This and That and Nice Stuff

Today's high temperature was:  84 degrees

Today's humidity was: 68%

Sunny all day

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Up a little earlier--9:15 (because the lawn mowing guy was here and mowing under my bedroom window)  LOL

Took a shower as I was going to head back into Brighton.  I found out that Evan, who will be two on the 23rd of September, already has a tricycle--or 5.  As he is the youngest of four kids--he gets ALL the hand-me-downs.  One of the trikes, that he can't reach the pedals yet, is a lot like the one I purchased for him.  Sirens, lights, all that jazz.  So I will take this one back.  YAY--50.00 back in my bank account!!

Pammie said, "I thought you always made a pillow for the kids with their interests cross stitched on the front."

"I do, but Pammie, I haven't seen him in four months.  I have no idea what he likes!"  <sigh>

"Momma--he likes everything!!  Oh wait---every morning when we get dressed, he always wants his orange Elmo shirt.  When we sit down for his morning snack, he wants to watch Elmo.  You know he doesn't like TV at all, but he does like Elmo."

Okey Dokey then---so I had to run up to Michael's and get some Aida cloth and two skeins of floss.  I found a picture on the Internet--for a cross stitch pattern--free download.  (Have you noticed--you can find ANYTHING on the Internet?)  I thought Elmo was red, but the color on the pattern was kind of pinkish?  So I went into Google and typed in, "what color is Elmo" and up came pictures and said he was reddish orange.  (I just so happen to really love the Internet--the world's biggest encyclopedia!!!

Just as I was leaving, Dar came over.  She had a Howell Melon with her--so named because they are grown in this area and also to give the little city of Howell another reason to have a summer festival, just 6 weeks after the hot air balloon fest!  It's nothing but a muskmelon, but--it is the size of a watermelon!!  She gave me half.  It is the sweetest muskmelon I have ever tasted.  Should last me half a month to eat!!!!!

Michael's has moved and I found the store.  HUGE--right next to the JoAnn's store and Bed, Bath and Beyond.  Love it.  If I can't find it at Michael's I can just walk to JoAnn's!!  I got my cloth and the floss and then ran on up to the ink jet refill store and got me a color and a black one.

Came home, three minutes before my soap was to start.  Then after that, the Detroit Tigers were playing against Oakland for the last game in a 4 game series.  Oakland won the first three--which is not good as we are trying to win the American League title.  Last inning, 6-4, we are behind.  Dang it!!  Then we get a couple on base and my new favorite Tiger Torii Hunter comes up to bat and puts a walk off homer into the seats!!!  YAY.

I wanted to walk down to Pearl's, take back her phone and see how Merle was doing.  I saw her car was home.  On down I trotted and walked in.  Tiger, her nasty cat, ran out to greet me.  He bites everyone, including Merle and Pearl.  He however doesn't bite me.  Probably because I don't make any sudden moves at him, don't try to swoop him up in my arms, and let him come to me.  So we "talked" for a minute and I walked into the living room and....................there was Merle, sitting in his chair, reading the local paper.

He had the stress test this morning, both tread mill and injected Thallium and there is nothing wrong with his heart!!!  Great news!!  However, they want him to get to a cardiologist and get a Holter Monitor and wear it for a month!  AND GUESS WHAT??  They are going to Dr. Leonen, Fred's cardiologist!!!  (The doc I suggested they go to.)

His office is at the little hospital, 1.5 miles up the road.  I am so happy!!!  Dr. Leonen is fantastic--one of the top doggies at the BIG hospital in Ann Arbor, but comes to the Michigan Heart office here, twice a week.  He saved Fred's life! No doubt about it.  Fred loved him, as do I and I think Merle will too.  YAY!

Merle said there are three or four guys where he works that have A-Fib episodes often--monthly and the day Merle had his, he was sitting in the club house and drinking coffee, because it was raining outside.  He doesn't drink coffee at home, but that morning had 5 cups of coffee.  

I said, "Hm-mm.  Think all that caffeine might have kicked your heart rate up a bit, Bunky?"

"Might have." (He's a man of few words.)

Pearl is still angry at him that he didn't tell her when he had the other ones.

I told Merle, "Well, A-Fib is not life threatening.  Many people have it for years and take medicine for it.  It can cause a stroke if it goes unchecked however--so you get it all checked out and Dr. Leonen will get you  fixed up!!"

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I came home feeling really good about everything!!  I walked into my yard and put my garbage pail away and saw these:

Wanna know what they are called?  Are you sure?  

Dog Penis Mushrooms.  For obvious reasons, I suppose.  

They are said to be a delicacy to eat (UGH!!) and in Medieval England they were called Devil's Penis, because it look like the Devil was sticking his doohickey up through the earth from Hell.  LOL

They stink like a son-of-a-gun and are sometimes called Stink Horn.  I found this definition in the World's Largest Encyclopedia--otherwise called, The Internet!!

"This small member of the Phallaceae family emerges from an off-white egg-like fruiting body that lies half buried in leaf litter on the woodland floor. White mycelial cords (rhizomorphs), are often visible beneath this 'egg', which is 2–4 cm (0.8–1.6 in) high, and 1–2 cm (0.4–0.8 in) wide.^[4] The 'egg' has a tough outer skin (peridium), which covers a gelatinous inner layer, which in turn protects the fully formed, but unexpanded fruiting body. When the ‘egg’ splits open the fungus expands rapidly (usually within a few hours), to its full height of 10–12 cm (4–5 in). It is around 1 cm (0.4 in) thick, and is either yellowish-white, yellow, or pale orange. The split egg is retained as a volva-like sack, at the base. The column is very fragile, pitted, and cylindrical. It has a pointed tip, and is usually curved. The tip is covered in the spore bearing matter (gleba) which is a dark olive-brown paste, and has a smell which is irresistible to insects. (These insects help distribute the spores on their bodies, and in their stomachs.) Beneath the spore mass the tip is dark orange. Although its smell is not as strong as the related common stinkhorn (Phallus impudicus), it has been described as smelling like cat feces."

That is your biology/botany/fungi lesson for the day.  Enjoy.

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As I was leaving for town, I got the mail out of my mail box.  There was a small envelope and it was from Jennifer.  I went to open it and then decided to wait.  Who knew what might be in it and if it was something snarky or bad--I didn't want to read it before I went shopping.

I just remembered it and opened it up.

When I was making sun catchesr, I had purchased a very large box of beads.  Some of those beads had glitter sparkles in them and they did not melt very well.  I gave the box to Pammie and asked if she would give it Elise to play with.  Pammie later told me that Elise was so excited to get them.  That made me feel good.

This was the note inside the small envelope.

I can't figure out if Elise wrote it or Jen--the handwriting looks like Jen's, but maybe so does Elise'. I wonder if Jen even told the kids that they wouldn't be seeing Mimi anymore because the note almost sounds like she wonders why she hasn't seen me all summer, but hopes to see me soon.   

I hope so too!!

I don't want to read anything into this, but I wonder--is the glacier melting?  Evan's birthday is in four weeks--are they having a party?  Is this to pave the way for me to be invited? On second 10th reading, it looks like Elise wrote it because Jen would not mis-spell forward (foward.)  Anyway, Jen knows, because she is the one who mailed it from her work office!!!

I can only hope and....continue to pray for reconciliation.

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I just remembered (11:00 p.m.) this is a holiday weekend here in the US.  So if any of you are doing that sort of thing--or whatever one does on a holiday weekend--we always stayed off the roads--be safe, have fun and next week--it is going to be much cooler here!  YAY!!