6860

I'll bet not one of you can tell me what the significance the number 6860 has. But I know it by heart. I have written that four digit combination down so many times that I don't even have to look at the bin in the bulk food aisle anymore to make sure I got it right.

The number 6860 is the code used at my local supermarket for purchasing my favorite indulgence. The amount is always the same, one bag that contains six chocolate covered jelly rings, usually costing around $.56 cents. The bag is always kept on the top of the groceries for easy access on the short drive home. Often they are gone before I open the garage door.

I took the photo about ten minutes ago. Hands are starting to shake and mouth is watering..... Must go.....

$22.81 (includes a $20 bill in the gutter folded neatly just waiting to jump into my pocket plus a loony, a Canadian dollar. Guess we'll have to go back to Victoria to spend it! I love Sunday mornings!)

Public Service Announcement

This afternoon I went to pick Little up from her new school. The parking/pickup situation at this particular school is horrendous so I knew to park down the street quite a ways and walk to get her. It was garbage day so unretrieved cans were all over driveways and curbside, making it even more difficult to navigate.

Got back to the car and found a yellow piece of paper under my wiper blade. Hmmm, an advertisement? A note from a long-lost friend? A freakish wind that lifted up the wiper and deposited the paper? None of the above. It was a damn parking ticket! The car in front of me also had the same little greeting decorating it's windshield.

Whipped out the trusty camera and took a photo. See for yourselves.

Okay, yes, I wasn't hugging the curb. If you look at my wheels and all the scratches and gouges on them you can see that in the past I have been known to hug those curbs quite closely. But who knew that there was an actual statute in that fair city that stipulates in inches where a car must be parked?

I've asked no fewer than 15 people since I was gifted with this paper and not one of them (even the family legal expert, for hell sakes) knew the official definition of proper inches. The answers I got ranged from six to thirty six.

Yes, I will obediently appear next week at the city offices with a contrite expression and plead guilty to the letter of the law. My question is this, if no one knows the statute exists what good does it do? And also, wouldn't a WARNING have been just as effective as a $20 citation?

Perhaps it would have, but now you all know how close you are required to be. And make sure that you carry that twelve inch ruler. If you don't have one be sure to kneel down next to your wheel in the gutter. The distance between your elbow and the crook of your thumb is approximately one foot.

We now return to your regularly scheduled internet surfing.

$.83

Pardon my Poetry

It was bound to happen, school has finally started.
It's quiet and lonely, I'm brokenhearted.

University, high schools, elementary, preschools.
Even the little ones! Now that's especially cruel.

But I can look back and smile at all that we've done,
Cool things that we've seen and places we've gone.

Riding Frontrunner, Nature Center, swimming galore,
We've played with toads, snakes and scary dinosaurs.

We romped around the parks, went to ball games,
Had fun with our friends and played on the trains.


We donned our costumes and danced with our fans,

Even bravely climbed up the trails where I ran.

We welcomed new babies all were anticipating
While counting the months for the next ones, anxiously waiting.

We played softball, soccer, lacrosse and Shark,
Saw musicals and sang Annie songs like a lark.

McDonald's and Little Caesar's were our favorite dishes
Along with brown, black and red licorices

Followed by ice cream, chocolate and other delights.
Now I'm paying the price. My jeans are too tight.

My house is a mess, the fabrics need stacking,
Scrapbooks need journaling, the weeds need a whacking.

The cupboards are bare and could use replenishing.
Floors beg a scrubbing and photos await finishing.

Zeus has been patient as I've played all summer.
Now it's time to cook dinners, vacuum and other ho-hummers.

But thanks to you all for the fun that we've had.
I can last for nine months, that's not too bad.

So I'll count the days until the school year is done
And we'll start all over with the next summer of fun.

I LOVE YOU ALL!

$2.37

Score!!

I'll admit it. I have become a big fan of lacrosse. The first time I watched this sport it was shocking to see all those guys beat each other with sticks. After that I was simply amazed as they caught that hard ball in the net and then ran down the field without dropping it.

Again this summer we've watched the Duke (he's in the green helmet) play lacrosse, this time on an adult league. It is much faster, harder hitting and way more intense. This game is quickly becoming one of my favorites.

The above images were a sequence of lucky photography shots as he went in for a goal! The last cropped photo shows the ball as it hit the back of the net.

I love this game. Oh, and one other thing:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE DUKE!

$.91

And now, the Lovely Boylan Sisters!

(sing along) " I-O-D.. E-N-T... Iodent.."

My summer, set to music:

$2.66

MORE Competition

What the heck! Are they trying to put me out of business????

McDs has added a new feature to their drive-in window. This little contraption wasn't there at 6 AM this morning, or at least I didn't notice it (still a little dark at that time). By 9 AM it had magically appeared at my local walk-thru. Now who had this brilliant idea? This particular collection point is not one of the more lucrative spots so I doubt that it will effect my totals all that much. Time will tell.

Money Walker, have you noticed any of these in the south? As of this afternoon when I went grocery shopping the other local McDs doesn't have one..... yet.

$3.26 and another debit card to return

The competition

Picking up coins and objects is something I learned from my father. He would bring the car to a screeching halt for just about anything that he saw in the road, especially tools. Mom claims that he stopped the car on a Los Angeles freeway once to retrieve a screwdriver and nearly got both of them killed in the process.

Found objects are nothing new to me. About eight years ago I found a woman's wedding ring in a downtown gutter. It was a beautiful solitaire setting and the stone was nearly a carat. The local Lost and Found ads produced nothing for weeks. The ring was examined by numerous jewelers, all with differing opinions as to the authenticity of the stone. Some said real diamond, others said fine quality fake. But the setting was definitely gold. (In the end it was determined to be a CZ, at which time Zeus informed me that if the jewelers couldn't tell the difference by looking through a loupe then he had purchased his last diamond.)

Serious numismatising began five years ago. While I was out walking I would pick up curbside coins and bring them home to Zeus. We called them his Lucky Pennies. For Father's Day Eris made him a personalized jar to collect them for a rainy day. As my ralking became more frequent the skill of numismatising became more of an art. (That's right, an art!)

Just as my father taught me about street finds I'm finding that my children and grandchildren are also becoming quite adept at spotting round, shiny objects. When Little and Littlest were very small I would point out a coin to them and they would scamper to pick it up. They were easily convinced to put it in my left pocket (the "lucky penny pocket") or to proudly give it to Grandpa when they got back to the house.

Those days are past. No way will they give up a found coin. Worse than that, they are RUTHLESS when it comes to spotting and pocketing. Those who were once my trainees of numismatising have now become my competition.

(The photo above was taken last week after our Gateway trip. The empty hand belongs to Jubee, who has not fully embraced the concept of numismatising.)

Oh, it makes a grandmother smile! And to all the rest of you who proudly boast of your exciting finds, congratulations! It makes my heart sing!

$1.46

Spot the body

Let's play the game "What's wrong with this picture"?

Last week while we were at the big aquatic center I handed Jubee my camera (yeah, the BIG camera) so I could play on the waterslide with the kids. Later that evening as I was going through the shots I came across this one. The image below is the same one, just cropped in very closely.

Who says we don't keep a close eye on the kids? And just so you know, that is Mr. Eris, Jr. under the water and he is alive and still swimming.

$2.10

and a Walmart gas card, unfortunately with a $0 balance. Oh well, I was hopeful.

English Assignments

What a busy long weekend! The English Clan visited with us for four days. We packed in lots of activities during that time. It's always fun to visit with them.


Yesterday Muriel went shopping with Eris while Matt indulged in a couple more rounds of disc golf. I took the three older kids to explore the Nature Center and then on to the train station where they were able to crawl all over the old engines and cabooses. Hey, I didn't know that old cabooses were made out of wood! It was a very enjoyable afternoon.


Last night little Cameron and The Princess stayed with Zeus and me while all the older kids and parents went to a baseball game. These two little ones were a delight to watch as they played together. However, the Princess wasn't too sure about this "new guy" crowding in on her "grandpa time".

The house is eerily quiet today. Thanks for coming and we'll see you soon after No. 5 shows up!

$2.01

A note to Muriel: I promise to make up for the forgotten chocolate-covered jelly rings next time I see you!

Bathing suits and babies

Anticipation. Smiles. Backaches. Wonderment. Nature. Swollen feet. One boy. One girl.

September!

Getting out of town... again

Yesterday Zeus and I loaded five kids on Frontrunner again and traveled to the Big City for some fun. Jubee and K joined us this time which made Mr. Eris, Jr a much happier camper. Salt Lake City is undergoing some massive construction work right in the heart of the city. While Zeus went to the bookstore the rest of us wandered down Main Street where we all were amazed at the huge holes in the ground that were being filled will high-rise office buildings, shopping centers and condos.

Then it was back to the Gateway Center for some fun in the sun at the fountain. It wasn't as hot or as crowded as the last time we went down and the kids were soon soaked to the bone. After an ice cream treat we boarded the trains again for the pleasant return trip.

A few more photos are posted at the Shooting Blog. Thanks to the five for a splashing good time!

$2.16 plus a lost driver's license and debit card

plus

$.21 that Zeus brought back from his Oregon/California trip last week

A response to Eris' comment: Yes, she joined us for the last half of our excursion. As always, her presence was delightful! The photo below shows how she spends her daily commute on the train, except when she is sleeping, which she did for a good portion of the ride home!

Go-aheads!

When I was young girl they were known as thongs. Obviously, the noun thong has taken on a different meaning. They are also called sandals, rubbers, shower shoes and most commonly, flip flops.

Except at our house. About three years ago there was a lively discussion between Zeus and Little Ms. Eris. He had asked her to get her "go-aheads" on and she insisted that was incorrect, they were called flip flops. (Can you imagine Little arguing with anyone?) Zeus looked at her and explained that they were called "go-aheads" because you can only go forward in them, not backwards. She was puzzled. He then challenged her to walk backwards in her go-aheads. Two steps in reverse and she was out of them. Zeus won that one!

Last week while we were all at the baseball game I looked down at the feet of Little and Littlest. There were four dirty little feet propped up on the chair clad in four mismatched go-aheads. They didn't care and neither did anyone else.

This image tells much about our carefree summers.

$2.45 3/4 plus a wrench