baby

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...thanks to a huge dosing of Benadryl (which I had to take because of an allergy attack last night)... I managed to sleep in a drug-induced stupor until 5pm this afternoon.

And so ... I have managed to get behind... again. When my sister was alive... we used to call each other on the phone and say stuff like "my bed is made... what else is there to do..."...sort of an "in-joke" between us... but basically saying... that if we had gotten our beds made for the day... well then.... we were one-up on the day so to speak.

I miss her. While Kathy and I didn't have an awful lot in common... ((personality-wise... we were probably opposites))... She was a a wonderful sounding board for me... and I hope I was to her as well. I would have loved to be able to talk to her about this...

About a week ago... my son and his wife separated. They are considering divorce. They got married just last April, and their wonderful daughter was born late October. It is a difficult thing... and I am trying to only think good thoughts about the whole situation. The most important of which... is the well-being of little Sophia... and a chance for everyone to be regularly involved in her life.


So much... this life... and so much going on right now...


*photo by Elaine A. Russell

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Yesterday, we were able to spend a couple of hours with our granddaughter... and she is wonderful.

The "circle of life" has been so very close and obvious this year... and it is such a blessing to be able to see the other end of things... birth, life, the promise of things to come...


*all photos by Kristin M. Russell

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Welcome to the world baby Sophia Griselda Russell, born today... weighing 7 lbs and 10 ounces... and stretching out to 19 inches in length.
Her mommy and daddy (and her) seem to be doing well..... and we are overjoyed at her birth ♥♥♥

♥May your life be long, joyful, and full of love, health and happiness♥


*photos by Elaine A. Russell (aka Grandma)

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These past few days have been very odd. My hubby is on vacation... which in itself.. it a small miracle... but he has also managed to become sick... which is not good. He had started a new medication for his high cholesterol... and within 3 days... began peeing blood... having muscle soreness... and a slight fever. Needless to say... he has stopped the medication (and the doctor is aware).
So... while we are technically on vacation... we have not really gone anywhere. This is fine with me, as I have also been sick... so it has been sort of a "stay at home vacation" time for us.

Plus... my son and his wife are expecting their first child any day now... so perhaps it is a good thing that we are staying in the area.



Just over a year ago... I put a camera on lay-away at a local shop. This year has been really difficult financially... what with me traveling back and forth to PA so much... that I had barely made a dent in the payments.
However, my hubby surprised me and paid the camera completely off!!! ... and today I got to play with it for the first time. My daughter and I went out on the west mesa to the volcanoes... and tried to get a couple of photographs. It was very quickly getting dark... and it was severely overcast as a major storm was rolling in...



Having not even looked at the manual for the camera (*yah... I know)... I was sort of shooting blindly... and was really surprised by some of the shots when I got them unloaded and onto my computer tonight. This last one became my photo for the day :)


*all photos by Elaine A. Russell

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I left the house at 7am, after getting little to no sleep. The flight from ABQ to Phoenix was fairly uneventful, although I still don't understand why I had to travel west in order to go east. I had a wonderful conversation with an Air Force Sergeant on his way to Hawaii... sounds like alot of fun!

the Phoenix Airport... and the flight somewhere over Arizona


In Phoenix, I had a short lay-over.. and it gave me just enough time to check my email and play around a little on-line. However, I was one of the last groups to board the flight to Philadelphia, and we were told that we had to check all our bag due to no room in the cabin. Reluctantly, I did. Come to find out, the person who checked my bag marked it as if Philadelphia was my final destination... so when I got to Philly, I had to go the full length of the airport in order to get my carry-ons... and then I had to go thru security checks again.. and take a shuttle to my section of the airport to catch my last flight. A little chaotic... and a little nerve-wracking.. but it all worked out fine. The other thing was that I was supposed to get a meal on my flight, and I didn't... which means I was without food from 8am until 6pm. NOT that I can't lose a little... :)
Philadelphia has a great airport. I can't believe that I lived in PA for over 25yrs, and never went to Philadelphia. It looked vast and cool from the air...
Had a fabulous dinner at a "Hard Rock Cafe" type place where I had a really good Asian salad... YUM.

the flight from Phoenix to Philadelphia... some where over Kansas, and then over Missouri



and finally coming into Philadelphia....


And now... I am waiting for my flight to Williamsport, PA. From there, I have a friend coming to get me... and it will be a 2hour drive to my parent's house. Such is the quirks of living in the middle of PA forest country I guess.


and this was the sunset in Philadelphia..... and then coming into Williamsport PA


all photos by Elaine A. Russell


In other news... It has been an interesting couple of months... and the journey is not over yet. I had mentioned in my blog once that I never anticipated this time of my life... that glorious in-between time of children leaving the home/ whilst helping the parents into "older-age." It has been a vast learning experience, and one I am glad to have gotten... but at the same time... chaotic... and very emotional.
I have also learned that I am going to be a grandmother for the 1st time... and I couldn't be happier for my son and his new bride. Such an incredible time of life... a new life developing and coming into this world... as my father prepares to leave it for the next part of his life....

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Today as a treat... I took my mom and my daughter to Erway's Family Restaurant in Coudersport, PA. The Erway family has been in the area for several generations, and are in the farming business. I remember always getting Erway's Dairy milk... and going to the barns to see the cows. Now... there is a restaurant (*think a smaller Cracker Barrel)... a old time candy section... a farmer's market type fruits and vegetables area.... feed for birds, dogs, cats and such... and in the spring/summer/fall months... there is a huge plant section. It's always fun to wander about and see what's available.
So... today we ate an early supper in the restaurant (I had a Philly Cheese steak with all the goodies... homemade fries.. and a cold coke. Kristin had a crab cake sandwich with homemade applesauce and potato chips, and mom had a deluxe chicken salad with homemade rolls).
But-- most people go to Erway's for the fresh homemade pie. Their menu features 13 different kinds of fresh pie... served with local made Perry ice cream in any flavor they have.
The photos show our servings of Blackberry pie... with black raspberry ice cream for Kristin; and vanilla bean for me. (total bill was $35... 3 entrees, 3 drinks, 2 desserts)




Then we went out to the various other areas... and in what is usually the plants section.... were these huge bins of baby chicks (Rhode Island reds, a black variety, and a golden variety). I am against the selling of baby chicks, ducks, and bunnies at Easter. To me... it encourages people to buy these little babies for small children who are (for the most part) too rough on them... and lose interest after a week or so... leaving the poor creatures unattended... abandoned... set "free"... or doomed to perish in a small cage somewhere.
Now. I know that the farmers/ranchers need to earn a living... I just feel bad for the animals.
Having personally owned/ rescued several bunnies over the years... I know all too many bad stories of mistreated critters who were originally gotten as an "Easter pet."
So... getting off my soapbox.... Erway's was doing an awesome job with the animals. They were in large, safe bins with clean litter.... lots of fresh food and water... and warming lamps for the chicks. The bins were tall enough that most little kids couldn't randomly grab at the animals or tease them. The bunnies even had some cardboard on the walls so that they wouldn't chew at the plastic on the bins... and it would give them something safe to nibble and scratch at. I give them many many props.
(these 2 photos are by Kristin.. and show the cause and effect of my actions)

And I suppose that I am no better.... having seen their cute cuddliness... I was immediately drawn in. I took a few photos (no flash... and I did not disrupt the critters). And I only very briefly held the tiniest of the bunnies who had somehow gotten stuck mostly under the cardboard walls and seemed stuck.... so I helped him up and out.... gave him a little snuggle (while my daughter took a photo) ... and put him very gently back with his siblings. Mind you... I held him for maybe a minute or two at tops.... and as you can see from this photo.... I immediately got red eyes and much swelling/ itching and such.
I have always been allergic to most every animal... but after years of having rescue rabbits... I became increasingly allergic to them. But... I simply ADORE rabbits. ... and could not resist.
Was it worth it? You betcha :)


(photo of me holding the baby bunny ...by Kristin)

(all other photos by Elaine A. Russell)

draggin

---------------------------------------photo by Elaine A. Russell
Sometimes I feel like I am sooo busy -- and I wonder what I have been doing. Today I ran a bunch of errands (Walgreens, Bank, Post Office, birdseed store, etc)...but if you asked me what I had to show for it all.. I would be hard pressed for proof.


I am in the process of going thru our CD collection. It occurred to me that we have all these CDs, and maybe only really love one or two songs on each one. So... after I go thru each CD, my fabulous daughter burns that one or two songs onto a CD for me to keep. Thus, unloading tons of CDs.. as well as building a collection of songs I like.. and maybe I will be able to sell the cds. Oooooh -- cash ! It's a good thing.


Right now I am working on the "jazz" section... Norah Jones, David Sanborn, Lisa Stansfiled, Diana Krall, Renee Olstead, Candy Dulfer, David Benoit, and Billie Holiday were amongst the selections tonight..... yah, baby.....