Guy's blog about life with pets in northern mich.

Teaching the kids the proper way to have a marshmallow roast, was kind of fun last night. D.J. had trouble understanding where the center of the circular barbeque pit (an old truck wheel) is, thinking in terms of 6 o’clock and 12 o’clock instead of the center, but he kept his marshmallow out of the ashes and there were none dropped off the sticks because of melting. This occurred after I cooked a small steak and four pork chops over the coals, and the charcoal was nearly burned out. I never... Sign in to see full entry.

Has everyone heard all the Oscar buzz about “Balls of Fire?” Don’t expect to either! What is up with Christopher Walken? He’s been in good-to-great movies, with ensemble casts that most of Hollywood would kill to be in. (No, I’m not talking about that Natalie Wood thing!) Does he have incurable cancer? A huge gambling/drug problem? Fourteen kids by a dozen women? Is he just a hack who blundered into very well written roles? Why does he need money so badly that he would even let them put his name... Sign in to see full entry.

My stepmother is dying. At any time now I’ll be hearing that her long struggle is over and then I’ll be even more concerned for my father. He is devoted to her and theirs is a real love story. Without Dorothy to care for, I hope that he thrives by finding a new interest or something to devote himself to. I don’t want to think that he may feel as though he has finished his work and just give up. We all still love him and need him here with us. After all that my father has sacrificed for his... Sign in to see full entry.

I nearly lost control of my truck, yesterday laughing at a conversation being related to me by Marilyn, between Ivy and her “ real ” Grandfather, while I was at work. Donald sr. is visiting for a few days next door, ostensibly to spend time with his grandkids. He always has some unannounced agenda usually involving someone else’s money. Anyway, Ivy asked him, “How old are you?” (When he had a full beard, they called him Pappa smurf!) He told her that he is 63 years old. Ivy looked puzzled for a... Sign in to see full entry.

Today, for a half-hour I watched a four-point (fork-horn) buck eat the apples I put out for the wildlife, out behind our house. This is an animal that was probably born only about 13 or 14 months ago! Last night I watched a young doe for about as long. I’ve likely seen a dozen sets of twin fawns this year, and I think that the last few years of mild winters and our agricultural success and reduced numbers of “antlerless deer” licenses issued recently, has made for a year when deer are going to... Sign in to see full entry.

I was walking past the garden as the two (for want of a better word) children were standing and looking over the fence. Ivy said to D.J. “Let’s see, my school zinnia has fourteen flowers on it and YOUR kindergartener bean plant has how many beans? None! That sounds about right to me, because you are a retart!” I was about to leap to his defense when D.J. said to his sister, “ Grandpa picked my beans and he is drying them so next year, when all my beans get planted, we’ll be picking beans just... Sign in to see full entry.

As I anticipate my first Soc. Sec. Check from Uncle Sugar, (HAH!) I reflect back over the years. I grew up mostly in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in the now famous 1960’s, “ground zero” of the counter culture ( not Haight/Ashbury), went to Jr. high and Ann Arbor High with Bob Seeger, and went from the black and white cookie-cutter 50’s, to the psychedelic Beatles in a twinkling! Add in, as Paul Simon said, “When I think back on all the crap I learned in high school, it’s a wonder I can think at all!”... Sign in to see full entry.

A lot of golfers must also be bloggers. I don’t really see the appeal of the game, once one has reached his or her goal, but that’s just me. Here is another golf joke; Two golfers were about to putt-out on the eighth hole at the municipal course, one Sunday morning. While one golfer was lining up his putt, visualizing the path the ball would follow, controlling his breath, shutting out all outside distractions, his partner gave him a hard punch in the shoulder. “What the hell did you hit me... Sign in to see full entry.

My previous renters left seven roosters behind when they moved out. I’ve been feeding and watering them for several weeks now, but yesterday I put out the last of the food that was here. I can bring over some old oatmeal, cereal, (hope they like Cap’n Crunch) rice that the mice opened for us, etc. or buy more feed and spend a gallon of gas each day as I’ve been doing. One thing was sure; it was time to thin out the group a bit. It won’t affect the amount of gas I use but it’ll stretch the food... Sign in to see full entry.

I hope that I didn’t already post this joke. If I already did, it may mean that Old-timer’s Disease has set in. I’m already a certified (and certifiable!) Geezer and “Senior Moments” are something I should expect to experience, any time, now. A visibly over-served woman, a regular customer, went into a bar and motioned the bartender to come nearer and speak with her. She admitted to being broke and still thirsty, and she proposed a wager with him against some of her paycheck, paid the next day.... Sign in to see full entry.