Me and the "J-Man"

Just thought I'd share a few pics that were taken last week. DKW & I were watching Jonas while his parents (my oldest son & wife) were out with my youngest son and his wife. I realize I may be biased, but he really is a sweet kid.
Everyone have a great day!

The Holiday Season is now truly passed......

In a bittersweet moment this morning I gave my youngest son a hug as I headed off to work and he prepared to go deer hunting one last time before heading back to his Coast Guard ship. He and his lovely wife are planning on getting on the road this morning and heading back to Miami. They have been here almost a week celebrating a late Christmas/New Year with us. So the nest is empty again - except for DKW and I -and as much as I enjoyed seeing my kids and family - its kind of nice to get back into our routine - just the two of us. I think our little chi-weenie "Sophie" will actually miss his two Labs, especially Tonka. It was funny to watch Sophie and Tonka playing tug-of-war with the rope chew. Tonka even let Sophie win sometimes!
I don't remember who said it, but the saying I'm referring to is "The only thing constant is change". That is certainly the case with my family and I've documented the changes in previous entries in this blog. The are several possible changes in the not-too-distant future but I'm not going to comment on them until something actually happens.
Football is winding down, with only the NFL playoffs left. (Well - there are the college seniors games - the Senior Bowl (in Mobile,AL) being the best known.) Of the teams that are left - I have to pull for the Saints - or maybe the Packers. I honestly don't like any of the teams left in the AFC.
Everyone have a great day!

2012. Wow!

In my early teen years (back in the stone age - circa 1968), when I first became an avid reader - I loved (as I do now) Science Fiction and fiercely anticipated that time after the next century started - when I would have my own jetpack or personal gyro-copter. Well - someone (*ahem! ahem!*) grossly miscalculated. I have neither of those devices to get to work with. Oh well, probably best that I don't. But it would have been nice to have the option.
Life, as it always is, is in a state of flux. My oldest and her family have relocated due to J's new job. I didn't realize how much I'd miss having them next door. The place is totally dark now when I leave for work in the mornings and its so quiet with their pups gone. Not to mention not hearing "Hey PawPaw!" on the occasions that I take Sophie out and my grandkids are out in the yard. *sigh*
My youngest son will be here this weekend to visit for a week or so. Looking forward to seeing him and his better half - been 18 months (give or take) since we saw them last.
Work is kind of overwhelming as I catch up on things from the last couple of weeks - but it is getting better.
Tomorrow is one of my grandkid's birthday (Love ya "J-Man") and my oldest son is having a party for him Sunday. Looking forward to it! (and thanks to Tivo - I won't miss any of the NFL Playoff games).
Everyone have a great day!

I'm dreaming of a WET Christmas......

Well, not really - but that's what we have! And even if I couldn't see or hear the rain - my aching right leg would tell me it was there. For me and DKW this is either 2 days after and 2 days before Christmas (Mid-Mas?). On Friday past (23rd), we celebrated Christmas with my 3 (of 5) children and their families that live in the area. My mom was there also and we exchanged gifts and had a turkey dinner (that I cooked). The turkey (as usual) was tender, juicy, and falling apart. A very ugly - but tasty - bird. My cornbread dressing though was (I think) the best I've ever made. I confess I think so too. I did tweak my recipe a bit and I've make notes of those tweaks for future reference. Anyway - everyone enjoyed the meal and my grandkids seemed to really like their gifts - so I count the day a success.
Tuesday, next (27th) we will be going to visit DKW's folks for a couple of days and leaving our house and pups in the care of our house/pet-sitter extrodinaire! (Thanks Christi!) Looking forward to an enjoyable time there too.
Kind of a weird Sunday for me - no football! The NFL played their entire slate (except for tomorrow's MNF game - Saints & Falcons) and there's no bowl game until tomorrow. The good news (for me anyway) is that my Raiders are still in the playoff hunt. They defeated KC in overtime and Denver got blew out by the Buffalo Bills. With a win at home next week (against San Diego) and a Denver Loss (against KC) the Raiders would win the AFC West. Even if Denver wins, as long as the Raiders win they could still make the playoffs - but would need a lot of other things to happen. The bottom line is they MUST take care of business and win first. Then what happens - happens. (But I will confess to having my fingers crossed.)
Everyone have a great day - And a Safe and Happy New Year!

Year's Nearly Over

It's been a couple of weeks since my last entry and I thought I ought to wrap things up since I may not get the opportunity again before 2012!
With their loss to Detroit on Sunday - the Raiders may be eliminated from the NFL playoffs. They are tied with Denver (at 7-7) but Denver holds the tiebreaker, so the Raiders would have to win their last 2 games (with division foes Kansas City and San Diego) and hope Denver loses one of its last 2 (Buffalo and Kansas City). All I can do is hope. They haven't looked too great lately.
MSU plays Wake Forest on December 30th in the Music City Bowl (in Nashville). They are currently a 7 point favorite and I feel confident that they will win.
Today is my last work day for 2 weeks (Jan. 3rd). Going into the holidays with mixed emotions. Looking forward to my grandkid's getting their gifts but it also means my oldest and her family are relocating to Jackson so that John can start his new job. I wish them well, but I will miss having them living next door.
Looking forward to the visits, but I know that by the time January 1st rolls around I will be ready to get back to work.
But I can guarantee you that I will get my fill of football (Thanks Sweetie!). DKW indulges my football addiction to the extreme. But the football season is winding down. However, in March, the new Tupelo Hound Dogs of the Ultimate Indoor Football League begin play. I'd like to go see one or two games.
Anyway - I wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and best wishes for 2012!
Everyone have a great day!

Heavy Sighhhhhhh.................

I really had planned to blog a couple of days ago, but the weekend football results kinda bummed me out. On Saturday, SHS lost the 5A Championship game to Picayune High 38-21. Congratulations to the Maroon Tide, but I fully expect my Jackets to be back next year.
On Sunday, My Raiders got blew out by a Miami Dolphins team that I fully expected them to beat. Now they are tied with the Denver Broncos (at 7-5) for first in the AFC West, and with the 4 games they have left, in real danger of not making the playoffs. It starts this weekend when they travel to undefeated (12-0) Green Bay. YIKES!!!
MSU found out that they will be playing in the Music City Bowl (on December 30th) in Nashville against Wake Forest out of the ACC. GO DOGS! That's the good news. While there is no (official) bad news yet - the rumor-mill is stating that Coach Dan Mullen will most likely be the next football coach at Penn State. As much as I'd hate to see him go, I'd wish him well. He's a very nice guy.
Well, my Christmas shopping is done and except for 2 small gifts which came in the mail recently, everything is wrapped.
On Saturday, December 10th, I will be putting my Santa suit on and be playing Santa for 3 or 4 hours at the Emerson Family Learning Center in Starkville.
Everyone have a great day!

State (HS) Championships Start Today

There are 3 games today (1A, 2A, & 6A) and 3 games tomorrow (3A, 4A, & 5A). All held in the Veterans Memorial Stadium in Jackson, MS. SHS plays in the 5A Championship Game tomorrow night at 7 PM in what will be the last High School game in Mississippi this year. The Picayune Maroon Tide are actually the (slight) favorites over the SHS Yellowjackets. Everyone is predicting a tight game and, depending on breaks, either team could win. My grandson and I will be in attendance and hoping for an SHS victory. Win or lose, I'll be yelling for our team - but I will be keeping my fingers crossed. (Couldn't hurt.) Found videos for previous SHS Championship games. Most are highlights and run under an hour but the oldest/first one is the entire game as shown on TV. The games are 1984, 1994, 1995, and 2001. I'm providing the links for you to enjoy - if you wan to. On a related SHS (non-football) subject - the boys basketball team is currently undefeated (6-0) and ranked #1 (regardless of class) in the state. They play tonight at West Point High.
And back to football - MSU finds out Sunday where they will be headed for a bowl game - but the general consensus now seems to favor them heading to Nashville for the "Music City Bowl". We'll find out.
My Raiders play at the Dolphins Sunday. Here's hoping for a victory so that they can maintain first place in the AFC West.
I'll blog next week and let you know how things turn out. GO JACKETS!!!
Everyone have a great day!