to make it all better! He's a 5 star rating for sure!
If you couldn't tell, my back is feeling 110% better and I might even live...That's what I would have tweeted if I did Twitter...which I don't because..... I'm a BLOGGER! I don't know if you can put pics on Twitter...so that's why I blog! Plus I have the best followers, blog friends, in the universe!

Weekend Update...

This weekend was a bit of a blur for me.  I'm usually snapping pics like crazy and, frankly, I barely picked the camera up. I never took any photos of my sweet niece Amy and her fun hubby Eric. I did grab a few clicks of the kiddos. I think my head was on my back! It didn't fair too well.  It's embarrassing when another Chiropractor (a good buddy of ours) sees me in Wal-Mart and wonders when my hubby is going to fix my hip. He was walking behind me and noticed my limp and tilt I guess. I had to correct him and say it wasn't my hip..it's my knee and my back! It's a bit better today.  Work doesn't help it much. Today I wore a lead apron all day! (protects from x-rays...kills your back) 2 other co-workers were complaining about the same thing..back pain! I love back pain in others..just not me! Well, enough whining! Here are a few shots that did make it!

My son Jackie holding Ella and trying to give her the beater from this concoction!

Amy put it together for Sunday's cookout. Pretty and tastey!  Fruit pizza!

Parker isn't too sure about having a bath in the sink! I have a nice deep, big sink in the kitchen and Amy's back was hurting too so it was easier than the tub.

Ella wanted to try it out.

I don't think she's too sure about the whole thing! That's it...pretty bad. The shots I should have taken were Amy, Eric and I all getting Jack to work on us at the office on Saturday, a trip to the Parsley Pot for Amy and I and a trip to Grandpa's Cheesebarn for Amy and Eric...then Jack and Eric headed out to the "Fin, Feather, and Fur Outfitters"....everyone had a good time and I enjoyed having family here. They're coming back in October with my sister and Mom.  I have a few things planned...just hope the back is better by then!
The one other thing I did accomplish was a special "candy bar card"  a co-worker asked me to make for her 80 yr. old Aunt.  Have you ever made one? They are pretty fun to do but I enjoy making them more when I actually know the person!

You need candy bars, foam board or poster board, double stick tape, good handwriting or (like me) a computer to print out the words.

In the end you have a funny card with candy used instead of the words.  Once I get the candy sorted, the words just seem to flow for card. I hope her Aunt enjoys it!

I'm In A Jam

I'm in a jam all right...and I'm loving it! Our raspberry bushes have been "berry, berry" good to us this year!

I've made some lovely jam and it's pretty tastey too...and pretty looking...even if I do say so myself !  Then, as if that wasn't enough, my hydrangea bush is going "bloomin' crazy"!

These all came from the same bush...some pink, some blue...it's my bi-polar hydrangea. I made a big vase full and also this little one...big or little..gotta love 'em!

To make my day even more perfect....Eddy got a makeover...OK, he just went to the groomer and was cleaned, shined, buffed, mani...or is it a pedi?, and de-shedded. He looks marvelous darling and smells marvi too!

I had to dangle a piece of pizza crust to get him to look at me..he's shy like that. He was made all pretty just in time for the arrival of my niece, Amy...her hubby Eric...their daughter Ella..(almost 2yrs.old) and their son, Parker..5 months old.  Things will be hopping at the Pines this weekend! Hopefully the weather will cooperate. Rain is in the forecast for tomorrow, but that won't stop us from finding great places to visit and on Sunday we're having the rest of my gang over for a cookout...the weather on Sunday is calling for sun...very cool for this time of year, (it was in the 40's this morning!)  but I'll take sun no matter what! Here's just a peek at the little tornado, Ella, who found the spare bedroom prime for jumping on the bed!

One last note...I'm kind of embarrassed to even tell this sad tale.  I threw my back out. Yep, the wife of a Chiropractor walks with a bit of a tilt.  Jack did his magic yesterday and I was much better today...but it's still a bit sore. Working in the ortho room today and lifting all the heavy instruments and patients didn't help. I also noticed that I drop things much more when my back hurts. Go figure!   I need more treatments..and tender loving care...and someone else to cook this weekend...OK, I'm pushing it here.  Now I really am in a jam!  Wait, does that sentence sound weird to you? "am in a jam"...never mind.

And The Award Goes To..

ME!  On Saturday, besides hunting for ghosts,  I was given an award from our good buddy Shady Dell.  He was given the award from a couple of blog followers of his who have good taste!  He passed it over to me and a few other friends.  It's called:

The Liebster award is given to someone with less than 200 followers.  I'm someone who likes to keep in touch with my followers and I'm not sure I could do that if I had over 200!  I'm always happy to welcome new followers, and  I love the blog buddies  that take time to read and comment to me and I try to do the same back.  In the spirit of the award there are some questions that must be answered.  Shady gave us the same questions he received and told us to answer which ones we wanted or none at all.  Well, I picked 10 out of the 12 to answer.  I hope that's OK!   Thanks again Tom for this award.  Here goes:
1. What was your first job and did you enjoy it?
My first real...not the hellatious job of babysitting that I had to do for cash until I turned 16....was a candy counter girl at a movie theater...and I  LOVED IT!!  Maybe it was the fact I could see all the movies for free and give passes to family...or maybe it was the other kids I worked with...or maybe it was all the popcorn I ate for free!  I also gave free popcorn to my friends who came back to the counter with an empty container...hey, we inventoried the popcorn containers...not the popcorn! Whoops, maybe I shouldn't tell anyone that. Let this be our secret...OK?
2. Do you have a collection....what is it?

Santa Claus figures or pictures...I used to add one every year, but I've slowed down and really don't add much more to the collection...I'm running out of space to store them! Ha! I also love to give them away to my kids when they say they like one...hey, it's yours!
3. What is your  default  "too lazy to cook" meal?  Probably pizza, or something from the A&W rootbeer stand in the summer. Sometimes KFC  fills in for me too!
4. What is your favorite thing to wear that you always feel fantastic in?  My work scrubs...NOT! Just kidding..it would be a pair of jeans that I've had forever..I love them because they are soft, comfy, fit good and are worn and torn on the cuffs....sorry, that's just how I roll!
5. Summer? Fall? Winter? Spring?  I would have to say  Fall.  I love when the leaves change and the air is cool and crisp after a hot and humid summer.  I love pumpkins, and Halloween, witches, and candy corn.  I love Fall even though I know what comes next!
6. What is your favorite moment in history?  This was a hard question to answer. There are so many great times in history that have made big impacts on our life and lifestyles.  The Vietnam era played a big part of my teen years. Having brothers who served and seeing how that time affected my parents and our family life. It wasn't the greatest time for them, but having my brothers come home safe and healthy...that was the good part.  I was, and still am, very proud of them.
7. What is the one song that without a doubt always puts you in a good mood?  John Denver's "Country Road"...I love John Denver...ask anyone at work. Yes, I'm weird.
8.  If you had to pick one, would it be the Beatles....or the Rolling Stones.  This is easy peasy....I'm a die hard Beatles lover and I hated the Stones when they first came out because I thought they were going to put the Beatles out of business...Hahaha! Who knew that they would all (the living ones)  still be singing at age 65 and older!
9.  Do you have any hidden talents or abilities for anything in particular? If so, what are they? Well, I'm pretty good at  helping do total knee replacements and gall bladder surgery...not that anyone ever asks to see me do that.  I can't sing, dance, draw, or sew.  But I'm perfect at admiring others who do have those abilities! 
10.  What was a favorite vacation?  A few years ago we went to Alaska and I absolutely loved it.  We had the best time and saw the most amazing scenery and wildlife and met great people.  That same year I was able to go with my Mom to Ellis Island in New York and see my Grandparents name on the wall that's there to honor immigrants who came through Ellis.  Mom was able to see where her Mother and Father came to this country and experience just a small bit of how they must have felt.  It was very moving and as I stood on the island and looked across the water at New York City I marveled at the beauty of this city and thought I truly was blessed to go from sea to shining sea that year and see how wonderful our country is and how grateful to my ancestors for making the trip!  Well, those are the questions I chose to answer. I'm now suppose to pick blogs for this award and have them also answer questions.  Most blogs I follow have tons of followers or don't want awards. I'm only going to pick one this time and it's my friend Stacy at  the Crawford Family Weekly  blog.  I hope that's OK Stacy!  I talked her into blogging..(I think).  Anyway, I  think every blog I follow is award winning.  I started blogging 5 years ago and I've met some really talented and fun bloggers.  I was really surprised how fun this turned out to be.  Many times I've heard people say: "I wouldn't be able to blog...I have nothing to write about." Seriously? Everyone has a story!  You just need to tell it...write it  and they will come...you just might be surprised at who you meet!

BOO!...Part Two!

In the previous post I talked about the July Ghost Haunt at Malabar Farms.

Malabar used to be the private residence of Louis Bromfield....now it's a state park.

This gentleman in the hat gave us a long story about...well, himself actually....he's an author and is fascinated with the Celia Rose story..wrote a play about her. I learned her sad tale..her disturbed mind and her reason for poisoning her Mother, Father, and brother....all over a love interest. Julia, in the comment section of the previous post. described it perfectly!  He was a bit long winded...kind of like a blogger I know!  We went into the Celia Rose house and really saw and felt nothing unusual.  Here's a picture of my friend Shay in Celia's bedroom.

No ghosts here!  After the cemetery tour, we went back to the gift shop area and out back they had hot dogs, chips, drinks and a fire so we could make s'mores...the one thing my friend Becky was waiting for!

Getting ready to load the hot marshmellow on the graham cracker with a Hershey chocolate square..

She was happy!  After a lecture by the Central Ohio Paranormal Society (COPS) we finally were going to go into the "Big House"....where the Bromfield family lived.  I had taken a tour of the first floor on a few occasions, but really wanted to go upstairs and see the bedrooms and other areas of the house.  We were able to have free reign of the place...in the dark of course....don't ask me why it had to be in the dark.  It must be to make it more spooky for humans, I don't think ghosts give a darn about whether it's dark or light!  Here are some shots..notice all the "orbs"....people get all excited about seeing  orbs of light in pictures.  They think..."spirits"!  I think...."Dust"!

Mr. Bromfield's office...loved all the books..and I loved this next picture.

This painting is hanging on the wall...Mr. B loved Boxers....the dogs, not the underwear....he has pictures and statues all over the home.  Gotta love a guy who loves this breed..the dog with the floppy ears in the pic looks like our little Eddy!

His wife Mary's bedroom...some people have claimed to get a strong smell of rose perfume in here.

Oh yeah...I was finally able to head up those lovely stairs..it's a double staircase..very pretty!

One of their daughter's bedroom.  There are 7 bedrooms in the house, and each has a bath attached. I didn't see or smell anything weird on this floor, but I did feel weird...a disorienting, dizziness...Jack would claim that's not unusual for me..but I did feel like I needed to hang on to the walls for some reason. Didn't stop me from snooping around some more!

I mentioned in the previous post that Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart were married at Malabar Farm.

This was their room.  We asked if the beds were pushed together for them...nope! I guess the maid that worked there said she only ever had to make up one bed in the morning..hmmm....they must have been very skinny...those beds are small!

Articles, pictures of the wedding and this replica of their cake are in the diningroom.  It was a big deal back then..she was 20 (their marriage certificate is displayed there too...her real name was "Betty") and Bogey was 45...robbing the cradle I'd say!   The other thing about the house was the temperature inside..it was icy cold! We've had some hot and muggy days and nights and last night was no exception.  I guess they have a good cooling system because even the upstairs was very cold...or was it paranormal?  I report..you decide! Finally, on my way out the kitchen door I saw this picure and laughed...He Bogey...what are you looking at buddy?

The house is undergoing a  $500,000 renovation of the outside and landscape.  It's going to be done by this fall and in September I'll go to the annual Heritage Days and see how it all looks.  It was a fun night and a great history lesson of an era of glam and glitz and farming...can't beat that!

I Aint Afraid Of No Ghosts!

This past evening  some friends from work and I went on a ghost hunt..or haunt as the establishment called it.  It was at Malabar Farm State Park.  Have you ever heard of Louis Bromfield? He's an award winning author and he bought property near Mansfield, Ohio and called it Malabar Farm. The history of his family is interesting and he was quite popular with Hollywood as he wrote 12 screen plays.(As well as 31 books)  But his love was the land and farming and he lived and entertained many celebrities at this farm. Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart were married here. Remember a little flick called "The Shawshank Redemption"?  The scene where Red digs up the money under the big Oak tree was filmed on the property.  Another known fact is... the place is haunted...or so many say.  I couldn't give you any experiences we had tonight, but we learned of others experiences and also tons of history.  It was a warm, muggy night. Also a buggy night! Armed with bug spray, raincoats that we ended up not needing, a good sense of humor, and a camera, we headed out! We learned of a murdered family from the 1800's.  Celia Rose murdered her whole family with rat poison and we were in her home, the hostel that's on the property, a cemetery,

and of course the "Big House"..the main living space of the Bromfield family.  I'm going to share pics in this post and then share some more in a second post..too many to do at once! Here goes!

Donna on the one end and Shay next to me with Becky on the other end...we hopped on the wagon for the ride to the Hostel.

This Hostel is open to the public and if you stay here maybe you'll see the little girl ghost that runs through the house! We didn't, but you might have more luck than us!

We learned about Celia Rose and her locket...very interesting!

This is one of the homes  that they say is haunted...the Celia Rose house...maybe that's why it's blurry.  Couldn't be my lousy camera skills!

This was the scariest thing we saw in the house!

In the cemetery, actors portrayed the people buried here...that was a fun visit..you know how I do love a good cemetery walk!

I'm going to end this here with a shot of the beautiful sunset over Malabar....more on this fun tour later..I really need to hit the hay!  Boo!

A Walk On The Quiet Side

Today I had a "low census" day..the surgery schedule was light and our hospital is on a tight budget so we are asked to take these days every so often. I enjoy having them on a Monday or Friday for a long weekend...I don't enjoy having the no pay day on the old paycheck!  Oh well, taking advantage of this time I decided to head out for a drive this morning. I finished my chores, grabbed Eddy the boxer and headed for some excitement...

Eddy does like a good car ride every now and then!  Where did we end up? Hope this doesn't bum you out or give you the creeps, but we went here:

Yep, the cemetery. I felt I needed to visit Jack's Mom, Dad and brother.  After visiting here, we took a little walk around the cemetery.  I like cemeteries..just thought I'd mention that! I think it's a great place to walk and think and if you have a lovely one like we do here in Ashland, you'd like to take a quiet walk there too.
The day was turning into a hot and humid one so I was glad we visited in the morning. So many interesting grave markers....old ones:

Graves of little ones:

Beautiful sculptures:

And graves that need some TLC...this one looked a bit sad to me.

I know this was so exciting,  but after we were done here I was inspired by a blog post I read this morning from my good buddy Tom at  Shady Dell Music and Memories.  He was showcasing music from the summer of 1961 and talking about going to the public pool...read his post, it's pretty funny. I decided since our public pool is just down the street from the cemetery I would head over there and check out what was happening.
We have a great city park system and Brookside park has alot to offer. A great pool for young and old.

You can't see it from here, but there's a sweet kiddie pool section for little ones and their Moms...a concession stand that we used to frequent when my guys were little buggers....a high dive...a low dive..a cool slide....a fun way to cool off.  It was a little early for much action, but as our temps neared 90 this afternoon, I'm betting it was rocking by then!

Brookside also has a great band shell. Every Sunday and Thursday night they have free concerts. Grab a seat or bring a blanket or chair and hit the grassy hills all around it and enjoy some good old fashioned free entertainment!  This Thursday will be a jazz concert and before it starts they are having a free jazz instructional for kids and I'm sure they will incorporate the kiddos into the act.

Of course you need pavilions to host parties....I've gone to many graduation, church socials and other events at this spot.  There's a pond for fishing, ball parks for softball and baseball, tennis courts and miniature golf...and the "Red Barn"....my kids always had to hit that joint before we could head home..it still has penny candy and icecream..also a great place to cruise by and see who's just hanging out!  By this time Eddy was hot and tired..he doesn't do heat well..so we got back in the car and took off for the Pines...but not before I saw this little sign that must have been left from a few days ago..

Whoever wrote this must have magical powers...because it's been sunny all weekend...Great way to spend my free day...thanks for visiting our park with me and Ed!

Happiness Is:

Happiness is a dip in YaYa and PawPaw's pool on a hot..sunny...no rain (whooray!) day!   Come back soon Addy Rae!