Have two little ones visiting.  My sister's granddaughters ages nearly 5 and just turned 11 are here.  I love having them around even though it curtails my reading time seriously.  We have been to the beach twice.  Didn't think we were going to go after all this morning because I was woken by the phone at 5:30... makes me grumpy to be woken early. (The call was for son #2 from work; they should have called his cell!)  Then I bumped my head getting into the car.   The car was all packed for the beach but I told them that we would go shopping  instead.  Kid 11 has been looking for a certain pair of shoes at Walmart.  We had already shopped at the two in town on two previous days, so we stopped at the one on the way to the Island.  No shoes but the hot coffee and half a donut on the way to the store plus the cool air at Walmart revived me enough. 

 

It was not so bad at the beach.  Only a few tar balls, no sea weed to speak of and no jellies.  The sky had light wispy clouds which didn't obscure the sun's hot rays, but my straw hat helped immensely.  The girls had fun boogie board and body surfing and even built a couple of sand castles.

 

I do insist on naps.  For my sake, especially.  I get grumpy if I am too tired and they certainly don't want a grumpy ole Auntie!

 

 

Yesterday I had a migraine.  They now come on differently and so I thought I had simply not had a good sleep.  I puttered around outside watering our lawn and my neighbor's potted plants.  I kept wanting and waiting to feel good enough to drive the 2 miles to the grocery store.  Finally gave in and laid on the couch to watch a movie.  I found it fascinating so only dozed a bit.  Of course I had to get up and let the doggies outside and then back inside.  The movie was "La Vie en Rose" the story of Edith Piaf.  I am going to watch it again today.

 

Little Chihuahua Princess Bella is so vicious!  Big ole 45 lb Beau took away her chew bone and she growled and nipped at his ear.  Beau just rolled his eyes and gnawed at the chew bone.  Last night and again this morning, Hubby took Beau and Bella on their 2 mile walk. Bella did very well, only once walking in the big guys' path and getting underfoot.  I walked senior Pug Buddy who is getting slower and slower.

 

This past Saturday, hubby and I took the doggies for a walk at our favorite bay park.  I had Pug Buddy and Chihuahua Bella while hubbs had Beau.  We three strolled slowly and soon Hubbs and Beau left us way behind.  As I watched another dog walker loading his 4 doggies into his car, I heard an awful sound.  Looking up towards the street I saw a body flying through the air like a limp doll.  I remember seeing pink limbs like in pink cloth ... maybe my mind wanted it to be a doll.  As I watched, I prayed "please don't run her body over; please don't let anyone run her over".    Another cyclist came up to the body, got off his bike and said "I'm calling 911 ma'm" over and over...  the poor guy was so distraught that he had trouble dialing.  I was quite a distance from the street, what with Pug Buddy being very slow.  I saw 2 other people calling on their cell phones.  The other cyclist then asked the gal, "Do you know anyone who owns a black pickup, Ma'm?"  She whimpered "noooo".  It was so hard to see her lying there and whimpering and not being able to help her.  The other cyclist kept telling her "the ambulance is coming, ma'm"  Another gal, who was walking sans dogs, went up to the fallen cyclist and laid her hand on her back.  I was praying silently the only prayer I could remember, The Lord's Prayer.  It seemed like it took forever for the ambulance to arrive. First on the scene was a police car.

 

The cyclist is doing as well as can be expected.  Actually, according to the news, her doctors say she is alive because she is in excellent health.  Her and her husband's hobby is cycling.  He wasn't with her that morning because he had to work.  She is 42 and the mother of five, ages 5 to 18.  Her legs, pelvis and some vertebrae were broken according to the news. 

 

One of Barbara's kin was on the news saying that the driver, who did not stop, is probably frightened and she wishes the person to be found, not caught; to pray for the person as well.

 

The other cyclist who was maybe 100 ft back says the pickup deliberately drove into the bike lane.  The speed limit in the area is 40, I think.  It appears that the pickup slowed down after the hit.  Surely they saw the body flying?  Were they distracted?  were they texting?  did they drop something and bent to pick it up?    Did they see the other cyclist walking and think it was the person they hit?  What could be going through that driver's mind?

 

I was so shaken and I saw it from quite a distance away.  I remembered my mother giving us a teaspoon of sugar when we were kids and frightened or shocked by something.  So, when I came home I took a bit of sugar followed by water.   I finally force myself to go back to the park on Monday evening.  Everytime I see a black pickup truck, my heart skips a bit.

 

Son #2 came home from his visit to his bio family on Sunday afternoon.  He said he had a good time, was glad he went, is ready to become a Coastie, and is back to work at McDs in the meantime.

 

Son #1 has only one last week with us before moving to his first house in another city 180 miles away.

 

Before long it will only be hubby and myself, dogs: Buddy, Beau and Bella, and cats: Bart & Maggie.

 

 

 

 

 

and, would love to have some rain here in this sparkling little city by the bay.  It looked like it would rain early this morning and maybe it did somewhere in the city, but not in my neighborhood.  I'll have to go and water my neighbor's potted plants later this afternoon. 

 

I had a lovely and busy weekend.  Drove to San Antone and toured son #1s first house.  It is cute and in a tree lined cul-de-sac in a wooded and hilly area.

 

Then, to Uvalde.  As usual I spent time indoors cleaning and hubby spent time outdoors on yardwork at our little casita.  Besides visiting with kin, we really enjoyed spending time with our great nieces.  We took the older two (ages nearly 11 and 4) to see the Ice Age movie.  The 4 year old did really well, only needing to leave her seat twice. 

 

We came home to find that our two kitties were not at all pleased to be left behind.

 

Finished our 4 day weekend with a trip to see the Transformer movie with son #1 and hubby.  I was pleasantly surprised to find that I enjoyed the movie and did not doze off at all.  As I watched the movie, I travelled down memory lane seeing son #1 playing with his Transformers.