Friday, May 31, 2013

Spammers Say the Darndest Things

I noticed earlier this week that my blog was about to pass 100,000 page views. That would be exciting except that I've noticed I've had a LOT of suspicious traffic again. I get a lot of spammers leaving comments on the older posts. I was hating that but then decided maybe I needed to change my attitude and learn to enjoy it.

What? Enjoy spammers?!

First, for those of you who don't have your own blogs, let me tell you about spammers. They are advertisements, really. They are likely automated responses. That is why many bloggers have you go through the word verification process and if you can't do it, you can't leave a comment. Without word verification they can leave "comments" on blog posts using some sort of computerized program. At the end of their comment, they show their website and invite you to click. If you do, you find they are advertising some great new weight loss product or something like that. You don't get to connect with a real person at all. I don't know how they find blog posts but I've noticed that once they find one of mine, I get a LOT of comments on that particular post. It's not all bad, though.

Many of them say nice things to me! They call my posts brilliant, insightful and even auspicious. They tell me they've been looking and looking for an article such as mine because it answers all their questions. They tell me I am a great writer and perhaps I can help them start a blog. They ALL invite me to check out their web page. Isn't that sweet of them?

None of them make sense and are most certainly written by someone who did not read the post. Many seem to be written by someone who has access to a list of English words but has no idea what they mean. Many just link nonsensical, sometimes funny, phrases and make them look like comments. That can be kind of entertaining. Well, it is entertaining the first few times. I'm now getting about 20 a day!


I know I can reinstate the word verification again, and likely I will, but I'm trying to hold off. Why? Because they are getting harder and harder to read and I hate them.! I may have to give in again, but for now, I'm just going to keep deleting my spammer comments. If any sneak through where you can see them, please don't encourage them by clicking on their links.

For now, I may as well continue to accept their ridiculous compliments!

P.S. For those of you wondering about the arsonists in our neighborhood, I don't know anything more about the culprit(s). I saw that the camper fire actually did burn the house a bit where it was parked, and melted a bit of a camper in the driveway beside it. We've had no damage to our property.  I slept several nights with the windows open so I could smell smoke but all I smelled was a nervous skunk! Hopefully we have returned to being a quiet little neighborhood.

Thursday, May 30, 2013

The Math Whiz and the Girl Who Barks

I enjoyed granddaughters at my house yesterday for lunch. Have I mentioned how much I enjoy those girls?

Highlights from yesterday:

Maria and I took the girls for a walk. Elise listened for neighborhood dogs all the way, very serious about barking back to them. I tried to teach her to also tweet at the birds but she really just wanted to speak with the dogs.

Cordelia wanted to talk about how many children I had. She named my three kids (now adults). She then named herself and Elise and told me they were my grandkids. Then, little 3 1/2 year old math whiz that she is said, "You have 5 kids because 3 plus 2 is 5." Who can argue with that?

And now, I am sharing photos of those beautiful grandkids, just because I can.

















Wednesday, May 29, 2013

HGTV and Me

I like to watch HGTV. I especially enjoy watching people shop for their new home. I don't care if it is rather staged! I just enjoy looking at the pretty houses. Is that weird?

I used to think I would have enjoyed being a realtor. I'm pretty sure it isn't like the realtors on HGTV, though. That is, I'm thinking most of the people house hunting don't wrap it up in an hour. It would be fun, though, to look through homes...at least the nice ones.

 photo by Ambro and freedigitalphotos.net
However, there is something that really bothers me when I watch those shows. I really hate listening to the complaints! The two I've heard the most are, "Oh no, we'd have to put in granite counter tops before we move in!" or "Those appliances will never do; they are white." Oh no! Anything but white appliances! Stainless steel is currently fashionable, I get it, but good grief! Are we all sheep? Do we all have to have the same kinds of counter tops and the same color of appliances? Oh wait, did that sound sarcastic?


Maria (my daughter) did a post recently on First World Problems. You should read it as it is pretty funny. Now, as I watch the House Hunter whiners I realize they are just overwhelmed with their First World Problems. I should speak more kindly because some of them don't even get a swimming pool in their backyards.

All right. I'm really done now with the sarcasm.

In case you don't have HGTV available to you, here's another fun thing I like to do. Go to Realtor.com and you can browse through homes all over the country! Sometimes I look at homes for sale in our town, sometimes I look at homes for sale somewhere like Manhattan. Many have multiple photos or perhaps even a video of the interior. It's fun! They really make me appreciate the prices we pay in Wyoming for a lot of square footage! I just found a tiny studio apartment (no bedroom) in Manhattan for the same price as our four bedroom house with a large yard and two car garage here in Wyoming. Sometimes it helps you appreciate what you've got.

Well, I've reached that point in my blog post where I'm just kind of rambling. Mike says I talk that way when I am tired. OK, then. Good-night!

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Crime in Our Neighborhood

Last year I posted several times about arson in our neighborhood.

Do you remember this post about a fire next door to us last August?

Or how about this post?

Finally, we learned it was all over...

...until yesterday.

I felt nervous Sunday night at bedtime. Mike was out of town for the night but usually that doesn't bother me. Sam was going to be home soon and I was a bit disappointed in myself for feeling tense. I got up and checked the locks. I turned lights on in several rooms and decided to leave them on for the night. Then, I kept listening for sounds. It felt so silly! I decided to leave the television on so that I would relax a bit. That probably wasn't my best idea but I fell asleep and didn't awaken for several hours.

Early Monday morning I went to work out with my friend, Donna. I didn't notice anything different. When she dropped me back off at home, though, I noticed a patrol car parked across the street from our house.

Well, soon there were more police, as well as firefighters, fire trucks and the big incident command van.








I didn't even have to leave my living room to take these photos.







I went out to get the scoop from one of the firefighters. He told me that they were inspecting a burned area in the grass. He also told me a camper a block down our street had burned during the night. Apparently I had slept through all that!

I woke Sam up and he told me he'd run outside about midnight after hearing screams. He said he thought someone was being murdered. I was proud and horrified all at once, learning he'd gone running to the rescue. That had to do with the camper fire. Sam said there were lots of patrol cars there before him and he never did know who had screamed.

The camper was parked in someone's driveway and I'm sure they were worried about their home burning. I saw a damaged car being hauled away Monday morning but don't know the story there. I also heard two women speaking of something being stolen. Again, I wasn't informed beyond what I overheard out front.


So, when I spoke with the firefighter he told me that if I had children in our home, we should go over a plan of escape. Everyone should, really, but hearing it from him made me feel nervous.

Much of the day different inspectors kept showing up to take photos of that burned spot in the grass. It just didn't look like much, pieces of fat yellow candles and unidentified pieces of stuff. One officer referred to it as an incendiary device but they weren't sure what was in it. Apparently it hadn't gone where it was meant to go or it had fizzled too soon or something.


Hopefully, all those investigators will be able to piece it all together. I don't know if this is the work of the juvenile girl from last summer's drama or if it is something new and different. Either way, it is rather bizarre that our quiet little residential street keeps having so much criminal activity. I don't like it.

Monday, May 27, 2013

Savoring

I have a new favorite word... savor.

Recently I read an article about this word. It turns out, peace and happiness and lots of other good feelings just may be dependent on our ability to savor.  Okay, I'm kind of making fun of the simplicity of it but there really is a lot of truth to this theory, don't you think?

So, I have been trying to step up my moments of savoring. I've savored listening to the birds in our neighborhood. I really, really enjoyed listening to all the different songs. It is amazing. Truthfully, I go through a lot of days without even thinking about the mind-boggling variety of birds and bird songs. Most of their songs are really, really pretty. Mike and I particularly love listening to the meadowlarks. Have you heard a meadowlark recently? Blue Jays... well, they are pretty to look at anyway.

Last night I pulled into our garage and spent a few moments in my car, with the garage door closed. I heard NOTHING. It was silent, really silent. I don't know when I last savored silence. It was a rare treat. Actually, a few minutes of it was enough. Total silence seemed to hurt my ears. Anyway, it was interesting. I was happy enough to get back to listening to the birds. Maybe I should have left this paragraph out of this blog post, huh?

Now, think about pancakes. They are an ordinary food, right? But, really, don't they just taste so good? I really need to appreciate pancakes more.

Do any of you remember the song about stopping to smell the roses?

  It's a good song, but for me, it would be lilacs! Lilacs! I savor a lot of smells but right now lilacs are in full bloom and they smell delightful. I think maybe that is how it smells in heaven. I love that smell!

People are what I savor the most, actually time with my people. Time isn't something you can hold on to, but it is savorable. Here are a few photos of what I was savoring last evening. They are not all great photos (cell phone pics only) but they were all great moments.








What have you been savoring lately?

Sunday, May 26, 2013

Come to the River



This song has been running through my head all week...don't know why. So, I decided I should let it run through your head for awhile. You're welcome.

Rhett Walker Band


Saturday, May 25, 2013

Walk for Life

Mike and I are once again planning to do the Walk for Life. That is to say, we are involved in a fundraiser for True Care (also known as The Caring Center). I am not good at fundraising and I don't often get involved in anything where I have to ask for a pledge. This is the exception. This is important enough for me to step out of my comfort zone.

Walk for Life is an annual fundraiser to help support the ministry of True Care. True Care is a place of hope. When a woman or girl is faced with an unplanned pregnancy, this is a place she can go to for help. It is a place she can go to for a pregnancy test, ultrasound and many other services. True Care will give information regarding her options. True Care's mission is to be a part of the movement to help find options that will erase the perceived need for abortions.

I am now on the Board of Directors for True Care. I'm not a Board of Directors kind of person but again, this is important enough for me to step out of my comfort zone. This is a life or death situation!

You see, I have decided I am a liberal. I don't understand why society thinks someone with my beliefs should be called a conservative. I think it is a very, very liberal idea to believe that all humans, inside or outside of the uterus, deserve to be protected. I believe a woman's instinct is to protect her young and I believe that going against her instinct will likely cause her a great deal of pain and regret later.

I don't feel called to political action as much as I feel called to a position of education. That is something that True Care does well. They have a well educated staff that has loads of information regarding resources of hope. That is really what they are about.... hope. They do their work without judgment. They do their work with kindness. They offer hope for a future for both the mother and the baby.

True Care will offer information and help for a woman who chooses to raise her own baby. They offer the same for a woman who chooses to make the sacrifice of adoption.

But that isn't all! If they help a young woman who then decides to abort her baby anyway, she is welcomed to return at any time in the future. There are women available, who had abortions themselves, who offer a place of refuge and a path to peace. All the work is done with a Christian attitude of comfort and forgiveness, love and kindness. That is really what I like most about True Care.

So, now you know why I am participating in this Walk for Life. If you are interested in making a pledge for our walk, please click here. We thank-you!

Friday, May 24, 2013

How Can I Help You Say Goodbye?

After yesterday's frivolous post, I decided to share something more serious with you that was on my mind this week. Whether you want it or not, I am offering you a little walk into my thoughts.

The other day I was thinking about how much joy I get from my family. I know that they love me as well. Those were such happy thoughts! Then, my mind took a U-turn for a bit.

I couldn't leave well enough alone. I was thinking about all that joy and then I thought of how the more we enjoy being together, the more it would hurt to lose one of us. I've known people who feel that is reason enough to no longer get close to another person, or even another pet. It would seem the pain would be more than we could bear.


photo by FrameAngel
from freedigitalphotos.net


The truth is, though, our lives are all full of goodbyes. We may not like it but everything in this life is temporary, even life itself. I don't think that should keep us from fully engaging, though. How sad that would be. 

Growing up I faced a lot of another kind of goodbyes because we moved a lot. That was also hard and also sad. Goodbyes are not my favorite thing. However, I survived them all. I was able to be happy and joyful again, even when I missed friends or relatives. 

I used to hear a song from time to time that really moved me. No kidding, sometimes you just need some good Country Music to spell it all out for you. The song I am talking about is How Can I Help You Say Goodbye? It was recorded by Patty Loveless, written by Burton Collins and Karen Taylor-Good. According to Wikipedia, the words were spoken to Burton Collins by his grandmother, preparing him for her death. Click on the name to hear it yourself. 

This song is about a mother preparing her daughter for some of the goodbyes she must face. Over the years, that song has come to my mind on many occasions. I appreciate the line, "It's okay to hurt." She is letting her child know she can face the hurt and she can survive the hurt. I think that is an important message to pass on to our children. I hope that I have passed that on to mine.

There. That's it. Those were my deep thoughts this week. Just in case you are wondering, I am feeling quite well and do not have any goodbyes planned in my near future. Sometimes stuff just passes through a brain for no particular reason.

How about you? What's been floating through your brain? 

Thursday, May 23, 2013

My New Toy

I heard, on more than one occasion, that a Swiffer was handy for dusting. I am cheap. I was rather resistant to spending money on something with which to dust, when an old rag would do the job. However, I had a weak moment at Walmart the other day and I purchased one.


I have to say, I'm loving it! OK, well, maybe LOVE isn't really the right word. I love my husband, I love my children and grandchildren, but I really, really like this Swiffer dealy. It works well for ordinary dusting but it is extraordinary for those hard to reach angles. Nope, I'm not being paid to say this. I'm pretty sure the Swiffer People know nothing about me and my little blog. I just wanted to share my fun little find.


I sure hope you weren't coming to my blog today looking for deep thoughts.
Maybe I will have some deep thoughts tomorrow. 
We'll see.

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Teacher Heroes

Watching stories out of the aftermath of the tornado that hit the elementary schools in Moore, Oklahoma really made me think about the teachers involved. As was the case in the Connecticut school shooting, teachers behaved with heroism as they tried to protect the children in their care, just as a parent would do. Whether they were protecting the children from violence perpetuated by a person or by nature, they acted as most parents would, even using their own bodies as shields.

Thankfully, most teachers will never have to face such horrible situations. Most will never have to risk their own lives to protect the children entrusted to their care. Just the same, knowing that so many would do this really makes me think again about how much we should value teachers. It also makes me wonder about the many little sacrifices teachers make for their students every day.

Teachers spend so much time with the children assigned to them for the school year, they most certainly bond with them. To learn of them acting instinctively to save the lives of the children shows their level of caring was well established before the tragedy even occurred. They didn't have time to reason, they just acted.

They acted like loving parents.

As I said, most teachers won't have to face such a dramatic situation, but I think inside many teachers there lives a hero.

photo By Paul Gooddy of freedigitalphotos.net


Thank-you, teachers, for all you give daily.

Monday, May 20, 2013

Parties, Plants and Plenty of Water

Did you have a busy week-end? We sure did! Here are some of the highlights...

  • trip to Master Gardener's Sale with Maria and the girls (Cordy shook hands with people like a politician)
  • digging in the dirt, planting flowers and vegetables
  • shopping for groceries
  • housecleaning (yay! I finally mopped my kitchen floor)
  • laundry
  • bill paying
  • quick trip to the mall
  • graduation party
  • church service
  • another church service (as a guest, speaking about women's resource center...more another day)
  • power nap
  • another graduation party while Mike goes to do his part at the baccalaureate service...we had to divide and conquer to get everywhere we wanted to be 
  • Sunday school swimming party with Cordelia






But, in between a couple of those things, I took time to enjoy the moisture we were receiving. I hope you enjoy the photographs.

















Sunday, May 19, 2013

The Lord Our God

(Please click below and follow link to YouTube to hear this song.)

The Lord Our God

Kristian Stanfill

from the album Passion: Let the Future Begin
Available for sale on ITunes, Google Play, Amazon...



 
(Chorus)
The Lord our God is ever faithful
Never changing through the ages
From this darkness
You will lead us 
And forever we will say 
You're the Lord our God 

Promise maker, promise keeper
You finish what You begin
Our provision through the desert 
You see it through ‘til the end 
You see it through ‘til the end

)
I Believe
(Chorus)

In the silence, in the waiting
Still we can know You are good
All Your plans are for Your glory
Yes, we can know You are good
Yes, we can know You are good 

(Chorus)

We won't move without You
We won't move without You 
You're the light of all 
And all that we need

(Chorus

Saturday, May 18, 2013

Cheering Myself On

Do you remember when I was going to Curves a lot? I really liked it!

I liked that Curves was only open to women and most just wore shorts and a t-shirt. I loved the way it works at Curves. Their machines are in a big circle. When you arrive, you just get on an open piece of equipment. It is effective equipment but simple enough to learn quickly. Energetic music is playing but every 90 seconds a message is played to move to the next piece of equipment. A typical work out would take me around the circuit about three time but you could go as long or as short as you wanted. Each piece of equipment targeted a different group of muscles.

It was a comfortable system for me and I liked it. Being a small family run gym, though, their hours were a bit limited. When I started working more hours myself it often seemed that their hours didn't coincide as well with my available hours. Anyway, I gave up my membership and have since fallen into a state of disrepair.

Before Curves I worked out at home with Wii Fit. I really enjoyed that as well. Why did I quit doing that? It was rather fun. I can't even think of an excuse.

Mike has faithfully worked out at home for most of his adult life. He's been very good to make it part of his morning routine. I've always admired his self-discipline with it. Why haven't I been like that? Again, I have no excuse.

Well, last week I became eligible for a gym membership offered by my employers. Also, one of my co-workers asked me to be a work-out partner with her. After reading about my daughter and her work-out buddy inspiring each other, I decided that would be a good idea. She is looking fantastic! So, soon, I expect to be in better shape as well. Ok, it may take a bit of time but I'm going to get started, anyway.

Now, I need to get fit at home before I go to the gym so I look the part!


I'm just kidding... kind of. You know what I mean, though, don't you? In my mind I am thinking everyone there will be all buff and I will look like a middle-aged woman who has fallen off the exercise wagon...which I am.


If I ever were to hire a maid service I would no doubt clean my house the night before they were to come. It is all the same concept.


Can you tell that this post is my way of accomplishing two goals?
     (1) I am trying to be my own cheerleader to get myself motivated.
     (2) I figured if I announced my intentions in a blog post I would have to follow through.

How about you? Are you doing any kind of work out and taking good care of yourself? Do you have a work-out partner or are you going it alone? Do you go to a gym or do something in your own home? Anyone else doing the Couch to 5K that my daughter is doing? She really likes it. There are so many ways to get into shape. I am ready to get back at it!

Rah! Rah!
freedigitalphotos.net

Friday, May 17, 2013

My Life of Crime and the Strangest Cat I Know

When Sam was little he used to call himself "Catman". He really loved cats. When we first moved to Wyoming, we brought with us two cats, Smokey and Jaws. They were old already, older than Sam. Sam had never had a kitten and he really, really wanted one. He bugged us all the time, telling us the only thing he wanted for his birthday was a kitten. Since we already had a dog, Grady, and the two old lady cats, I was quite reluctant. Mike went soft on me, though.

For Sam's 11th birthday we presented him with cat toys. Yes, that is how we did it. THEN, we told him we were taking him to the pound to pick out not one, but two kittens. Crazy, maybe, but we did not expect the older cats to live much longer. They were already 15 years old! We felt that a single cat would be lonely and that we should have two. On a side note, it turned out that those two older cats both lived to be 20 years old! Anyway...

Not long after breakfast on Sam's birthday we headed to the local pound. Sam was so excited! He chose two little kittens and we started the adoption paperwork. One of the questions on the paperwork asked about other pets in our home. I answered it truthfully. Then, everything went downhill. The man at the pound informed me that in our new community we could not have more than 3 pets! I explained that our house was plenty large to accommodate them as we had two floors and lots of space. I also told him the other two cats were old and likely to die soon (I thought it was true at the time). I then told him it was Sam's birthday and the kittens were his only request. I promised we would take good care of them and that they would never be allowed to roam the neighborhood. My powers of persuasion were not enough. The guy didn't budge. 

We left the pound with one very sad boy in our backseat. That is when the Mama Bear in me made a decision. My boy was not going to be heartbroken for his birthday! I am not necessarily proud of my decision to break the law. It is what it is. I dropped Mike off at the church. He was a new pastor in this town; He didn't need to be a part of any illegal activity. I didn't exactly tell him what I was planning to do but he knows me well. I'm sure he knew where I was going next.

Yes, I went straight to a pet shop. In fact, Sam had been there the week before and had already met two little kittens there. He later told me they were the ones he wanted all along anyway. It didn't take us long there. I normally would want to save kittens from the pound but when they told me these two babies were saved from separate situations of abandonment, I felt better about our purchases. 

I'm really hoping there is a statue of limitations on such a crime. It has been almost 9 years so I am fairly confident my confession here will not lead to punishment. For the record, we are now totally compliant with the local limitation of pets. I am an upright citizen once again.

The "little girls" are still here, still doing well. I have introduced them both on my blog. Sam chose the names, Jane and Mindy. You can read about them here and here. Jane is the sweet little lady and Mindy is the crazy kleptomaniac. Mindy is rarely seen by others and in fact sometimes I go days and days without seeing her. She spends a lot of time with Sam, though. She is just really, really shy. I don't think Maria has seen her in YEARS, even though she usually visits at least once a week!


Mindy looks calm in this photo but she is really, really crazy. She steals things. She hides them in her secret places. She climbs up the wall/furnace in our basement in an area with an unfinished ceiling. She gets between the basement ceiling and the upstairs floor and hides there often. When I've used the ladder to peek up there I sometimes find things we didn't even know we were missing. She used to often hide things under our bed as well. The weirdest was the time I found a bag of about 7 pounds of birdseed under our bed. I had left it near our back door and she'd managed to drag it down the hall and under the bed!

She is also a great athlete! Mike can play games with her (she really prefers the guys) such as flicking small things into the air. She will then jump high and bat them down. She'd be great at volleyball. Sometimes she will also play fetch with him. It is pretty funny to watch. However, she is rather leery of me. It is likely because I made the mistake of trying to hold her and pet her. I really kind of wanted a lap cat. She is most definitely never going to be a lap cat.


This morning, though, I was up early and she was brave enough to greet me. It helped that Bode was still in his kennel. I sat on the floor so she didn't have to worry that I was about to pick her up as that is her worst nightmare. She came close enough for me to pet her, using only my fingertips. It wasn't very satisfying but it was more than I usually get. I even had time to get a few photos of her before she disappeared to the basement, giving me one last look back. 


I know there are cat people and there are dog people but I guess we are both. How about you? Which do you most enjoy? Anyone else want to tell about their weird pets?

Thursday, May 16, 2013

Time With the Girls

Yesterday I went shopping at Goodwill with Maria, Cordelia and Elise. It was a bonus event for me, having been released from my work day a bit early. I love, love, love going just about anywhere with those girls.

When we arrived at Goodwill I made some comment about a tradition Cordelia and I have developed. That led to a bit of discussion about what the word "tradition" meant. Cordelia wants to know and understand EVERYTHING. Her mother was the same way!

So, what is our Goodwill tradition? Well, this particular Goodwill has an upper and a lower level. They have two long ramps that go between the two levels. I get Cordy into a shopping cart and head down one of the ramps. All the way down I act as though I've lost control of the shopping cart and let go for a second or two. Of course I always have my hands ready to grab if it rolls near the wall and she is never actually frightened. However, there are a lot of squeals and giggles and Cordy makes happy noises as well.

THEN, we carry on a tradition Maria started with Cordy when she was quite little. It is brilliant! She taught Cordy early on that some things are to be enjoyed for just a short time. In this case, we go by the bin of toys and she chooses one that she gets to play with while we continue to shop. She understands right from the beginning that we aren't buying that toy but it gives her something to enjoy while we look at things that might bore her, such as uniform scrubs for me.

Yesterday she chose a stuffed monkey she named, Mrs. Monkey.






















At one point I heard Cordy tell Mrs. Monkey that she was hurting her feelings. I asked what Mrs. Monkey said and Cordelia informed me that Mrs. Monkey had said she didn't like Cordy. They worked it out, though, and all was well.




 I also had some good times bouncing Elise around the store. She has such a lovely little personality. Although contentment seemed rather elusive to her the first months of her life, she is down right fun now, easy to please and ever so loving and snuggly.















I didn't get a photo of her yesterday but I'll share some from last week's trip to the mall.





And then, when we were driving back to their house, Cordy said, "Grandma! Do you know about Jesus?!"







It was just a couple of hours at the end of my day but it sure made me feel happy.

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Busch Stadium Tour

You didn't think I was done talking about St. Louis, did you?

Mike and I took a tour of Busch Stadium. Did you know you could do that?


We'd toured the previous Busch Stadium twice. That stadium was torn down not long after our last visit but I don't think it was anything we did.. This new stadium was about half built last time we saw it. That made it even more fun to see it now completed.

One of the things we learned was that there is a whole lot more to a stadium that you see when you go to a game. The social aspects of baseball were a bit curious to me. There were areas for BIG groups of people (thousands) underneath the seats. People could pay extra, a LOT extra, to have access to different levels of eating experiences. Some would buy a ticket for a pretty good seat that included access to a buffet type restaurant at the back of their section. They could graze typical ballpark food all they wanted.

Another section of seating, with a much higher price, gave access to a huge buffet area that offered top level cuisine with chefs and fancy booths. You can see the outside seating of these levels in these photos but you sure don't get an idea of all that is behind them. There are even levels with rooms big enough to host conferences and weddings!





 I realize some of these are not great photos but they kind of give you the idea of the space under the stadium seating.


We don't think REAL baseball fans would be concerned about eating during a game, especially in those places where they couldn't keep watching the game. However, we found out that some of the special seats included waiters that came to you for your order...all inclusive. Wow!




One of the restaurant type rooms had a series of cases with Cardinal's World Series Trophies.
Do you see how happy it made Mike to see those?
Remember, he is just the grown-up version of the little boy who listened to Cardinal's games on his scratchy little transistor radio during recess at elementary school.


 We were given a chance to tour the broadcast booth.


The best part was when they let us go down by the field...


...and even into the Cardinals' Dugout!




When Mike had an opportunity to pick up some of the sunflower seed shells, spit from the very mouths of current St. Louis Cardinals, he declined. I guess he is not quite the fan I thought he was.




The tour guide told stories about players and owners from the past.


Including Stan Musial, one of Mike's favorites.
Stan-the-Man played 22 years for the St. Louis Cardinals
and just died earlier this year.


It was fun to learn some of that history.
It was fun to be a tourist.
It was fun to see Mike enjoying himself.

Featured Post

My Life as a Travel Agent

On a recent morning I was at work and as one of my patients was waiting for his death, I thought again about an idea that keeps popping int...