A history of our cats

Before Deb and I met, I had Norman. Although he was originally my daughters cat, she could not take him when she moved out after college. So I got to keep him. He was a loving and extremely affectionate cat. He loved everyone even if you weren't a cat person. He was around for approximately 15 years.

Before Deb met me, She had Bonzai. Bonzai was an interesting kitty. She was not as affectionate and sometimes a little crazy, but she had some very nice points. Whenever Deb would get an empty cardboard box, she would chew out the corner so she would have a place for her head to rest. She also loved to chase balls around the floor. And loosing them. When Deb moved out there were at least a dozen under the stove. She also used to love to look out the window at the birds. She wasn't much for letting you pat her unless it was on her terms.Then there was Gus. Our first kitty in our new home. He was the sweetest kitty. Very playful and extremely lovable. He loved everyone. We got him a kitty tower from freecycle (http://www.freecycle.org/) which he absolutely loved. He would race up and down across the dining room and up the tower and back down. He also loved the laser as well. Unfortunately we lost him unexpectedley. Only 1 year old.

We couldn't go with out a cat for long so along came Bean. He is a very affectionate kitty. Not a lap kitty though, but is still very loveable. Especially if we have been gone for any time. He is definetly a cat with a routine. He loves to drink from the kitchen or bathroom sink. He likes to play with splenda packets and anything like that. He also likes to knock things off the kitchen counter. Which he does all the time. Unfortunately, one reason episode involved a hot mug of Deb's tea early one morning. Not sure if he knocked it off on purpose or if he hit it as he flew up on the counter as he sometimes does. He will also race up the stairs if he thinks someone might be going up. I think he needs to be first. In addition he is usually outside the bedroom door first thing in the morning waiting for Deb to get up. Needlesss to say, he has numerous nicknames like meetball and dufus and sometimes fruit cake among others. He is also a big boy at 13 lbs last vet check up.

Well we thought Bean could use a playmate. So we adopted Izzy. A female part Siamese. She was a very pretty cat and also very playful. Although she absolutely hated it if you tried to pick her up. The 2 got a long very well together, for 6 months. Although she was a few months older, she was a little smaller, probably the Siamese in her. As I said they got along for about 6 months. Then all of a sudden one day she freaked and her and Bean had a knock down drag out fight. Even after separating them for a short time, they still came out fighting. We think maybe she got fed up with Bean. He plays agressively some time and he is probably 1 1/2 times her size. So we gave her back to the shelter to be adopted by a family with no other cats.

Well then along came Frankie. This time we thought we would get another boy cat as well as a kitten. Figuring the 2 could grow up together. Frankie's name was Francis at the shelter so we changed it to Frank. Frank and Bean just seems to go good together. They did play a little together. Bean liked to lick him. Which was sometimes followed by him biting Frank. Well Frank is a very affectionate kitty. He will sit in my lap for hours. However, he got sick about a month after we got him. And unfortunately we don't know what is wrong with him. He has had 2 different blood tests and been looked at by 3 different vets. It doesn't look good for the little guy. We keep praying for him. Perhaps a miracle will happen. Will keep you updated.

Being a Grandparent can be so much fun.

I love being a grandparent. Although my grandchildren are still quite young, I can certaintly see them coming up with some of the below statements. I hope you enjoy.


Being a Grandparent
> 1. She was in the bathroom, putting on her makeup, under the watchful eyes
> of her young granddaughter, as she'd done many times before. After she
> applied her lipstick and started to leave, the little one said, 'But Gramma,
> you > forgot to kiss the toilet paper good-bye!' I will probably never put lipstick
> on again without thinking about kissing the toilet paper good-bye...

> 2. My young grandson called the other day to wish me Happy Birthday.
> .....He asked me how old I was, and I told him, '62.' He was quiet for a
> moment, > and then he asked, 'Did you start at 1?'

> 3. After putting her grandchildren to bed, a grandmother changed into old
> slacks and a droopy blouse and proceeded to wash her hair. As she heard the
> children getting more and more rambunctious, her patience grew thin. Finally,
> she threw a towel around her head and stormed into their room, putting them
> back to bed with stern warnings. As she left the room, she heard the
> three-year-old say with a trembling voice, 'Who was THAT?'

> 4. A grandmother was telling her little granddaughter what her own
> childhood was like: 'We used to skate outside on a pond I had a swing made
> from a > tire; it hung from a tree in our front yard. We rode our pony. We picked wild
> raspberries in the woods.' The little girl was wide-eyed, taking this all
> in. At last she said, 'I sure wish I'd gotten to know you sooner!'

> 5. My grandson was visiting one day when he asked, 'Grandma, do you know
> how you and God are alike?' I mentally polished my halo and I said, 'No,
> how are we alike?' ' You're both old,' he replied.

> 6. A little girl was diligently pounding away on her grandfather's word
> processor. She told him she was writing a story. 'What's it about?' he asked.
> 'I don't know,' she replied. 'I can't read.'

> 7. I didn't know if my granddaughter had learned her colors yet, so I
> decided to test her. I would point out something and ask what color it was.
> She would tell me and was always correct. It was fun for me, so I continued. At last she headed for the door, saying, 'Grandma, I think you should try to
> figure out some of these yourself!'

> 8. When my grandson Billy and I entered our vacation cabin, we kept the
> lights off until we were inside to keep from attracting pesky insects. Still, a
> few fireflies followed us in. Noticing them before I did, Billy whispered,
> 'It's no use Grandpa. Now the mosquitoes are coming after us with
> flashlights.'

> 9. When my grandson asked me how old I was, I teasingly replied, 'I'm not
> sure.' 'Look in your underwear, Grandpa,' he advised. 'Mine says I'm four
> to six.'

> 10. A second grader came home from school and said to her grandmother,
> 'Grandma, guess what? We learned how to make babies today. 'The grandmother, more than a little surprised, tried to keep 'her cool. 'That's interesting,' she said, 'how do you make babies?' ''It's simple,' replied the girl. 'You just change 'y' to 'i' and add 'es'.'

> 11. Children's Logic: 'Give me a sentence about a public servant,' said a
> teacher. The small boy wrote: 'The fireman came down the ladder pregnant.'
> The teacher took the lad aside to correct him. 'Don't you know what pregnant
> means?' she asked. 'Sure,' said the young boy confidently. 'It means
> carrying a child.'

> 12. A nursery school teacher was delivering a station wagon full of kids
> home one day when a fire truck zoomed past. Sitting in the front seat of the
> truck was a Dalmatian dog. The children started discussing the dog's duties.'
> 'They use him to keep crowds back,' said one child. 'No,' said another.
> 'He's just for good luck.' A third child brought the argument to a close.
> 'They use the dogs,' she said firmly, 'to find the fire hydrants.'

Belated Christmas

Well I had planned on posting before Christmas. Well better late than never.

Decorating for Christmas can be a lot of fun. I can watch others do it just fine. I did hang one ornament on the tree. Deb and Andrea did the rest. Andrea added the ribbons.Some of the other decorations. Andrea likes to wrap the pictures. It makes a nice touch.Here are a couple other decorations. There were others but unfortunately I either didn't take pictures of them or they didn't come out good enough.And even the toilet received a little Christmas decoration.And here is our tree lit up. Not the best shot.

Christmas in Ct. This year the Hobden family Christmas was in Ct. (Patty and John switch every year). Here Paige and Caleb are playing with an old toy while waiting to open this years presents.

Both John and Paige really liked John's Thomas blanket.Paige waiting to open another present.
I asked little John if he wanted to open more presents and this was his response. I guess he was overwhelmed.
Finally after all presents were opened, the two oldest sat down to watch a video. Before Paige, Grace and family had to head back to NH.

Christmas in Lowell. Well I didn't take ,many pictures. The first one is Matt after he saw that he finally got his Kayak. The wait is finally over. Unfortunately it was a little too large to wrap so we put it on the back of the couch (with a nice bow).

And Andrea received a new laptop. I think she was pretty happy with it.

After Christmas I went to visit Paige and Grace.Grace really seems to like Curious George.

Did you know?

I found this email I received to be very imformative. Unfortunately the pics didn't copy so get out a $1 bill and take a look.


Who was Hayim Solomon?
On the rear of the One Dollar bill, you will see two circles. Together, they comprise the Great Seal of the United States . The First Continental Congress requested that Benjamin Franklin and a group of men come up with a Seal. It took them four years to accomplish this task and another two years to get it approved. If you look at the left-hand circle, you will see a Pyramid.

Notice the face is lighted, and the western side is dark. This country was just beginning. We had not begun to explore the west or decided what we could do for Western Civilization. The Pyramid is uncapped, again signifying that we were not even close to being finished. Inside the capstone you have the all-seeing eye, an ancient symbol for divinity. It was Franklin's belief that one man couldn't do it alone, but a group of men, with the help of God, could do anything. 'IN GOD WE TRUST' is on this currency.

The Latin above the pyramid, ANNUIT COEPTIS, means, 'God has favored our undertaking.' The Latin below the pyramid, NOVUS ORDO SECLORUM, means, 'a new order has begun.' At the base of the pyramid is the Roman Numeral for 1776. (MDCCLXXVI) If you look at the right-hand circle, and check it carefully, you will learn that it is on every National Cemetery in the United States It is also on the Parade of Flags Walkway at the Bushnell, Florida National Cemetery , and is the centerpiece of most hero's monuments. Slightly modified, it is the seal of the President of the United States , and it is always visible whenever he speaks, yet very few people know what the symbols mean.
The Bald Eagle was selected as a symbol for victory for two reasons: First, he is not afraid of a storm; he is strong, and he is smart enough to soar above it. Secondly, he wears no material crown. We had just broken from the King of England Also, notice the shield is unsupported. This country can now stand on its own. At the top of that shield you have a white bar signifying congress, a unifying factor. We were coming together as one nation. In the Eagle's beak you will read, ' E PLURIBUS UNUM' meaning,'one from many.'
Above the Eagle, you have the thirteen stars, representing the thirteen original colonies, and any clouds of misunderstanding rolling away. Again, we were coming together as one. Notice what the Eagle holds in his talons. He holds an olive branch and arrows. This country wants peace, but we will never be afraid to fight to preserve peace. The Eagle always wants to face the olive branch, but in time of war, his gaze turns toward the arrows. They say that the number 13 is an unlucky number. This is almost a worldwide belief. You will usually never see a room numbered 13, or any hotels or motels with a 13th floor. But think about this: 13 original colonies, 13 signers of the Declaration of Independence, 13 stripes on our flag, 13 steps on the Pyramid, 13 letters in, 'Annuit Coeptis,' 13 letters in 'E Pluribus Unum,' 13 stars above the Eagle, 13 bars on that shield, 13 leaves on the olive branch, 13 fruits, and if you look closely, 13 arrows. And finally, if you notice the arrangement of the 13 stars in the right-hand circle you will see that they are arranged as a Star of David. This was ordered by George Washington who, when he asked Hayim Solomon, a wealthy Philadelphia Jew, what he would like as a personal reward for his services to the Continental Army, Solomon said he wanted nothing for himself but that he would like something for his people. The Star of David was the result. Few people know that it was Solomon who saved the Army through his financial contributions but died a pauper. I always ask people, 'Why don't you know this?' Your children don't know this, and their history teachers don't know this. Too many veterans have given up too much to ever let the meaning fade. Many veterans remember coming home to an America that didn't care. Too many veterans never came home at all. I for one, plan to share this page with everyone, so they can learn what is on the back of the United States one dollar bill -- and what it stands for!

Grace Baptism

Grace along with her proud parents waiting for the ceremony to begin. I think Grace is wondering why she is in this fancy dress and hat.Doing the Baptism is Linda Pendleton. She is a friend of mine from my part time job at H&R Block. She is also the one that married the proud parents.

Nice family shot. Paige and Grace with their parents and John and Caleb with their parents. Patty's brother and sister in law are Grace's Godparents.Paige and Caleb play while waiting for the meal.And of course there has to be cake and it was delicious.
But little Grace couldn't enjoy the cake. Not yet anyway. But her sister and cousin sure enjoyed theirs.

Happy Veterans Day

Well today we celebrate Veterans Day honoring all those that have served in the past and the present. Although it is a holiday (as it should be) many compnaies opt to save the day for the day after Thanksgiving to give employees a longer weekend. My company is one of those. However, we did not forget that today is still Veterans day. The Managment team puts together a nice tribute every year to honor all veterans. The Veterans line up according to branch of service. Then the service flags are marched in (with the respective song) to stand in front of fellow service members. Then the color guard raises the American Flag. After some very nice remarks by Leadership, it is followed by a moment of silence while taps is played. It is a very fitting tribute to all that have served or are currently serving this great country of ours. I thought this would be a fine time for this picture again.

Happy Veterans day to all.

Haloween not just for kids

This year Deb and I dressed up for Halloween. In case you can't tell, Deb was an outlet and I was the plug. We decided to dress up the basic costume a little and make it look like there was a short circuit.
One thing that is always interesting in our neighborhood is one of our neighbors goes above and beyond when it comes to Halloween decorating. Here are a few of his creatures.

And then of course there are always the grandchildren.

And last but not least is our pumpkin. In the background you can see the eyes of the Halloween Black Cat. He did dress up but wasn't too keen on the idea. Hope everyone had a Happy Halloween. Not long to turkey day...