New Year!

I don't know about anybody else but, I am not going to be getting real sentimental about the ending of the 2009! As far as I am concerned, don't let the door hit you on the way out. It has been a year that we have lost family members who have been way too young to leave us. The economy has been very worrisome for everybody. I can't think of a time in my lifetime where it has been this bad! Here's to a happy new year for 2010!

The trumpet player!

I have been looking for this picture for months. It was taken before the days of us having digital cameras, so it was heaped in a box full of pictures! This picture was taken on Beck's first trip to California. We were headed back from an Angels game late at night on the 91 freeway and there was an accident! Only in southern California can you have a traffic jam at midnight! It was a unique experience for a girl from Ohio. As we were stuck in traffic we kept hearing the sound of someone playing a trumpet some where. We finally pulled next to a guy in a semi with his knees doing the steering blowing away on his trumpet. You know Beck never had a problem talking to people, so she started up a conversation with the guy. She asked the guy if she could take his picture as the people in Ohio would never believe it! He said that would be fine as long as his boss never saw the picture. I think it has been long enough that he wouldn't get in trouble now. Happy anniversary Beck!

a little Fall update!

It rained last night and it brought on a whole new batch of leaves! There are more leaves on the ground now than when I cleaned up yesterday! I'm going to give it a rest for few days, maybe the wind will come up and blow them all over the neighborhood!

Here is the down side of fall!

In the fall we think of all the beautiful colors on the trees and crisp clean air! We think of our own lives and how the seasons parallel them, with Fall reminding us we are getting older and with Winter coming on we think of the end of our lives. We hope that like Spring we will re-born with a new healthy body and mind for our futures!

Now what we never think of when we think of the Fall, who's going to clean up all these stinking leaves when they aren't so pretty anymore? Well I am one of those unlucky suckers who every Fall spends 2 hours a week cleaning up leaves, and then doing it all over again the next week! It takes about 4 to 5 weeks to get them all, if it snows I'm done!

I took 3 hours of vacation hours today to clean the leaves. I am off tomorrow, but it is going to rain, so I thought I would get a head start. Done for this week!

Not so far out as I thought!

When I got home from work yesterday, I came in the garage door and didn't hear the jingle of my dog Snicks collar, which I normally do. I came up the stairs and he was laying in a blanket on the floor. I tried to get him to go out the back door to go potty, which is our normal routine, but he just stayed there. I came over to him and finally got him to stand up and he was having trouble standing on his hind legs. I'm not sure what is going on. I'm thinking he might have taken a tumble down the stairs as they are hardwood and pretty slippery. He is able to walk gingerly and was able to go up and down the stairs off the back deck to do his business today. I think he is a little better.

This whole experience has let me know that I haven't healed as much as I thought I had in the past 10 months. I have been so worried about this dog and couldn't handle another traumatic development at this time. I think everything will be fine here, It has just been an eye opener!

My latest bike trail!

Here is a picture of my winter set up for riding the bike. Yesterday I took it for a test ride as the weather was a bit unsettled. It's not quite the same as fresh air and pretty scenery, but I was sweating like crazy and the legs were burning by the time I finished. I was able to watch the rest of a "Dark Shadows" disc and will be able to watch TV as I continue to get my exercise. I'm sure that I will be chomping at the bit to get back outside before Spring gets here!

Larry and Me

Here is the picture I was telling you about Kathy. I don't look as I am cooperating too much. The one memory I have of Larry is him taking me to the pool in the park in Leon. I remember him tossing me around in the water and we had a great time! I couldn't tell you what year the swimming took place, but I remember "My baby does the hanky panky" playing on the loud speaker at the pool. It is funny the things you remember!

Gracie's great pumpkin!

I am growing pumpkins again this year, let me rephrase that, I'm growing a pumpkin this year! The first picture is last years crop with Gracie checking them out. The bottom picture is this years attempt. I only have one but it's getting a lot of attention. I haul a 5 gallon bucket of water out to it everyday. I have dumped manure on it frequently and it gets a good dose of miracle grow every week. The bottom line is I could get a pumpkin for Halloween cheaper at the store, but growing them is a lot of fun and a nice tradition. Hopefully Gracie will remember me as that old guy who grew her a pumpkin!

Jammin with Gampa!

Gracie was here on Sunday for a swim and a cookout. As they were getting ready to go home I picked up my guitar and was fooling around with it, Gracie tore back to her room here and came back with a plate, a fork, and a spoon. She then started beating on the plate with the utensils as I played. I stopped playing and she said "again" and we proceeded to play some more. That little 2 minute episode has had me smiling all week! Again!

My Sunday ride

I went for my usual Sunday bike ride this week, and I decided to go on a trail I had been on a few times, but further north of where I usually ride. I got to the town of Rock Creek and the bike trail ended for about a mile, so I had to ride through some residential area to get back to the trail.

I came across this old house and I just had to stop and look at it. It looks like something you would see on "Ghost Hunters". I think the house was vacant. I wish I wasn't such a sissy about riding my bike on the streets as there are beautiful old neighborhoods all over northeast Ohio. I enjoy a lot of the nature I see as I ride, but it was just nice to see some old buildings for a change. The house may not have been historical, but It was evidence of someones history.

Men and Greeting Cards!

I guess I am going to share a little secret with you women that you probably already know, Men do not put a lot of time in selecting greeting cards. Like wise when we receive a card we don't spend a lot of time reading the sentimental message. I have had an eye opening experience in which I hope has changed my attitude.

Today marks the 6 month anniversary of Beck's passing. The last couple of days have been a bit rough for me. I know I will have more rough days. When things get unbearable for me, I have this Christmas card that Beck gave me this past Christmas that I have read many times over in the last 6 months.
Beck went into the hospital on December 1st and was never able to get out to a store after that day. By this I know she bought this card way before Christmas. Her Dad used to underline all the words in a card that told how he felt, which she had always done the same thing with every card she ever gave me. You can see that she did it on this card. She also added her own little message at the end of the card, which I know she wrote on Christmas eve.

On Christmas when I opened this card it was almost an after thought as she was declining so fast that we were all really worried. She was never really able to communicate verbally after that.

I am so thankful that she gave me this card as I know she put a lot of time in picking one that would say how she felt. It has given me comfort many times already, I will cherish it for the rest of my life!

Todays bike ride

On my bike ride this morning I took my camera along and took some scenic pictures as I pedaled along. This is the trail that runs right through my town. On a Sunday morning the trail is less congested than it is during the week, so you can relax and enjoy the view!

Looking back at our roots!

I know I have been on a blogging frenzy lately, but this picture is just too good to pass up! I think we must have all been going through a growth spurt as we all look a little under nourished! It's always nice to look where we came from, and from this photo Hill billy/ white trash comes to mind!

It's been 30 years!

In the fall of this year it is going to be thirty years since I started at Farmer John. My first thought is thank goodness I do not work there anymore! I was just a green naive 21 year old when I started. I was hired for a new shift which was made up of a bunch of meat cutters who had learned their craft at Chino men’s prison. The parolees were also all living in halfway houses. My other fellow employees were recent refugees from Vietnam and Cambodia. It was quite an eye opener for white bread kid from the suburbs!
Mike also worked at Farmer John, he was the one who got me the job. He pretty much worked in the same department all the time, ham slicing. I was all over the place in that job. I think I just about worked in every department.
Looking back I just can’t believe how dangerous that place was. I saw a guy get his hand caught in a ham skinner. I saw whole rails that the hog were strung up on tear from the ceiling and come crashing down. I remember ammonia leaks (used for refrigeration) in which they had us put on gas masks so we could continue working. I worked on the kill floor in which the temperature was always pushing 100 degrees with steam every where, then pushing the hogs into coolers with temperatures in the low forties. I worked an elevator in which the chilled hogs would be taken downstairs to be cut up. We would load 30 hogs on to the elevator, the hogs would be hanging from a rail as we descended to the next floor. One day I was running the controls when all of a sudden the elevator goes into a free fall. I started hitting the up button as we were going down and it slowed us down till we hit bottom with a big thud. There were just so many ways you could get hurt there.
After six years of escaping injury I went to work for the Post office. I remember when I left I was making 10.25 an hour and I was taking a pay cut at the post office at 9.37 an hour. I was really concerned at the time about the pay cut The one thing that made the decision easier is that we went on strike on October 1st of 1985 and I knew that I was due to report for work at the post office November 4th. For about 10 years after working there I used to have dreams all the time that I was late for work there. Leaving there was one of the better decisions I ever made in my life!
The reason I thought of this, I found a picture of me working there. You will notice I had more hair in those days, and I was quite youthful! I would be eligible for my pension now if I continued working there, I'm just not sure if I would have had all my limbs!

No Regrets

I know I just posted a few days ago but I thought I would like to share with all of you what has been on my mind as of late. Two weeks ago when we had our garage sale,Terri Beck's daughter and I were sitting in the driveway just chatting away as we had no shoppers all morning. Terri asked me a question that I have been thinking about ever since she asked it! She asked me if I knew that before I moved from California that this is how everything would turn out, would I have still made the move. First of all I'm grateful that she is comfortable enough with me that she was able to ask such a tough question. I have spent the last few weeks thinking this one over.

I guess I have finally formulated some what of an answer. If you told me 10 years ago this is how it was going to turn out, I would have had serious reservations about moving. I am glad that we do not know how life is going to turn out. There is so much I would have missed.

First off I got to marry the love of my life who was my best friend. I would have missed all the adventures that we seemed to get ourselves in. Beck found out some of my interests (Elton John, Drag racing) and made them her interests! We made trips back to California, Ireland, Florida, and anywhere that Elton John played that was drivable (Columbus, Oh, Pittsburgh Pa, Kitchener Ontario Canada, Hershey Pa). It has been the happiest eight years of my life. So I think the real question Terri was asking was; did I have any regrets? The answer is I have no regrets!

my bike ride

It has been a while since I have posted anything. I think part of the reason for that is life has settled down a little, and I am kind of getting into a boring routine.

Last weekend during the yard sale that we had I decided not to sell Beck's bike as I knew I would never come close to getting the money back that we paid for it. I ended up giving it to Terri Beck's daughter to enjoy. Then it came to what should be done with my bike. I decided to pull it off the rack on the wall and clean it up, put some air in the tires, and oiled all the critical places!

This morning I threw the bike in the back of the truck and drove to the bike trail we have in our community. The bike way was created from an old railroad right of way that was torn out a long time ago. They have paved it and it is nice and smooth. It winds through the country side through farm land and woods. It was absolutely beautiful! I saw cardinals, rabbits, a black squirrel , a turtle, all that was missing was Marlin Perkins! The first part of the ride was a slight upgrade. I rode up hill for five miles and then turned it around and I was ready for five miles of down hill riding. It was an exhilarating ride! My only fear was that some bunny would run out in front of me and cause me to take a spill! It was 55 minutes of scenic splendor!

The simple joy of being a child!

Today we had a cookout at the house. It is to the point that the nieces and nephews have now grown up to have their own children. Little kids just seem to make fun out whatever might be around. We have had this wagon in our backyard for the last 2 years. I just happened to look down from the deck and this was the sight I saw, Four kids crammed into that wagon enjoying each others supper!

Thanks

It has been a while since I last posted on here. I guess being busy has dipped into my writing time. I just wanted to thank all of you for being so concerned and loving during this tough time in my life. It has been really appreciated. I am lucky to have you as family.

You know I could blog weekly on my Beck tributes, but if I was to dwell on it that much it would drive me crazy and probably all of you as well. I just wanted to say thank you!

Back to work

Tomorrow is my first day back at work. Not only will the carrier of route #7 in Niles,Ohio be back at work, so will the office D.J. I guess no one else could figure out that 80's technology while I was gone! The first song that will have to be played is the theme from the TV show "Welcome back Kotter". I usually play it for someone else, but not tomorrow! It's better than "another one bites the dust"!

Gracie

Today I thought I would do a little story telling, which is something that I enjoy doing. I have been thinking about the night/morning that our little Gracie was born.
It was Labor day weekend 2006. Beck and I were up late that night which was unusual for us because of our work schedules. If I remember right Jen had called us and said she was going to the hospital, but we were not sure if it was going to be a false alarm, so we stayed near the phone. Now I’m not good with what time it actually was, but It was after midnight that the call came that they were going to deliver the baby cesarean. I know we got dressed real fast and started on our way to the hospital. The speed limit was pretty much ignored the whole 15 to 20 mile trip, and that we were on high alert for deer! We pulled into the hospital then ran to the maternity ward. As we entered we could see through the glass a nurse pushing a baby into the nursery, and right behind the nurse was Jen’s husband D.J. . Beck was beaming! She talks through the glass to D.J. and says “a little boy!” In the excitement of the moment the cut umbilical cord was mistaken for something that a little boy would have. D.J. let her know we had a granddaughter and she still was beaming!
I tell this story because I never want Gracie to go through life and not know how much her grandma loved her. The birth of Gracie was blessing to Beck who was going through a difficult time dealing with the death of her dad that previous January. Gracie may not ever remember Beck, but there will be plenty of us to tell her how much her grandma loved her!

Back on the Wagon!

I'm proud to say this morning at 6:15 A.M. when my alarm went off, I promptly got up and got dressed and headed out my door to start my walk. I was doing pretty good walking until about 3 weeks ago, then I just got lazy! I think that I will be going back to work in the next week or two, so I better get used to walking again. I also have been sleeping in till at least 8A.M. everyday, so that's why the alarm clock thing!I was so motivated today that I ordered uniforms and ended up spending my whole uniform allotment for the year. I also set up two doctor appointments before I go back to work too I just wanted report that I'm back on the wagon!

Gracie's playground!

It is 70 degrees today in Ohio and I thought it was a good day to try and get everything in the backyard back together after a long winter. I found out one thing, sitting around all winter got me out of shape, I'm beat! It's just a beautiful day here, and I wanted to share. Spring in a cold weather region is more beautiful than a warm climate region! I'm not sure if that's really true, but it sure feels like it! You can see my little constant companion checking out what I'm doing!

My Dog!

I try to make sure I add a feel good blog, with some of the downers I write! Today it's about my dog. How can you not share your dinner, or pet this mongrel I have that lives with me. I'm not sure what he'll do when I go back to work, but these days it's pretty much 24/7 with us! He needs me, and I need him!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWT2qHVftGk

Music

I was driving in my car today and was listening to my mp3 player and the song " I fought the law and the law won" by the Bobby Fuller four came on and it brought back so many memories! It was the first record I remember that I was enamored with. I'm not sure if it was the song itself or the fact that Bobby fuller committed suicide. When you are young some ghoulish story of suicide is fascinating. Whatever the reason was for me liking the song, after forty something years, It's still a great two and a half minute one hit wonder! I'm not sure if it was my sister's or brother's record, I just remember playing it on the record player in the kitchen. I can still see that 45rpm record with a red label turning around and around. I'm thankful that we came from a family who loved music, and basically let us listen to the music we liked. It has brought a lifetime of joy!

http://video.google.com/videosearch?sourceid=navclient&rlz=1T4GGLL_enUS315US315&q=bobby+fuller&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=rgjdSan9DobglQfOybDtDQ&sa=X&oi=video_result_group&resnum=4&ct=title##

The loss of enthusiasm

Today is exactly 3 months since we lost Beck. I am still in a daze. It all seems like a bad dream. We have lost so much enthusiasm for life with her passing. She loved to live life on all cylinders! There was so much I wanted experience with her. We had so many plans we still hadn't gotten to do. I wanted to take her to the eastern Sierra and show here what the stars really looked like when there was no interference from city lights. We wanted to go to Yellowstone and see all the wonders there! These are all things I have seen, but she would have been astounded by the beauty of nature and would have made the experience even more spectacular!

The Birdman of Austintown!

I guess all the spring talk has gotten to me! One sure sign of Spring in Ohio is the return of the birds. I had a little bird seed left over the winter and put it into my feeder, thinking when the birds ate all that, I was finished with feeding them. I'm now on my second new bag of feed this spring, and the birds are looking healthy, and so is the squirel that lives in the tree next to the feeder!

Good stuff!

I haven't written anything for a week or so, basically I haven't had anything very exciting to write about! I'm still kind of in that situation.
Yesterday I had my external fixator removed from my right arm, and during removal I was not totally knocked out as I was when they put it on. The put me in something they called a twilight sleep, which was it knocked me out for about 10 minutes. That is some good drugs. I don't even remember getting sleepy, I was just out. The next thing I remember I felt like I was on a ride at an amusement park and my right arm was very warm! (warm from the plaster splint) After that I just couldn't stop talking. I'm not even sure what I was saying. I just wanted to talk! What ever they gave me, was good stuff!

Grieving

It has been a little while since I have posted anything. The main reason for that is, that since I have gotten home, I have hit a new level of grieving. I knew this was coming and there is nothing you can do but face it. I know I'm not the only one who has ever been through this, in fact I'm pretty sure we all go through this sometime in our life.
I've decided one thing that has been missing from my life since coming back from California this month (besides the obvious family), is laughter. The last few nights I have stayed up way past my normal bedtime and watched Leno & Letterman! It has not cured all of my ills, but it has felt very good to laugh! So I guess I'm going to change my sleep schedule.
I did have a situation that was very hard for me today. I finally got around to going to our mobile phone company and dealing with turning off a phone and changing the contract into my name. That went fine no problem. In our plan we were able to have five favorite numbers that you can call that will not go against your every where minutes in the plan. Well I'm sure you have guessed by now Beck and I each had each other in our favorites, and I had to delete her from my favorites. I also I removed her from my phone book. Symbolically it felt as I was just getting rid of her, tossing her to the side, In my heart and head I know this will never be possible. I am OK. I just had to vent a bit. I will be back to my old self before you know it! sorry for the lack of yuks.

Tonights Dinner

Tonights last supper in California was "In and Out burger". If I could start a franchise in Ohio, I think I could make a mint, though I think I have found what I'm going to do when I grow up!

Beck's birthday!

Today would have been Beck's 50th birthday. I try not to dwell too much on the sadness of the last few months. Here is a picture with Beck and Gracie, and Gracie seems to be saying with her eyes "My Grandmas kind of nuts about me" which was true!

Sunshine!

This post is in the same vein as Kathy's last post. I have been able to take advantage of something you don't see a lot of in northeast Ohio in March, and that is sunshine. I spent yesterday sitting in Kathy and Jim's backyard reading and trying to get some color in my lily white legs. There is something theraputic about the warm sun that lightens your heart and makes things seem just a bit more bearable. It was like I had my battery recharged. I think it was one of those spiritual moments where I was being reminded of the seasons and how are life is patterned after them. Anyway, thank goodness for the sun and what it can do for the soul!

The D word was mentioned today

As I was reading the paper today I noticed that the news people and major newspapers were saying we might be in a depression, not the "Great depression" , but that still has the D word which sends shivers down the spine of anyone who lived during the depression times. My brother and sister and I were products of the great prosperity that came after world war II. Which vaulted us out of the depression!

I know with all the talk of high unemployment, Bad housing markets, major companies having major financial crisis's. It's hard to look at your own personel situation and not feel that the D word isn't closing in on you.

I'm thinking me out selling pencils to the rest of mankind in a similar situation as mine is not going to help much. I know for sure standing in a soup line will not get that big D off my back! I think a couple of PROZACS would help in kind of a masking way, but would just delay dealing with things that need to be dealt with! I still would like to find that school where it snows everyday. and it is up hill on the way to the school, and up hill on the way home from school.

I guess I'm just trying to say we live in scarey times. One thing we do have is we have each other. If we can keep in prespective what absouloutly we have to have to live and be able resist the things are not necessary, we will be fine.

Unlike Rush Linbaugh, I hope Presidents Obamba's financial policies work. If they don't work, We in the various levels of the middle class are going to really pay! Some nice words to think about as you try and get some sleep tonight.

In and Out

Here I am back in the area where I grew up and there is nothing the same. As I drive down streets I tend to say "remember when that was there?" or " I remember when nothing was there". Yesterday I had something to eat that hasn't changed, an"In and out" hamburger! Through the years fast food restaurants have changed their menu's in the hopes of drawing in more customers. " In and out" has been smart and has continued doing what they do best, which is make the worlds best hamburger! Thank goodness someone out there doesn't always think change is good! OK, this wasn't the most thought provoking post, but what the heck! I guess I'm working on quantity not quality!

#%&%# COMPUTERS!

Well my last few blogs have been about old stuff, so I thought it was about time to write about some recent news. I have three computers in my home, one desktop, and two laptops. I have three computers and just me here to run them and screw them up! It was only 13 years ago I owned zero computers! Now living far from my family the computer has been vital in keeping in close contact with all of my family!

Computers are great till something goes wrong. I had something go wrong on my newest computer in January. January was a horrible month, so I just kind of ignored it as I probably could get by on 2 computers! Well it is now February and I have nothing but time on my hands, so good time to figure out how to get the broken computer running!

Well the first thing you do is go to the owners manual, before you take the plunge of talking to a Dell customer service rep. in India. So I tried everything that the manual suggested, and still Windows (Vista) .would not start. So I call India and we are communicating good, but I start to realize that my helper is telling me to do everything that I just tried from the manual! We go through all the steps, still no go, Windows will not start. I give up on the customer service thing and call it a night.

The next morning I woke up and the first thought I have is just re-install Windows. I walked right from the bed to the kitchen table grabbed the manual and the operating system disc and went to work. I knew I would lose all the saved things on the computer, it was mostly pictures. I started this project at around 8 a.m. I had the operating system, drivers, updates, and anything I think I would like on this stupid thing, and I look at the clock and it is pushing 5 p.m.! The printer on my desktop was not working at this time also, so as things were loading on this computer, I was in the back bedroom re-installing the software for the printer. I wore Snick(dog) out as every time I changed rooms he would follow. He would just get settled on the bed and it would be time to go back to kitchen table. The good news is everything is running now and Snick and I are rested up from the full day of work we had! Keep your fingers crossed as far as this Windows Vista operating system!

Our Dad

This is a hard topic to write about, as we never really got a chance to know him. He was a big influence in our lives, as far as our interests (history, music, sports etc) I spent hours with him in fishing boats, but the only conversation I remember was " Quit making so much noise" Quit moving around" or "Where are the worms?" We grew up in an era where feelings were never expressed. There are so many questions I would have liked to ask him now that I am older.
As I have gotten older I have understood some things about him better. I remember being teased by him, nothing malicious, just kind of playing with you. I do the same thing with people I like, If I don't like you I wont say anything to you. So I guess it's a male bonding thing, doesn't always work so well with the females! I remember the quick temper, and how it terrified us all! Mom was the disciplinarian in our family as far as corporal punishment, but Dad yelling at you was worse than the spanking! I too have had a quick temper, but it has mellowed with age. I like to think his would have mellowed with time too!

It is sad to think how long he has been gone and all that we don't know about him. It's even sadder to think of all that he missed. His children have grown up and struggled with everything that life has to throw at them, and have come out as pretty good people. He has grand children he never knew. It's just a tragic story. We miss him and wish we knew him better!

blogging

I was just thinking this blog thing is fun! It's like the checking in thing without all the expectations. When we blog it can be on any subject that we choose and it doesn't have to be anything that has happened in the last week. Plus we get to snipe in the comments of our fellow bloggers. I think it helps us stay closer. Have you ever noticed we never have pictures of our whole family together, someone always has to take the picture!

Work

I have had a lot of time to think and reflect about what is important in my life. I'm realizing more each day how important my wife Becky was in my life. I miss her everyday! I have also have thought a lot about my family and how important they are to me. Now that I sit here everyday with an injured wrist not going to work, I think of how important my work is to me. It's not like I have the most thought provoking, mind stimulating job as a mail carrier, but for some reason it has worked for me. When you are young and starting to work, you spend a lot of time thinking of when you can retire from work. What you find out later in life is that work is a great friend that can give you relief from the low valleys that happen in all of our lives. There have been days in my life that I have woke up and felt as if I didn't want to face the day. I have found as I go to work when I'm feeling low that just being with some of my friends can lift my spirits and help me realize things are not that bad. Luckily for me this not being able to go to work is a temporary thing! The next thing you know, I'll be watching Lawrence Welk!

My Grandma's house

My sister inspired me today by talking about my paternal grandmother. It made me think of mom's mother. In our family the most beloved, revered, and cherished grandmother, was Grandma Norris . She was our favorite Grandmother, because she made us each feel as we were her favorite grandchild. The truth be told she had thirty something favorite grandchildren!

What I have thought about a lot in the following years since her death is that last visit in that house. My parents moved from Iowa to California in the late 1950's, so we all stayed in that house on various summer vacations through the years. It was a very small house, a living room, a kitchen, and a small bedroom, in which when indoor plumbing came around the bathroom was constructed in the closet. The upstairs consisted of 2 bedrooms, which was actually an attic with slanted ceilings to the contour of the roof. In those upstairs rooms,(called the North and the South bedrooms.) I had slept in those beds many times. They were old beds, the kind where the springs were exposed under the mattress's. The rooms were stuffed with a bunch of things like coffee pots, remnants of material for making quilts, old clothes, Christmas decorations, canned food in mason jars, winter clothes. On this last visit I slept with my wife in the north room in the old rickety bed and slept better that night than I had in years, and I haven't had a better night sleep since. We awoke that next morning to the smell of coffee, and to the sound of little Norris feet scampering on the floor below, not the feet of Grandma, but of my Mom, and my aunt Mary. Even though grandma was gone her spirit that had filled that house through the years was still there. I have no material things to remember her by, but those wonderful feelings and memories will live on as long as I'm alive!

My Becky and Elton John

I recently lost the love of my life Becky. We had a wonderful 9 years together. One thing that we enjoyed to do together was to go to Elton John concerts. The truth be told Becky didn't know much about Elton till I came into her life. We were watching television one night and happened upon an Elton concert, and I confessed my love of his music and that my whole teenage years were spent listening to and analyzing his music. Well right then and there she decided we needed to go to an Elton concert. We ended up joining Elton's fan club and got tickets from the fan club for the 6Th row for a concert at the Nationwide arena in Columbus Ohio. The seats were great and the show was even greater. Towards the end of the show they let the crowd gather up at the front of the stage. We saw this happening and we looked at each other and said "why not?" Two late fortish people proceeded to climb over 5 rows of seats and ended up at far right side of the stage, but we were right up front. Elton played another 5 or 6 more songs in which Beck had been handed a guitar pick from Elton's long time guitarist Davey Johnstone. Elton now said goodnight and left the stage, but every seasoned concert goer knows that this is not the end. Elton comes back on stage and comes over to the far right of the stage and gets a sharpy from an assistant, and starts signing autographs for eveyone up front. He is working his way towards us and I'm scrambling to find the right picture in program to have Elton sign. I find the right picture and hand it to Beck just as Elton is in front of her. Elton signs our program and as he hands it back to her, he runs his hand down her arm and is talking to her. I know my wife has a great smile and a personality that just lights up a room, so I know she stands out in a crowd. Elton finishes talking to her, and she turns back at me and I ask "what did he say?" and she looks at me with stars in her eyes " I have no idea" Part of me at the time is thinking Elton got the wrong one, I'm the big fan here! Iv'e spent enough money over the years on records, tapes, and Cd's to buy the right shoe he is wearing. Well now in retrospect I am so happy that she was able have this fabulous moment. We were able to go to three more Elton concerts in which we had more wonderful times. This picture is from a show in Canada in March of this last year. I was supposed to be in the picture too, but we got the picture of the 2 most important people that night!