A Day in a Year in a Life / Day 249

06/September/2015, Day 249.  Sunday.

Today was mostly a rest day, since Grump was still ill, and the rest of us were tired out from our trip to Noah's Ark yesterday.

We did manage to get out of the house and go shopping at Riverside Mall.  (You know - when the going gets tough, the tough go shopping!).  Sweetie and Lola each got a blouse at Talbot's.  If you buy items there when they are on clearance, they actually aren't all that expensive.  Sweetie's blouse was only $7.00!

The purpose of our trip to the Riverside Mall was to go to Barnes & Nobles and buy a copy of Napoleon Hill's classic book, "Think and Grow Rich".  It appears we may be facing some financial challenges in the near future, so NOW seems like a good time to come up with strategies on how best to handle them.

Dinner was leftovers from meals past.  A little bit of this, a little bit of that, and before you know it you're full!

And here, to end the day, is an experimental video taken by Kuya:

Oops!  Sorry.  Blogger won't play it.

How about a Sweetie & Kuya selfie instead:

Kuya and Sweetie Selfie

A Day in a Year in a Life / Day 248

05/September/2015, Day 248.  Saturday.

Grump woke up with a head cold.  Yuck!  But he was determined NOT to ruin the day for the rest of the family, so after some moaning and complaining most of the morning he suggested that we all make a trip to Noah's Ark, the animal sanctuary in Locust Grove, Georgia.  It's a cool place.  If you're anywhere near Atlanta, you should make time for a visit there.

Eagerly anticipating getting out of the house, (and hopefully not having to hear Grump whine anymore), we loaded into the car.

Lola preparing herself for Grump's driving

Dodong is always excited to take a car trip!

Once at Noah's Ark, we ate a small picnic lunch.

Munch, much, munch!

Wow!  Look at Lola!  I guess she's mad I FINALLY got her picture.

Sweetie attracted a friend!

Sweetie and her friend

Do you have any food for me?

We did lots of walking!

Kuya, Sweetie, and Dodong, with Lola in the background

Once back home, we were all very tired!  Grump was so tired, (and, to be honest, a bit ill), that he went to bed at 6:30 pm, was up briefly from 9:00 pm to 10:30 pm, then slept again until Sunday morning!

All-in-all, I suppose the biggest accomplishment of the day was we were finally able to get a decent pic of Lola!

Lola walking at Noah's Ark Animal Sanctuary

A Day in a Year in a Life / Day 247

04/September/2015, Day 247.  Friday.

It's late.  Sweetie dragged Grump, (and Kuya, whom she didn't have to drag), off to Bible study.  As the only non-Christian in the group, sometimes Grump says things that get the others excited.  He did it again tonight.

The issue at hand was reading the Bible.  Grump admitted he doesn't regularly read the Bible, because it's not really comprehensible to him, but he has noticed recently that many of the self-help, motivational type speakers reference scripture in their talks, and in a way he can understand.  That lead to an interesting discussion, the gist of which was the claim that to fully understand the Bible, you have to let the Holy Spirit into your heart.  (You can interpret that however you wish.)

Another interesting issue that was thrust upon Grump today, (CNN was highlighting it during the lunch hour on the TV in the lunchroom at work), was Gay Marriage.  Unlike CNN, Sweetie and Grump aren't 100% thrilled with the legalization of Gay Marriage.  Sure, there are benefits, and no sane person wants to impede the happiness of another, nor discourage folks from forming stable bonds with others.  The problem we see is that of unforeseen consequences.  Let's take another touchy subject as an example, Porn.  Now Grump enjoys looking at Porn as much as any other  male, but ..... do you think the ease of access to Porn is a good thing for society as a whole?  How about the attempts to normalize Porn as just another form of entertainment?

Is homosexuality just another legitimate expression of human sexuality?  Is pornography?  How about prostitution?

Some days Grump would probably say, "Yes, of course!  Who are YOU to dictate how another should lead his/her life?"  On other days ..... well, he's not so sure.

Let's drop this subject now, and go to bed, because as I stated at the beginning it is late.  We'll have to solve this dilemma tomorrow.

Goodnight all.

A Day in a Year in a Life / Day 246

03/September/2015, Day 246.  Thursday.

Yet another weekday/workday.  We all survived it - hooray!!

I don't have much to say today, so how about some pics?

Grump had a BIG lunch.  Well, actually it looks much bigger than it was, as two of the containers in his "lunch bag" were full of either watermelon pieces, or sliced honeydew.

Grump's BIG Lunch

After dinner we danced for a bit in the kitchen, then Kuya ate some prunes.

Kuya being hugged by Sweetie whilst eating prunes

Dodong directing everybody from a strategic position on the floor

Goodnight all!

A Day in a Year in a Life / Day 245

02/September/2015, Day 245.  Wednesday.

I guess the news for us at the moment is kinda frustrating.  We've been trying to work with a realtor to get our condo in Columbia listed for sale since last Wednesday, and due to various silliness and goof-ups it STILL isn't listed yet.  GRR!!!

Anyway, Isaiah continues to do well, so overall things are wonderful!

Old Grump commutes most every morning, (one or two days a year he takes the bus), driving his little white car to work.  His poor car has to sit outside in the elements year-round.  Despite that, it has been a very reliable vehicle for him so far.

Old Grump's Car

Ever since Lola has been living here with us, the gardens around our house has improved 1000% or more.  She is a master gardener, and able to work through the intense middle Georgia summer heat without melting or burning up.  (Unlike Old Grump, who if he spends too much time out in the sun starts to look like boiled shrimp!)

Some of Lola's Gardening Handiwork

Thanks to Lola, we are able to eat fresh vegetables almost every evening with dinner.  This is yummy and nutritious.  Thanks Lola!

Goodnight all.

A Day in a Year in a Life / Day 244

01/September/2015, Day 244.  Tuesday.

Well, I feel cruddy, (stupid sinuses acting up again), so I'll keep this short.

ISAIAH IS HOME!!  HOORAY!!!  To any and all that prayed for the little guy, thank you so, so much!  Keep growing strong, Isaiah!

Meanwhile, back at our house ..... Grump, Sweetie, and Kuya are all attempting to fight off head colds.  Not sure about Dodong and Lola, but the youngest and the oldest seem to be the toughest of all of us, so they're probably okay.

We were desperately in need of supplies from Sam's Club, so after work we went shopping there, and spent $250.00 !  Ouch, ouch, ouch!

For dinner Sweetie made spaghetti.  Her sauce was delicious, but the noodles were kinda odd; they were squarish instead of rounded.  Isn't it weird how the shape of a noodle seems to affect its taste?

Goodnight all.

A Day in a Year in a Life / Day 243

31/August/2015, Day 243.  Monday.

It's Monday again!  Back to work for Grump, and back to school for Kuya.

I guess the exciting news of the day was that Grump faxed in the paperwork to put our now vacant condo on the "for sale" market, and he also FINALLY got in touch with the folks who are supposed to be looking for a new tenant.  They assured him they are searching for new renters just as fast as they can.  Don't hold your breath just yet, but hopefully the condo will either be rented or sold before the end of the month.

If you're curious about all this, we added a new entry to our "personal finances" blog which you may find interesting: http://www.owlsandcuckoos.blogspot.com/2015/08/online-income-statement-august2015.html .

With no Windows computer to whittle away his time on, (Grump doesn't really know how to use Macs effectively), Grump was forced to spend time with the rest of the family, even taking the extreme measure of talking to Sweetie!  Before bed the four of us, (Lola didn't participate - boo!), did a lively "wiggle" dance, with even Dodong getting into the act.  It was a great way to wrap up the day.

Dodong using the broken laptop

Goodnight all!