7 Kids, 1 cat, Mom, and Dad

Added a layer or Less work for me.

Good Friend, who owns the domain and server for this blog, has been working tirelessly behind the scenes to rid us of the scourge known as spam.

You have to enter in a secret code, that changes with each comment, in order to post a comment. If you run into any problems, give me a yell and I'll report the issue to the proper authority. :)

Yummy strawberries or Keep your fingers crossed!

Mary planted these plants two years ago. This has been their best start so far and I can almost taste the strawberries. I've fertilized and watered them so I hope to get some big, juicy berries...if the chickmunks, birds, groundhogs, and squirrels leave them alone long enough to ripen and be picked by me!

What the heck is this? or Isn't this how those alien movies start?

I was outside taking pictures of flowers or where I hope to have flowers when I noticed this on the oak tree in my front yard. I have no idea what it is and I hope it didn't infect me with noxious spores or fire a small alien-life-bearing dart into my skin while I took this picture.

Lot of dirt or With all this sun and careful watering...

...this view will be of wild flowers, fluttering butterflies and zooming hummingbirds!

Our first year of marriage or Witness to my own life.

We were married on August 13, 1983. It was a beautiful day but all I remember is a dark church...until Mary walked through the door. All I saw was her and her beautiful smile as she walked down the aisle toward me.

I've been told that the church was airy and bright but all I had eyes for was Mary...she was my light.

We married and then traveled to the Poconos for her dream honeymoon. That's one thing I discovered soon after the wedding planning started...she had things regarding her wedding day that she always dreamed about...a fountain on the cake, honeymoon in the Poconos, lots of friends and family. Me? All I could think about was the honeymoon and being alone with Mary.

We ate dinner in a nice hotel that we stayed overnight at before heading to Cove Haven in the Poconos. We went downstairs to the restaurant after freshening up (lol) and I was bewildered by the vast array of cutlery that was on the table. I grew up in a one fork does it all type of family and ate at those kinds of restaurants (when we ate out at all) when I was a kid.

We had a great dinner and then went back up to our room. At some point I woke up in the middle of the night and since Mary was sound asleep I quietly turned on the TV and started to watch Ben Hur.

Suddenly, I noticed that Mary was awake but that she was crying. I asked her what was wrong and after much coaxing found out that she was crying because we fell asleep and didn't stay awake all night making love...isn't that what you did on your honeymoon?

We were both virgins when we met and I assured her, from my vast realms of knowledge gleaned from Penthouse Forum, that it was ok to take breaks for drink, food, and sleep and that our honeymoon still had plenty of sex-filled hours to go.

I'm sure I worded it less bluntly than that, with much romantic and loving language, but that was the gist of the conversation. Ben Hur was turned off and then we...fell asleep.

Twelve Weeks

Mary's been gone for 12 weeks.

We traveled from New Hampshire to Arizona after I finished my advanced training in the Army at Fort Gorden, Georgia. The trip from GA to NH was a cakewalk not only distance wise but in terms of what being on the road is like when you travel cross country.

Once you leave Interstate 95 and start crossing the country on Interstate 40 you encounter long stretches of highway with nothing. We were spoiled...the I-95 trip featured 24-hour truck stops where you could get gas, food, and rest for a couple of minutes. I-40 was austere and you felt like you were on a cross country trek. You got gas, even at the half tank mark, because you weren't sure when you'd find the next station if it was the middle of the night.

This was especially true because we had an old orange Pacer. The back of it was piled with our stuff and we had a U-haul carrier on the top. We averaged around 9 miles per gallon. This was back before ATMs and so we stopped and cashed checks at Sears stores when money got low.

Our first time making the trip we stopped only one night at a cheap hotel off an exit in Knoxville. By cheap I mean that we probably could have rented the room by the hour. The room featured a bed that had a box on it that accepted quarters. If you deposited one the bed would start shaking and vibrating in an effort to enhance your sexual endeavors.

We did put in a quarter, and we did have sex, because we were still newlyweds and that's what you did at the end of a long and tiring day.

I was lucky...there was never a bad time for sex, according to Mary. Tired? Have sex and you'll feel more energized. Trouble falling asleep? Have sex and you'll feel have a good night's sleep. Stressed, not stressed, sick, well...it just didn't matter sex was the answer.

She made me a better man by making me feel like a man.

Soccer Dad hazards or Sun block is not optional.

Youngest Daughter's soccer team is in a tournament this weekend. She had games at 11:00am and 3:30pm yesterday so we spent a lot of time sitting on the side of the field.

It was hot but mostly cloudy so I didn't realize just how burnt I was getting until we were on our way home and I took a look at my legs.

More games today and tomorrow but I'll be covering and protecting myself!

Mary's Headstone

I drove into town to drop off something for one of the princesses at school and also got a drink at BNG.

On my way there I drove by the cemetery and noticed that they hadn't yet installed Beautiful Wife's headstone. I was disappointed since I was hoping it would be installed by Memorial Day. However, on the way back I looked and there it was...dark black and all but sucking the sunlight from the sky.

Driving into there and seeing her name engraved on the piece of granite was one of the hardest things I've ever done.

I know she's gone...but this was another piece of finality that I didn't know was going to be so emotionally difficult for me.

I got a number! or Well, sort of...

I had a dental appointment yesterday. I'm having my silver fillings replaced with porcelain. The health benefits are dubious but I decided to have it done anyway because I like not seeing silver when I open my mouth.

Anyway, each appointment we have great conversations revolving around restaurants and wine. We seem to have similar tastes and frequent the same places.

Yesterday, she gave me her phone number and told me to call if I'm ever in town by myself and want to hang out. Of course, she does have a boyfriend that lives with her so this isn't a date thing.

When I told my princesses I left out the boyfriend part, at first, just to see their reactions. LOL

Me and the princesses went to Portsmouth last night for some ice cream and guess who we run into at the shop? Yep! My dentist, her bf, and his parents that were visiting from out of town.

The princesses didn't recognize the dentist without her scrubs or mask so they wondered who the 'girl' was that I was talking to at the counter.

Princess Middle Daughter or Prom season has passed.

Princess Middle Daughter was selected as the Princess for the Junior Class at her high school during their Prom on Friday night.

She had an awesome time and went with the boy she's liked, and been friends with, since 7th grade.

She looked beautiful and is an awesome young lady.

Making progress or Not by using a shovel.

I'm having trees, stumps, and old logs cleared from my yard and then having it graded and leveled. One cool thing that has come to light is that I have awesome soil where all this work was done. That means I'll be able to plant grass in some parts and wildflower seeds in others and have an awesome yard this summer.

Italian Wine Tasting or Timed it just right!

On of my favorite restaurants while on business in NJ is the Bueno Sera Ristorante located in Red Bank. I was out with my sales person and a customer and noticed a card on the table mentioning that they were serving some special wines that night and that they owner of the winery was going to be there to answer questions.

The wine I had from the Tasca D'Almerita Estate was incredible. Specifically, I had a bottle of the 2003 Lamuri with my meal of pepper encrusted veal chops, garlic mashed potatoes, and asparagus. I found a bottle of the 2003 Regaleali in a local wine shop and look forward to giving it a try.

The wine I had was composed completely of the Nero d'Avola variety of grape.

The estate owner, Count Giuseppe Tasca d'Almerita, stopped by our table several times and signed my bottle of wine. He also gave me his card and a gracious offer to visit if I ever find myself in Sicily.

It was a WAY cool night!

It rained and rained or And I mean it rained!

First, the good news. I've had flooding before in the basement and in the room that connects the basement to the garage. The first one was solved by putting on gutters and getting the water to drain away from the foundation. The second was solved by digging a ditch at the front of the garage and giving the water a path around the side of the garage.

No flooding from this storm though many friends and family members have had a deluge in their yards and basements.

This photo is taken in the town where I get my coffee nearly every day. This little brook most times barely moves over and around the little rocks in its path.

Not today. This brook has become a raging torrent and claimed this hapless picnic table. A week ago this was a shaded spot and a nice place to take lunch on a warm Spring day. Now it is more suited to water rescue lessons.

Mean Daddy or Just so you don't think it is all kittens and butterflies.

Princess Middle Daughter was home alone last night. She said that she suddenly heard music upstairs and then it stopped.

Her first thought (?) was that it was a person and it was their cell phone that went off. She bolted from the house in the middle of a downpour that coincided with the front outside light burning out.

She called me on my cell phone while I was in the middle of playing poker. She breathlessly relayed her story to me. I asked her why she didn't check on the sound and she replied that she saw enough scary movies to know that you don't go checking those types of things when you're home alone.

Then....

Me: Where are you?
MD: I'm driving down our road and going to Aunt Asian's house.
Me: Ok, when you get to the stop sign roll down your window.
MD: Why?
Me: So you can see if there's a hook on the door handle. (laughing maniacally)
MD: OMG...that is so not even funny...I'm wicked freaked right now!
Me: Ok, I'll talk to you later...Love you bye!
MD: Love you bye!

By the way...I came in second last night, out of 20, at our poker game and won $100. :)

Happy Mother's Day, My Love or She loved us so much.

I was looking through the pictures that I have on my computer and came across two videos that Mary made. They're dated November 11, 2004, right before she found out the tumor was likely cancerous and she needed to have lung surgery.

She made one for the kids and one for me.

Mary was an awesome mother. She was the one that made every holiday special and the kids thrived under her love and attention. She was selfless, and never considered putting herself before her children, but she didn't hold it over their heads in a perpetual guilt trip.

Even when she was dying her thoughts weren't ones of self-pity but only of how her passing would affect her children. She didn't want to affect them in a negative way and she wanted their futures to be bright.

She had time, with each of them, before she died to talk about their lives together. It was a time to talk about forgiveness (so there would never be guilt) and for them to bask in her motherly love on their own.

I think they'll be ok because they know that their mother loved them, that she wanted the best for them, and that the best way of honoring her memory is to live life to its fullest.

Big surprise or I totally called it.

Chris was voted off of American Idol last night. I predicted that Taylor and Elliot would be ok and that Chris and Katherine would be the bottom two.

Don't get me wrong...I think Chris is a great performer and I think Katherine is a great singer and wicked cute. However...they haven't grown during the course of the competition. They are the same as when it started and the other two contestants have honed their skills and are giving them a run for their money.

I think it was a wake-up call to any Idol contestant that is touted as a front runner or potential finalist...don't think you can coast through the other shows. You have to grow, expand, and play to the audience because it is their votes that will carry you through to the end.

Ok...here I am analyzing AI...someone save me from pretentious self!

Helping others or I can't wait for the reply.

I decided to reply to one of those scams and will post any reply I get back from them.

-------------------------------------------

Dear Julie,

I would love to help you come to this country. I've often looked at my large bank account and wondered what it would be like to spend it on a worthwhile cause like yours.

Please, tell me how much I need to send to you and enclose a photo of yourself with your reply. I'm looking for a ward that I can support here in the States and think it would be wonderful to have such an arrangement.

Unfortunatly, I am an invalid so I wouldn't be able to do much else for you but give you money.

I look forward to your reply.

>From:
>Reply-To: julierouxx@rediffmail.com
>Subject: I wait to hear from you
>Date: Wed, 10 May 2006 19:44:12 +0100 (GMT+01:00)
>
>Dear Sir,
>
>I was formerly personal aide to ousted Haitian leader, Jean
>Bertrand Aristide who is now in exile in South Africa. I
>followed him
>to South Africa and i want to relocate to your country.
>I want to know
>if you can assist me to bring in my
>money and also help me to come over
>there.
>
>A prompt response would be appreciated.
>
>Thank You,
>
>Best
>Regards,
>
>Julie Roux.
>

Keep thinking this or Obligatory sensitive guy post.

What am I supposed to be doing? I miss Mary so much. I've never lacked for ideas but she kept them on the sane and practical route. I think about doing things and then spend an insane amount of time wondering "What Would Mary Do?" (please don't make any bumper stickers).

I'm having some work done in the yard and I'm sure she'd be happy to see that it is getting done. We're going on a family trip and I've been giving financial assistance to our almost-flown-the-coop children. I play with the ones that are still home and make them nutritious meals. We laugh, listen to music, and watch TV shows together. I think she'd be happy with how I'm doing.

But what I keep thinking is...Thank God we lived life while Mary was alive. We got married young and had children when we were children. We went on family vacations when we couldn't afford it...really...but the memories of those trips sustain us still. We didn't delay life until 'some day'...some day when the kids are grown, when we have more money, when we no longer had to work...we just went ahead and lived.

We lived...and Mary was the catalyst for it all and I don't want to lose that. It came naturally to her and I have to work at it but I know that the best way to keep her memory alive is to live life to the fullest.

Thank God we lived, and thank you, Mary, for making sure we did.

My nips are lumb or Sobriety Checkpoint ahead!

I noticed a comment in another post from Miss Bloom N. Strong and decided that I better explain what is happening in the social part of my life.

I went out to dinner with Good Friend and His Wife on Saturday night. We had an awesome dinner which entailed me having two cocktails and one glass of white wine with my dinner.

After we finished we were all feeling a bit...giddy...and decided to drunk dial some people in our lives. Miss Bloom N. Strong (either a circus strong-woman act or a stripper...your choice) was one of my choices to dial and I may have left a semi-coherent voice mail on her mobile.

We walked around in Portsmouth for a while including a trip to our favorite coffee shop to have some coffee or espresso to drink, talk, and generally do a bit of sobering up before hitting the road. After we were there for a while I walked my friends to their car and then walked to mine on the other side of town.

It's a good thing...on my way home I came upon a sobriety checkpoint sponsored by the state police and local police departments. They had me get out of the car and do a field sobriety test which I passed.

They said I had some slight indications (balance related) that I was slightly impaired but passed all the major tests with flying colors. They asked if I took any prescription medications (which I do) and when I told them yes they decided that explained the anomalies and let me go on my way.

Good Friend and I subsequently discussed how we often wonder what we'd have for a blood alcohol level, even when we think we're not impaired. That's why we end up walking the town as part of our evening out...and this time it definitely paid off and kept me out of jail and getting fined.

Remember When or It is a little known fact.

Mary planted this phlox in our yard a couple of summers ago. The plants came from my Aunt Millie's rock garden in Berlin. Mary always admired them and Sainted Mother brought her some when my aunt passed away.

They come back better each year and have started to spread in our garden. Yesterday my mom mentioned that the original flowers were planted in the rock garden located in Berlin by her mother! My grandmother died when my mother was only 12 so I never knew her. I've seen pictures and heard some stories but that's about it.

At least now, with video cameras and such, my grandchildren will get to see what their grandmother was alike when she was alive.

What's worse than finding a dead mouse in your house? or What happens when you reduce the amount of cat food.

And they're off! or When I throw a party.

I had a birthday party for Oldest Daughter on Saturday. We had members of both mine and Beautiful Wife's families there for the festivities.

The only problem? Youngest Daughter had an away soccer game in Portsmouth at 5:30, had to be there by 5:00 to warmup, and so that meant we had to leave our home by 4:30!

I invited everyone over at 1pm. Things went true to form with my family showing up early and BW's family showing up late.

I cooked marinated steak tips, chicken, and pork on the grill. I had tubs of potato and macaroni salad along with some cole-slaw. I had soda, beer, and wine available to drink. AND I had everyone fed and watered, Happy Birthday sung to OD, presents opened and appreciated, and everyone out the door by 3:50! Do I rock or what? I even had most of the mess picked up too!

I've been nominated! or I most definitely qualify.

Christie informed me that I was nominated for an RFS Blog Award in the Best Daddy Blog category.

Please make my dream come true...my very own blog award...click on the RFS button at the top of my site and cast your vote now!

Clearing the yard or Make a mess first.

I have a brush pile in the yard from when I did some of my own tree removal work a couple of years ago. Dropping a large pine tree on my deck and BW's subsequent illness put my efforts to rest.

I decided I wanted all that brush chipped and some other trees near the house taken down. One is a nearly dead poplar and the other was a big pine that cast shade but did nothing else for me.

They came this morning and did all the cutting and clearing but won't return until tomorrow or Saturday with the chipper so things are a mess now. I posted pics of how it looks now on Flickr and will post some after they remove the mess too.

When we moved here there was a tiny cherry tree that the previous owners had planted in the back yard. It was in constant shade until I cut down some trees around it and it finally blossomed for the first time this year. Mary loved that tree and I'm sure she'd be thrilled to know that it has blossoms on it.

Barnyard 101 or I swear I don't make this up.

Phone rings...

Oldest Daughter: Dad! Did you know a bull is a male cow?!!?
Me: Yes, I knew that...and a steer is a castrated bull in case you wanted to know.
OD: Well..What's a buffalo?!!?
Me: *laughing uncontrollably*
OD: What?
Me: A buffalo is a totally different species.
OD: Oh...Well...I just thought cows were cows.
Me: It's like chickens honey...the rooster is a male chicken and the female is called a hen.
OD: Oh...but what is a chicken?
Me: Well if it is a rooster...
OD: No...Is it a mammal?
Me: *more laughing* It is a bird, honey.

Beauty in France or She's such a poser!

I love this picture of Middle Daughter in France. She took my advice...not just take pictures of places and things but to make sure people are in the photos too. She and her friends took turns exchanging cameras so now we have pictures of Princess MD in France!

Returned from France or Love American porcelain.

Princess Middle Daughter returned from France on Saturday night and the first thing she did upon entering her home was run to the bathroom.

She came out of their and waxed eloquent about how much she loves our bathroom after what she was exposed to in France. Her opinion is that most of them were dirty, arcane, and if they were decent they cost 3 euros to use!

Here's an actual picture of her favorite model encountered during her week's stay over there: