June 2003

 

Hello!  It’s been another three months already…I can’t believe it!  This has been yet another action-packed quarter.  I have really been enjoying the cool weather we’ve had in Michigan (although, as I type this, it’s approaching 90 degrees outside, so I’m thinking we can kiss the high-60s goodbye for several months).  The months since March have been filled with lots of little exciting things, and a handful of BIG exciting things…..just enough to keep us on our toes.  

 

Late in March, Derek took me to the home of a customer for whom he’d moved and set up an antique pool table, “to meet his dogs.”  I am always a sucker for meeting people’s pets, particularly dogs because we don’t have a dog, but I had NO idea what was in store for me.  It was dark outside, and the house was in a very woodsy area.  I thought it was odd that they had a 7-foot high fence all the way around the house.  We knocked for at least 5 minutes before the homeowner heard us, which added to the suspense.  When he finally realized we were there, the house erupted with the low, deep-toned barking of 5 white Great Danes.  Then they came out on the porch and “greeted” us, which for a herd of 120-pound dogs meant they nearly knocked us over with excitement.  You might wonder….why didn’t the dogs hear us and alert their owners that someone was at the door?  They’re all DEAF!  Indeed, these are rescued Danes from all over the country.  Four girls, one boy, all white (some with scant black “decoration”).  All deaf, one deaf and blind.  All very sweet and friendly--one even befriended me so quickly that she tried to jump up and sit on my lap.  I think that was Esmerelda.  There was also Alex and Bailey, and I can’t remember the other two names.  Quite an experience.  It’s interesting to see how their human Mom and Dad have adapted their communication so the dogs can understand.  They use a canine-friendly sign language!  It’s really very fascinating.  Derek isn’t much of a romantic, but he does little things like that every once in a while because he knows I’d get a major thrill out of it.  All together now:  “Awwwwww…..”

 

March 23 was my “Jeans & Tiaras” Oscar Party.  It was just the right size--about 5 or 6 close girlfriends.  There was lots of food, lots of cheering, and lots of jeering.  Click here to see the pictures from the party.

 

Because I knew the Oscars party would go late, I’d previously arranged to take off Monday the 24th.  I slept in, yanked a lot of stuff from the garden in preparation for early bulbs, and broke my long-standing Free Cell record of 36 consecutive wins, by making it to 39.  Then, in the 40th game, I was just coming back from a near-loss when Ratso came along and jumped on the mouse, causing me to click prematurely and blow it!!!!!  If only he knew what trauma he’d caused…..

 

Derek and I, along with Elaine and her hubby John, participated in a bowling fundraiser for Ciara on March 29.  Ciara is heading to Alaska this month to walk a marathon for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.  She gets a “free” trip to Alaska, but had to raise a boatload of money in order to enter the marathon.  So she and her teammates hosted several different fun-draisers, like a scrapbooking party, Pampered Chef party, and this bowling thing.  We all really stunk (in fact, that was our team name:  “We Really Stink”), but we had a blast.  In fact, I enjoyed it so much that I bowled two more times within two weeks (that’s more than I’d bowled in ten years!), and decided to form a bowling team.  Conveniently, a recreational summer league was just in the forming stages at a bowling alley less than a mile from where I work.  I’m still not great, but I’ve gone from a 70-ish average to 90-ish in just a few weeks.  I don’t know if I’ll ever be competitive, but BOY do we have fun!  The team also includes my neighbor, Kathy, and Karla and Donna from work.  

 

Here’s one of those “Only in Michigan” things:  On March 29, it was 68 degrees.  Less than 48 hours later, it was 28 degrees.  By April 2nd, it was back up to 68 and beyond (76).  Two days later, you guessed it:  single digit degrees.  Don’t ya love this state!

 

On April 5th, I played in my long-awaited WPBA qualifier, the Ohio State Championship.  Had I won, I would have played in one of the pro tournaments that you see on ESPN.  Alas, I was only able to finish 3rd.  When I arrived and saw my friend, Alice, there, I must admit that I was mildly perturbed and sort of copped an attitude.  I, as well as everyone else in the tournament, was under the impression that it was an amateur event, so since Alice is rated in the top 32 on the WPBA tour, we didn’t expect her to be there.  It seriously decreased our chances of winning.  However, since it was a state championship, she was eligible to play.  After about 20 minutes of pouting though, I metaphorically kicked myself in the ass and said, “Grow up!  You’re prepared to go and play in a televised tournament against the Allison Fishers and Karen Corrs of the world, but your friend Alice is here, just trying to make a living, and you’re gonna whine about that?”  Nope, not gonna do it.  Alice did end up winning the tournament, but since (as a touring pro) she is invited to all WPBA events anyway, the qualifying spot went the 2nd place finisher.  I consoled myself with the fact that my two losses were to the people who finished in 1st and 2nd place, and both matches were 7-6.  In fact, I had a hefty lead in both matches (6-4 against Angie, 6-3 against Alice, in a race to 7) but allowed my opponents to come back for the victory in both cases.  So while the outcome wasn't what I hoped against either of them (shudder), I can’t feel bad about my overall performance.  I defeated all of my previous opponents by a margin of no less than 5 games.  

 

I had every intention of continuing to play throughout the summer, and for the entire month of April I was very much “in stroke,” but our weekly tournaments at the Union only had a worthwhile turnout for about 3 or 4 weeks.  The numbers dropped every week:  18 - 13 - 8 - 6… you get the picture.  We haven’t had a tournament since mid-May.  This is startling, considering that the turnout for the first week was so good--some of the best players in Michigan (incidentally, Derek won the first four tournaments we had, so that might have discouraged people, particularly students, from playing--thinking they couldn't beat him).  Even though my game hasn’t stayed up to par (nor has Derek’s, despite his best efforts), I have continued to be very involved in pool.  I have written collegiate and youth pool articles for Inside English every month since February, and the BCA Junior Nationals Tournament now consumes over 50% of my efforts at work.  With just about 6 weeks to go before the big brouhaha, I almost can’t wait for it to be over.  FYI…for those of you who live in or around Ann Arbor, look for a feature article on the tournament in CURRENT magazine’s July issue.  I can’t complain about the amount of press we’ve gotten.  Now if only I can work out that little detail of “spectator seating.”  What good does it do to have everyone know about the event, if you don’t have anywhere for them to sit when they stop by?  Sorry….having bleacher issues….just ignore me.

 

"Pillows in Training"

Feeling crafty in early April, I set forth on a mission to find clearance-rack fabrics to match the funky chair in our office.  The plan:  to make gigantic floor pillows (beds for the cats) where I once dreamed of having a daybed for single guests.  Of course, we mustn’t tell the cats that the pillows are intended for them, because if we do, there is no chance in Hell that they will use them.  But if we just leave them there in the corner and sprinkle catnip when the cats aren’t looking, they may eventually use the pillows as beds as they are intended.  

 

After several craft store visits, resisting my anal-retentive urge to bring the ottoman to the store with me to ensure a perfect match, I found 4 different fabrics that brought out some of the secondary colors in the chair, but didn’t clash with the wall paint.  Having never sewn a pillow before, I used the least favorite and least expensive fabric first.  No, wait….first I solicited advice from Mom via e-mail.  I cleverly disguised the e-mail though…. “Hi Mom, How ya doing?  How’s the weather up there?  How’s David?  Seen any turkeys in the back yard yet?  How are the smelt runnin’?  Can you tell me how to make a pillow?”   After a very brief refresher course, during which I’m sure Mom couldn’t contain her laughter as she typed it, my first pillow actually turned out OK.  It seems I actually remember some of the stuff I learned in 4-H.  (Now I understand, Mom, why you insisted when I was 11 that I do the work myself, even though we both knew that the other girls in the club--the ones who made prom dresses and complicated princess costumes for their projects--didn’t do the work at all; their mothers did).  

 

One small problem though:  the sewing machine broke and I had to stitch up one of the four sides by hand.  It took about 114 hours, I swear.  With blistered fingers, I decided to try the old Singer ONE more time, because it was clear that completing the project manually was not an option, lest I wear my right hand down to a bloody stump.  I kept turning it off and on, trying different outlets, adjusting the antenna (just kidding), but to no avail.  Upon further inspection, I figured out that a major function has ceased.  The gears that are supposed to turn the bobbin in the undercarriage, well….they don’t.  I considered purchasing a new (cheapo) machine to complete the project, but my discount pillow project would suddenly then become a $150 splurge.  Not that I wouldn’t use a sewing machine for other things…well no, honestly, I wouldn’t.  And surely, after spending that much money on what is essentially a cat toy, they’d want nothing to do with them.  Cat owners know:  the amount of money and/or effort you put into a cat toy, is inversely proportional to the cat’s level of interest in it.  

 

So the three remaining pieces of fabric, plus a massive pile of batting and 3 spools of thread that match perfectly, now sit in the closet labeled “Pillows in Training.”  

 

While waiting for the bus on April 11, I noticed that police were suddenly rerouting the bus down another street (2 blocks before me), and seconds later I saw a motorcade go zooming past.  There were motorcycle cops, followed by campus police cars, followed by city police cars, followed by state police cars, and about a dozen black sedans with Matrix-looking characters looking out halfway rolled-down windows, gazing upward toward the rooftops of campus buildings.  It was a very eerie experience.  I found out later it was some diplomat from a former Soviet state or something, visiting the U of M President for who-knows-what reason.  And for THAT I missed the bus and had to walk to my car!  Grrrrr.  

 

In April, Derek had a 4-week spell during which there were NO jobs.  Not his own, not his parent company's, not even small repairs! By the third week we were both thinking about shitting bricks because we sure as heck can’t live on my salary alone, but fortunately things picked up in mid-May and he now has plenty of work.  Keep knocking wood.  Oddly, Derek chose to initiate some major changes to the deck during that dry spell.  Makes sense right?  No money coming in, so let’s SPEND some?  You see, the original stairway off the back of the deck was not wide enough to launch golf balls into the field.  Clearly, the man has his priorities in order.  So he paid Kevin the carpenter to tear it all apart, widen the steps, remove a whole 4-foot span of railing and posts, and relocate the flower box.    

 

Highlights from early April:  Rented 8-Mile, Moonstruck (Derek had never seen).  First daffodil opened on April 12.  Joy!  A student employee of mine broke his neck in a fluke accident, playing around in one of those huge, inflatable carnival games, which was set up on campus for students to celebrate the last day of classes.  He’ll have to spend the entire summer in a “halo” with metal screws drilled into to the base of his skull, but considering the alternative (a centimeter lower and he’d be paralyzed or dead), he’s not complaining.  The weirdest thing is, he didn’t even know he was hurt right away.  He just thought he’d pulled a muscle or something.  Since the job he does for me at the Union is relatively physical, it remains to be seen whether he will be able to return to work in the fall. 

 

Simonis, our #2 cat, has always had dental problems.  Her jaw is shaped funny, so food settles along the gumline.  Over the years, the plaque and tartar buildup has caused her gums and teeth to rot.  About a year ago, the doctor suggested having X-rays of her jaw taken, to determine if her teeth were savable.  But I was deterred by the “as much as $500” cost, and I never scheduled the appointment.  At her last appointment in November, the doctor’s suggestion became a recommendation, and I knew it had to be done sometime relatively soon.  I actually hoped that Derek would schedule it during the winter months when he wasn’t working, but neither of us gave it the attention it deserved.  When Simonis developed an infection on her chin in April, I thought, “Oh my God, her gums are rotted, and now the infection has taken over her skin too!”  So despite the high price tag, I finally called and scheduled her surgery for May 7.  I had to listen to two lectures from the doctor about not doing it sooner.  “Things can change a LOT in six months! I thought I told you when you were her in October that this appointment needed to be scheduled within a month (she never said that)! I don't even know if we're going to be able to do this now.”  She got so bitchy with me that I almost called it quits and requested another doctor, but I stuck it out, and we couldn’t be happier with the results.  Immediately after coming home from the surgery, during which over half of her teeth were removed, she bolted straight for the food bowl and hasn’t stopped eating since.  I haven’t weighed her, but I’d venture to guess she’s gained at least a pound, and is just SO much more affectionate and tolerant.  It makes me feel even worse, imagining that she must have been in such pain that she didn’t want to eat or have us touch her anywhere in the vicinity of her jaw. 

 

One day, while we were folding some laundry, Derek said that he isn’t happy with his wrinkly shirts, and one day, could I get out the iron and show him how to iron?  A few minutes later, after I regained consciousness…. (haha)

 

April 24 was our 12-year anniversary!  Since we are not married, we celebrate the anniversary of our first date, which is also the day I adopted Snooker.  The two events were totally coincidental.  After having been friends for a couple years, I noticed that he was more…. um…..attentive….when he came to the Billiards Room, and always seemed to come in during my shifts.  I’d been hoping he would ask me out for a couple months, but after not hearing from him for about 6 weeks, I was convinced he wasn’t interested, and decided to get a cat.  Lo and behold, the same day I got Snooker from my friend Aaron’s farm, Derek called and asked me out.  The rest, as they say, is history.  Had we started dating any sooner, Snooker probably would have never come into our lives, because Derek is allergic to cats.  The anniversary fell on a Thursday this year, so on that night we were at the Hall of Fame tournament and didn’t have any special celebration.  Instead, we went out the next night to Memphis Smokehouse Blues for wet ribs and Piesporter.  Tasted good.  It’s very mild, and I didn’t seem to experience my normal yucky reaction to alcohol.  Could this be true….a wine I can actually drink without turning beet red and vomiting?  

 

Derek’s last tournament of the season was Fort Wayne in late April.  The field of 70 players was stacked with heavy hitters (very few "soft" matches), so he was home after only a few hours.  Bummer.  The next day we had Derek’s family over for a combination Easter / Mother’s Day / Welcome Home from Florida dinner.  It was a lovely afternoon, and a very nice day with his family.

 

One night, after working on pool tables at legendary Aubree’s Saloon in Ypsi’s Depot Town, Derek had a few too many beers and called to ask me to pick him up.  Like most non-drinkers (and wives I guess), I am never especially pleased when this happens, but I am always happy that he calls rather than driving home and risking people’s lives, not to mention the loss of his license and possibly his business.  I hardly grumbled at all when I met him at the bar, because this doesn’t happen very often.  We left my car overnight, and I dropped him off there the next morning for another day of work on the pool tables.  Well, apparently my car didn't appreciate being left alone overnight, because it died on the way home from work that day. At 10:00 p.m., after pushing my car all by myself into a mud-soaked parking lot, walking through the mud in sandals to Kroger because my cell phone had no charge, phoning home desperately for help to no avail, and finally getting a ride from my kind-hearted neighbor and her son, I arrived home to hear his voice on the answering machine, saying that he needed a ride AGAIN.  Too many beers AGAIN.  I was too exhausted to even yell at him, but eventually I would have found the energy, had he not poured his inebriated self into the car and said, “Man, the beers they make these days are SO strong…..”  OK, this makes me laugh really hard, but maybe that’s just me.  My first response was, “Oh, THAT’S going in the newsletter for sure….” almost as if putting it in the newsletter was his punishment for inconveniencing me and leaving me stranded.  Fortunately, he redeemed himself by helping me with the car the next day, and further by not going to the bar since.  But as you see, it still made the newsletter.  I forgive, but I don't forget.

 

I took a vacation day on Friday, May 2.  Luckily for me, it rained, so Derek was home too.  We were headed for the landfill (because don't ya know, that's the kind of quality bonding we do when we have a free day together), and an interview came on the truck radio, featuring Vern Yip from TLC's Trading Spaces.  He talked about the success of the show; how he's just so thrilled that it has become so popular, etc.  He even mentioned that The University of Michigan has the largest fan base of any university in the country.  (One of those things that makes you go "Hmmmmm")  At the tail end of the interview, they announced that Vern would be making an appearance later that day at the Michigan International Women's Show in Novi.  I called my neighbor Kathy, who claims to always be up for something spontaneous, and asked if she wanted to go.  Derek is a big fan of the show too, and would have gone with me, but the rain let up and he had to go do another roof.  So I hopped in the shower, got gussied up, and an hour later Kathy and I were Novi-bound.  We couldn't make it in time for Vern's stage speech, but we got there in time to get in line for his autograph.  Kathy is not really a fan of the show, but she admirably stuck it out with me for almost an hour and a half, waiting to meet my favorite TS designer and quite possibly my favorite small Asian man.  

 

Photos of the Vern experience:

Vern 1    Vern 2    Vern 3    Vern 4    Vern 5    Vern 6

 

Sure, it was a long wait.  But it was worth it.  And we walked around the Women's Show for a little bit afterwards, gathering free samples of bottled water, hair gel, and tampons.  What more could a woman ask for, right?

 

The Trading Spaces program will be filming in the Detroit area this year. I applied to be on the show last fall, but they never called. Vern encouraged people in the audience to apply now to be considered for the show. There's only one trouble: you have to be within 2 minutes of your teammates. It used to be 15 minutes. Both my next-door neighbors said no, and I don't know a soul in the subdivision across the street. So I guess we're S.O.L. If, however, anyone lives *relatively* close to us and would like to apply, I guess it couldn't hurt to give it a shot! Let me know. I'll do all the legwork.

 

May 5 was bittersweet.  I received my income tax return after many weeks of waiting (yay!), and also picked up my car from the shop--having spent nearly the entire refund on a new alternator and serpentine belt (boo!)  So much for paying off a few bills!

 

May 7 was a very big day for Simonie, and a stressful day for mom and dad.  I was up at 6:45 (which is like 4:45 for people who work a normal 8-5 day), dropped off the little critter at 8:00 and had a bawling fit all the way to work at 8:30.  Headed straight to the office to prepare my 03-04 budgets for my two facilities before a 10:00 meeting.  Mind you, this is a process that normally takes a solid day--some people several days.  Ironically, I spent more time discussing the budget in the 10:00 meeting, than I actually spent preparing the budget.  Immediately after the budget meeting I worked at SORC until 2:20 for a student employee who was sick.  The Vern pictures were back from the photo lab for pickup at the bookstore at 2:30, so I retrieved them immediately and did the Union tour to show the photos and gloat to everyone I know.  At 3:00 I frantically tied up loose ends on the desktop before leaving to pick up Simonie at 4.  She pulled through with flying colors and, unlike the morning when all she would do was hiss at me and cower back into her carrier, she actually seemed happy to see me.  Think I'm done yet?  Think again.  After a very short hour of snuggling with Simonie, Ms. Indifference, I hit the road for Angela's big event--her annual scholarship auction--for which I volunteered until almost 11:00 p.m., plus a one-hour drive home.  

 

May 8 was a glorious and much-appreciated day off for me--prearranged for post-operative kitty care if needed.  As Simonis seemed fully recovered within 2 seconds of hitting the kitchen floor and clearly had no use for me aside from the twice-daily antibiotic poke-the-pill-down-the-throat, I slept until almost 11:00.  Tinkered around the house until around 3:30, spent hours in the garden.  The long-awaited bowling league started.  My scores that night:  103-76-75.  Worst average on team.  Nonetheless, I loved every minute of it.

 

Mom e-mailed me to announce that she saw a moose near our house on her way to work.  AWESOME!

 

Saturday the 10th I volunteered at Angela's auction again (it's a 2-day event).  I'd made a commitment to help many months before, so I wasn't going to let her down.  But Derek spent that day helping his mom in her garden (that's what she requested of her two kids for Mother's Day) and I would've loved to have joined them.  He brought me home two big clumps of Stella d'oro lilies from Carol, which I later separated and shared with Kathy.  In return, she gave me a few 4-packs of white impatiens, and the promise of some irises that will be dug up and separated in the fall.

 

I spent most daylight hours on Mother's Day at our Junior Nationals qualifier at the Michigan Union.  You've heard me mention that we're hosting the Junior Nationals in July; well this was a tournament wherein kids could qualify for the BIG one.  It was a lovely day.  We had kids from all over Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, and even northern Ontario!  Check out Inside English for my article this month, called "Top 10 Things Adult Can Learn from the Little Sharks."  This is the fifth article I've written for IE so I'm a featured writer....I even get my picture on the website now!  <giggle>  I know it's not the Wall Street Journal, but it's fun to create and have people read your stuff--much like this newsletter!

 

Our home computer shut down and was on the fritz (disassembled and lying in pieces on the kitchen table) for THREE WHOLE DAYS.  I didn’t realize how Internet dependent I am.  There was a Lunar eclipse that day.  Hmmmmm, I wonder if that had anything to do with the computer!  Mom called with bad news: Celina can’t come to visit with Sean in June.  

 

We celebrated the opening of a new Kroger, just three miles from our house with only ONE traffic light and almost no traffic, by blowing $250 on food that seemed to have been gone only a few days later.  Isn't it strange how that works...you get home from the grocery store and can't decide what to have first.  Then two days later, you gaze into the fridge for like a half an hour, and there's nothing appealing?

 

I helped design buttons for my friend Deb's School Board campaign (she won!), and she mentioned the possibility of paying me to design a website for her.  Well heck YEAHHHHHHH!  A little extra cash for doing something I adore sure would come in handy.  If you know of anyone who would like me to design a website (like the one you're looking at now) for their family, small business, etc., my services are available!  

 

Back in February, Derek’s friend Ernie visited from San Francisco.  Ever since then, we’ve been trying to convince ourselves to suck it up and get on a doggone plane and go visit him and meet his wife, Joanna.  Because SF is on top of my list of US cities to visit, it didn’t take much for me to convince myself.  Flying is still not high on my list of favorite things to do, but with the little blue pills from my Doctor, I managed to get to Albuquerque without too much turmoil.  But my next--and far greater--obstacle was to convince Derek.  It took almost two months, but he finally decided to go for it.  So we’ll be doing that in early August, after the BCA Junior Nationals tournament but before the craziness of the new semester begins.  As for our itinerary, I still have a lot of research to do (suggestions welcome!), but so far we are planning to take in a SF Giants game to see Barry Bonds play, and of course a winery tour.  And what trip would be complete without a visit to the Big Foot Museum???? 

 

In late May, we noticed that the 2-acre tract of land behind our house, which has been the subject of a legal battle for as long as we’ve lived here, is now mowed and staked.  It’s a very long story, but basically our neighbors to the north (Frank and Sandy) retained a lawyer so that the developer who bought the property couldn’t turn it into yet ANOTHER subdivision.  The easement runs adjacent to Frank & Sandy’s house, and if the developer had turned it into a city street like he intended, he could have built as many houses as he wanted. But Frank and Sandy fought it because anything wider than a driveway size road would go through their garage and landscaping.  They knew this about the easement when they built the house, and thought their privacy--and, considerately, that of their neighbors--would be safe from urban sprawl.  Well, if he got away with a subdivision….so much for our private country haven.  So much for walking around the house partially clothed with the blinds open.  So much for our secluded backyard retreat.  So much for the cats’ private hunting land. 

 

About two years ago, before ever having to go to court, they agreed on just one house being built, and Frank and Sandy had to agree on the new house’s location.  Since that settlement, the developer has done nothing with the land, and at one point we had hoped to buy it--possibly splitting it between the three neighbors behind whose homes the land sits.  When she initially inquired, he wouldn’t give Sandy a price--even said there’s "no chance in Hell" that he’d sell to us (guess he’s a little bitter).  However, Kathy (the neighbor to the south--my scrapbooking/gardening/bowling buddy) mentioned a few weeks ago that he was asking $75K for the whole parcel.  Had we known this a year ago, we might have been able to act, but Frank and Sandy recently announced that they plan to retire and move away soon, so I can’t imagine what incentive they have for buying it now.  Sure enough, the builder broke ground just a few days later, and the house is under construction.  The one positive note so far is that a really old guy came by and said he’s interested in living back there.  Of all the potential types of neighbors, an old couple with no kids, no dogs, and bad eyesight is the most appealing.  No kids is a must.  Actually, a dog would be fine as long as it isn’t aggressive with the cats.  And bad eyesight helps with the partial nudity.

 

May 24 was a horrendously back-breaking day.  Our two berms had become overrun with weeds.  We’ve planted shrubs and perennials in both of them, but it was just impossible for me to keep up with the weeds.  And despite his recent pride (some might say obsession) with fertilizing and mowing the lawn, Derek doesn’t “do” weeds.   Additionally, we had some really low spots (erosion) on either side of the driveway that needed lots of fill dirt.  So that Saturday, he had four of his laborers come over for some major yard work.  Derek made a half-dozen trips in the dump truck to the landscaping center for literally tons of topsoil, and I pulled weeds and supervised the laborers in spreading out the massive piles of dirt, raking between the shrubs, and laying that black landscaping stuff that keeps the weeds away, topping it off with 6 inches of mulch.  They also moved several wheelbarrow loads of the topsoil into the lava bed, building a slope in preparation for what I’ve decided is the right thing for that spot:  an eye-catching Japanese maple.  Clearly they had the harder part of the job, but they are always begging for hours and I bought them pizza, so even after 8 hours of hard work they were still all smiles.  In fact, there’s a cute story that goes along with it.  These guys are all Honduran, and only one of them, Ricardo, speaks English (it’s funny--he’s the youngest and least ambitious in terms of work, but because he is their only capable translator, he gets away with it).  Late in the day Ricardo revealed that one guy, Salvin, who has been working for Derek for about a year and has met me dozens of times, didn’t know my name until just that day.  He only knew me as “Honey” because that’s what Derek always calls me.  So all of them just thought my name was “Honey,” but thought it was weird that I also called Derek by my name.  So they taught me how to say “What’s happenin’ honey?” in Spanish.  I yelled it to Derek across the yard, “¿Qué pasa cariño?” and all of them burst into fits of laughter.  Derek had no clue what was going on and when I explained it to him later, didn’t find it nearly as funny.  Click here for a before and after photo of the berm.

 

The next day, I continued my quest for shrubs and such to make the deck and the berms look nice for our Beach Blanket Bingo party two weeks later.  Derek, on the other hand, devoted most of the day to golf.  I spent several hours walking the aisles of Nature’s Garden Center in Saline, for which I had a “50% off any shrub” coupon, Lowe’s, which had 25% off everything, and Franks, which had no significant coupon or sale but was on the route.  I came home with a dwarf mugo pine for the deck for only $15 (regularly $30) and several items for the containers on the deck:  spikes, vinca vines, red petunias, white geraniums, yellow primroses.  My first attempt at creating a container montage turned out pretty nicely:  click here for a photo.  What I desperately want but have still not come home with is a dwarf Japanese maple for the lava bed.  The cheapest one we could find is $150.  OUCH!

 

I wasted an entire Saturday (5/31) on the road to Columbus for a bowling meeting that never happened.  Well actually, the meeting happened, but the directions that the Cincinnati bowling coach gave us were so awful that we never made it all the way there.  We were still 65 miles from the destination, and already an hour late.  So rather than continue driving and make the day even longer, we just turned back and headed home.  Even still, it was an 8½ hour drive.  Fortunately, I get along splendidly with the new president of my bowling club, so we kept the conversation flowing and it wasn’t too bad.  He’s not your typical U of M student--28 years old, divorced, a Desert Storm veteran (actually went to the gulf twice during his Army stint), and works three jobs to afford tuition at U of M.  I think I like him because he is NORMAL.

 

On the first of June, we had a fabulous brunch at Kristin’s (she sure can COOK!); then Derek, Kristin, and Carol visited Alex and Paige’s graves at the cemetery.  Derek hadn’t been there in several years.  I thought they’d appreciate their privacy for that, so I whittled away an hour at K-mart, finding some great deals on a few more annuals.  Later that night I met Ciara, Angela, Niamh, and some other friends of Ciara’s for dinner at Camp Ticonderoga to celebrate Ciara’s birthday.  I had lots of laughs and my first-ever buffalo burger, which tasted just like a hamburger.  Maybe next time I’ll get adventurous and try ostrich.  I bought Ciara a book, “Spanish Disco” I think it was called, and as I presented it to her said, “I hope my intentions aren’t too transparent….can I borrow it when you’re done?”  Almost bought her “Good in Bed” when I saw it on the shelf, but suspected that since it’s a pretty well-known book, she may have already read it.  Sure enough, she mentioned it at dinner.  The next time she visited, she brought me “Good in Bed,” which is the best book I have read in years.  I have never been a very fast reader (which was very much to my detriment at U of M), but that one I gobbled up.  Every spare evening moment, my nose was in that book.  The only difference between the main character and me, as near as I can figure, is that I’m not Jewish.  And my father left my family much earlier than hers; I never even got to know my dad.  I think I was better off in that regard; she had the misfortune of knowing and loving her father before he abandoned her.  This month I also read “The Idiot Girls Action Adventure Club,” courtesy of Holly in Cali.  That was also very good and very funny.  (Promise I’ll send it back soon, Hols!)

 

June 7 was Derek’s annual 40th birthday party, this year with a “Beach Blanket Bingo” theme.  We had “The Pier” (the deck), “The Beach” (a wading pool), and “Concession Stand” (burgers and dogs in the kitchen).  For the craft project we all decorated our own flip-flops with flowers, beads, sequins, and feathers.  It was great in theory, and our shoes looked great when we hot-glued the stuff on.  However, when rubber bends (i.e., when one walks in them), the hot glue pulls off of the rubber, strewing feathers and sequins everywhere.  So by now I’m guessing everyone, like me, is left with a pair of naked flip-flops.  It was fun to do a craft project again nonetheless.  We started the party much earlier than years past, so everyone could enjoy more of the outdoors before the sun went down.  The plan worked; only three people ever made it to the basement for a couple games of pool.  Everyone else spent the entire evening outside.  The weather couldn’t have been more perfect…except maybe a little warmer. 

 

Photos from the Party:        

The sign                 A few folks on the deck       Ange & Ciara on the beach    Ciara again    

Betsy & Brian          Flip-flop art                     Niamh & Angela                Pat & JD enjoying concessions       

 

The next day, my brother Sean arrived for a four-day stay.  When we originally started to plan the visit, I expected Celina to be with him.  Unfortunately, she couldn’t make it because she’s back in college now, and would have had to miss four very important days of classes.  We kept very busy while he was here.  The first morning after he arrived, there was a turtle in the driveway.  Despite my disheveled “I just got out of bed” look, I knew that this was a great photo opp for Celina, because she is a turtle fanatic.  She must have about a thousand of them (999 collectibles and one real one, named Speedy).  Sorry we couldn’t send this one home for you!

 

Monday June 9        In the morning we went to The Detroit Zoo!  Later that evening, along with Derek, we went to Cabela’s!  The way I look at it, we went to see the live animals in the daytime, and the dead ones at night. 

 

Photos from the Zoo:   

Sean & Red Panda     Sean & Elephant       Betz & giraffes         Sean at the Polar Exhibit       Betz & Sean at the Fountain 

 

Photos from Cabelas: 

Derek, Sean, and a gigantic elk         Derek, Sean, and the mountain         Derek and an elephant                                 

 

We stopped at the Milan dragway on the way home.  Early on, the plan was for Sean to race his ’68 Camaro at Milan on their Wednesday Night Test & Tune.  Unfortunately, one of his brand new slicks (those fat racing tires) was not holding air.  He had them installed just before they headed down to Martin the previous weekend, and he thinks the people who installed them, messed up the valve stem.  He could have bought another slick, but it would have been an unnecessary expense, and could probably get the brand new ones fixed for free once he got home.   Racing would have been fun, but we had no trouble finding other things to do.

 

On Tuesday we took a trip to Lansing for some supplies Sean had to get for work, and we ate at a brand-new Cracker Barrel on the way home.  Love the food at that place.  That evening, Derek joined us for a trip to Comerica Park to watch the Tigers play against the L.A. Dodgers.  It was the first time Derek or I had been to the new park (opened in 2000), and we were all very impressed with the facility.  The Tigers lost, but that was no big surprise.  We were surprised they held tough as long as they did (eleven innings, tied 1-1).  

 

Photos from the ballpark:

The boys look out at the promenade games/rides/etc.        The scoreboard         Here’s all 3 of us      

 

Sean enjoys a $7.00 beer       Derek enjoys a $7.00 beer     (The admission tickets were only $6.00!)

 

My favorite photo of the whole visit (even though two girls said, “That is SO rude” when I stood in front of them for 30 seconds to take the pic).

 

On our way out in the bottom of the 10th inning, a security guard who looked like she didn’t give a crap let us walk down the hallway where all the box (suite) seats are.  One of the doors was open, so Derek poked his head in.  Only one guy was inside, and he waved us in to join him.  The view of the field from those seats was FANTASTIC.  You can’t really tell it from the photo, but just take my word for it.  And a special treat, we sat for about 20 minutes and the guy noticed some activity in Mike Ilitch’s (the owner’s) suite (about 50 feet away--where he says he’s never seen anyone), and he pulled out his binoculars and we got a look at Mr. Ilitch.  We think.  I snapped a photo of these cool ballpark lights on the way out.    

 

Sean stayed until Thursday morning because we had plans to visit the Henry Ford Museum on Wednesday.  We were both really looking forward to that, but our plans were dashed.  Derek’s crew was working in Royal Oak.  One of his laborers’ car broke down, and Derek called home out of desperation to see if Sean could go and pick up the car with his racing trailer, and transport it back to the dealership in Ann Arbor.  He knew that a tow truck would be exorbitantly expensive, and the laborer doesn’t have much money.  Sean is a kind-hearted soul, so he agreed to do it.  At first, he wouldn’t take the money that Derek offered on the phone, but by the end of the day, there was no way I would let him refuse it.  What should have been a 2-hour round-trip venture turned into a 4½-hour fiasco.  The dealership was closed, and when we finally located another one, they gave me a hassle about bringing them a car that didn’t belong to me.  By the time we got back to our house, we couldn’t make it to the museum before they closed.  I never imagined that a huge museum like that would close at 5:00, and didn’t think to check ahead of time.  Had I done so, I would have either told Derek “Sorry honey, but ‘No,’” or aborted the transport somewhere in the middle of the day so we could still make it to HFM for a little while at least.  It put a sour note into the end of Sean’s visit, but it really wasn’t anyone’s fault.  We’ve all just been saying that it leaves something on the list for him to visit next time he comes to see big sis.

 

After Sean set off on his long journey home Thursday, I got online and checked my work e-mail for the first time in several days.  I was very, very sad to learn that the Student Woodshop, which is part of my parent department, Michigan Union Arts & Programs, has been cut as a program.  This means that the woodshop will shut down, and my friend and co-worker of 13 years, Kurt, will lose his job.   It didn't come as a complete surprise, considering the major cuts we all had to make on our budgets this year, but it's still painful to lose a friend and long-time colleague....particularly when I know he has two little boys at home, and now has to try to find a job in this yucky economy.  No complaints from me about my job for a while.

 

We took advantage of Derek's birthday by going downtown to one of our favorite old restaurants:  Palio.  (Side note:  Palio is in the same restaurant family as the Chophouse.  They have the funniest logo--and possibly most graphic, shy of a porn site--that I've ever seen:  The bull).

 

Derek's mom had us over for dinner on June 15 to celebrate Derek's birthday.  She prepared one of my favorite main dishes:  beef stew, along with roasted veggies, cole slaw, gazpacho, and I can't remember what else.  It was a very nice evening.  Derek and Ted sat inside watching the final round of the U.S. Open, while Carol and I talked gardening for nearly two solid hours.  She's a member of U of M's Matthei Botanical Gardens, so she gets a special deal on the bulbs featured in the gardens.  The deadline to order was the next day, so I pored carefully over the order form, ultimately ordering almost 150 bulbs.  We also took a nice walk through Carol's garden.  She offered to give me lots of plants, but the hard part is digging them up.  It takes someone with more upper body strength than she has, and a better lower back than I have.  Hopefully I can convince Derek to do that for me one of these days.  Carol and Ted gave Derek an awesome framed painting for his birthday.  It's an old-fashioned style painting of pool balls and a score board, but it is customized so it says "Derek's Billiard Parlor" and the scoreboard has his and my names on it.  You'll have to come check it out to fully appreciate it.  It'll surely be hung prominently next to the pool table downstairs.  

 

Last weekend, I was thrilled to learn that my cousin, Tara, has gotten engaged to her longtime boyfriend, Chris.  When Tara was born, I stayed with her mom, my Aunt Lynn, for about a week afterwards to help out.  I was only 10, but as this was Lynn's first baby, I'm sure she appreciated the extra pair of hands.  I still remember that week very fondly (albeit not very clearly, as the years go by).  I remember helping to change the baby's diapers, feeding her by bottle, visiting both grandmas, and helping Lynn rock Tara to sleep.  But most of all, I remember the projectile vomiting, and how it freaked out Aunt Lynn.  Tara is an exceptionally intelligent person, an accomplished athlete, a beautiful, blue-eyed blond, and will one day be a fabulous teacher, coach, athletic director, and whatever else she aspires to be.  But to me, she will always be a 7-pound projectile vomit machine with poopy diapers.  (Love you bunches, Ta-ta.  -Cousin Betz)

 

Our family is big, and Lynn tells me that Chris' family is equally big....not to mention that both Chris' dad, and Tara's dad (My Uncle Joe), have the gift of gab and know nearly everyone in the Upper Peninsula and northern Wisconsin.  So they're having difficulty finding a place that can accommodate the 500-600 guests they think they can reasonably expect.  At last, they have set their nuptials for July 3, 2003.  I have offered to post information about their wedding on this website, so if you are family or friends, please stay tuned.  

 

Our most recent escapade--just three days ago--was a trip to the Binder Park Zoo in Battle Creek with Angela and Derek.  I had heard from several people that it was a very nice (although somewhat small) zoo.  By now you know it's not like me not to bring the camera.  Actually, the camera was in the car but I didn't manage to buy film for the occasion.  This would prove to be a great disappointment, because the minute we walked in, it won my heart. 

 

Well, that brings you up to speed for June 2003.  I hope to write another tome for you before school starts.  It will include, I expect, details and/or photos of my 15-year high school reunion (July 4), "work work work" in regards to Derek, the BCA Junior National Championships (end of July), and our trip to San Francisco (August 6-13)....and of course the other stuff (hopefully fun and happy) that we don't anticipate.  I will close with a couple cute photos that have no real story, but I just thought they were cute pictures:

 

Derek the storage/shelving master [More about Derek's self-decreed graduate degree, MDES (Master of Domestic Exterior Storage) here]

 

The cutest cat photos of the quarter

 

And new pages on this website:  Stuff that makes me laugh    Stuff that makes me angry     Photos of my gardens    Photos of Us

   

 

Have a wonderful summer!!!!  E-mail us!

 

Betz & Derek

 

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