The End (Lennon/McCartney)

1. I love Jack Bauer!

2. Fruit smoothies & granola are foods I love to eat for breakfast.

3. It seems I'm always searching for Ethan’s shoes whenever we have to go somewhere.

4. Watching 24 episodes with commentary is a great way to end the day.

5. I think I am a little obsessed with a certain television drama!

6. Crab legs dipped in butter is what I've been craving lately.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to watching disc 3 of 24: Season 7, tomorrow my plans include blowing off the film school open house and Sunday, I want to go to church, hear some awesome special music by my own Ms. Alex & stay for a VBS meeting!

all the pictures of the boys are at the community pool, the black & white is Alex's self portrait in the car rear view mirror (kinda cool), the self snap of me was a sneaky way to get a shot of my mom chillin' poolside (see her in the background), and the bottom is Ms. Brulee after her appointment

Got up fairly early today, well, early for me, showered, rounded up the troops for a quick house straightening, then loaded everyone up and motored down to Grosse Pointe to my mom's house. I did a full clean on her house while Alexandra worked on her hi-speed pulling entries for me, and the boys assisted gramma outside with some garden chores. After everyone completed those tasks we had some lunch then went over to the pool for a quick dip. Aaaah. Felt good. Next we stopped at the groomer and picked up Ms. Brulee who looked fabulous with her new cut and bow. Back at the house the boys chilled and watched some Disney shows while I took mom's bike out for a ride. My wunderlust and delinquent nature got the best of me as I started snooping around some abandoned houses in the area. One in particular that I have always been intrigued by I stopped to check out and found to my delight that a side door was open! I couldn't resist and ventured in. Oh my goodness this place was huge, I almost got lost in there. It had a master kitchen, prep kitchen, a double sided fridge/freezer deal (like you could open it from two different rooms), a courtyard at the center of the house with a fountain, a living room that was probably the square footage of my whole house, 10 bathrooms, 6 bedrooms and each one had another attached walk-in closet with drawers, shelves, & cabinets built in, there was a large regular staircase and another servants staircase, an attached garage, with another room above that (although I didn't find my way into it). I don't even think I made it into all the parts of the house because I was afraid of getting caught I didn't want to start opening doors and making noise so I just quietly toured and made a quick getaway. Got back to mom's and googled the address. Found an old realtor listing (there is no sign out front at present) that stated it was 9500 sq. ft., was owned by a doctor, had a list price of a mere $850,000 (I'm sure a fraction of what it was going for in its heyday) and a yearly tax bill of over $25,000. It appears as though it has been empty for some time and there are structural issues definately but it was just a cool little escapade. I wanna go back and snoop around some more - wish I had the camera with me, maybe next time.....

Here, There and Everywhere (Lennon/McCartney)

Whew, this blogging daily is tough,

I'm glad there's only one more day left in the month.

I'll be taking at least the weekend off from blogging

so I can get out and see what

new things are happening...

or maybe I'll have to make some things

happen on my own!

Act Naturally (Morrison/Russell)

Feeling a little bit on the upswing today. Decaffeinated my system again, going on the third day without coffee. I don't know if it's the instant coffee or powdered french vanilla creamer but after a few days of drinking that stuff I feel soooo bloated. Starting to get some energy back, got a file of TVonDVD entries finished, sent and invoiced, always a mood booster. I need to get more focused with my yoga and set aside regular time to practice, right now I do what is best described as a "spontaneous yoga practice" which means I randomly bust out into a pose or two whenever, waiting for something to load on the computer or warm in the microwave, or in between random tasks during the day and I always stretch with the boys at the gym, but I'm longing to have a fuller experience. I've been looking for a place to take a regular weekly class but haven't found one that gels with my schedule or pocketbook yet. But I will.

-------

The boys have been enjoying their lazy summer days but Fox in particular is ready to have school back in session again. Ben is at the brink of boredom himself and is looking forward to the school routine as well. Ethan on the other hand is not so quick to jump back in but is talking positively about the new year. This will be a very busy and challenging academic season, with Alex being a senior, working, and being dual enrolled; Fox starting Junior High school, a new daily routine, and cross-country practice after school; Ben will be playing AYSO soccer out of Imlay City this fall instead of with the North Branch Rec. like we have in the past, and Ethan will be competing Level 4 this year with gymnastics practices 3 times a week in Rochester and competitions on the weekends. Plus, I think I will be overseeing the vocal practices for the high school musical 'Grease' for the fall production. Alex volunteered me, Mr. Sorenson said he'd have me, now we have to work out the details. So, I guess I'll have to enjoy my down time while it lasts, until about, oh.....September 8th, then we hit the ground running!

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But now it's time to watch some more of the Jack in action!

24: Season 7, Disc 2!!

Wait (Lennon/McCartney)

for everything there is a season

After looking over the film school materials,

even if I had the $ there is no way

I could commit the time,

not right now

I do enjoy time just sitting out back

watching the muskrats bring materials to their lair

back and forth across the pond.

I sit as still as I can and just listen

and watch, feel the breeze

an active meditation

Going up?

I Wanna Hold Your Hand (Lennon/McCartney)

Been in a sort of funk today. As I thought about it driving around tonight I think it is a combination of many things.

1) Eating badly over the last week - to much red meat, sugar & caffeine .

2) I'm not in charge of anything this summer - weird .

3) Usually at this time I would be searching for educational material for the new year but since I'm not homeschooling any more that is not happening.

4) I haven't gone to church for the last couple weeks but I really didn't want to because I'm feeling out of touch there, like I can't be my true self.

5) I know I'm supposed to do something else with my life but I don't know what it is yet.

6) I'm ready for a new change of living environment, I like the country but I'm sort of over it.

7) It is strange not having Rob around during the week, and starting to wear on me a little bit being the only parent in authority ALL the time.

Seriously if all I had to do was sleep, watch 24, and wander around taking pictures I could be cool with that. But I think my family would start to take issue not having food, clean clothes, rides to places, etc. I just have no motivation. If I knew someone that had prescription medication to "pick me up" I'd try it right now.

On the way home tonight Alex and I were talking about choices, opportunities, college, jobs, etc. She told me she has "it all planned out," her life that is. I told her, "I had a plan to when I was your age and you know what, everything I have right now, none of it was in the plan." I'm not saying what I have now is bad, just different than what I thought my life would be. Very different.

Blue Jay Way (Harrison)

Namaste.

Tomorrow Never Knows (Lennon/McCartney)

my latest attempt:

to snap Alex in her BK clothes

Does anyone have pictures of areas around Michigan?

Just scenery, not with people.

I'm contemplating putting together a location database

but don't want to have to physically go to every place.

Thought maybe friends and family could help supply some photos.

Email me at: robinparton@intouchmi.com

Please include city, county, state park, date taken,

and other pertinent info about the area.

Thanks in advance!

Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da (Lennon/McCartney)

1. Losing a job is not the end of the world.
2. Catch Me If You Can-Screenplay is the book I'm reading right now.
3. Fresh berries taste so good!
4. Sometimes, putting others first is necessary; other times futile.
5. Take time to think it over.
6. Well, maybe there is a solution I haven’t thought of yet.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to a date night, tomorrow my plans include writing TVonDVD entries and Sunday, I want to chill-ax and hopefully do some house projects.



The boys are going to a Tiger game today with Uncle James and Grandpa Q. It's their annual summer boy bonding time. Last year they went to Chicago for the game but today they will be at Comerica Park. Looks like a great day for baseball!


OH! Laaaa, la, la, la, life goes on......

I'm Looking Through You (Lennon/McCartney)

Feeling almost Charlie Brownish this week. Like, "things actually don't seem so miserable lately," I'm "hopefully pessimistic," and "learning to be content in my delinquency."

Highlight of my week: taking advantage

of having the 10 yard dumpster here

and getting rid of trash

from various areas around the property.

Yea, sad.

Played around with effects on some photos taken over the past few months.

Drive My Car (Lennon/McCartney)

Today the boys and I loaded up in the car to head to swim lessons as usual, turned the key and ... nothin'. Dash lights came on, head lights, horn, but hardly a click to turn the engine over. Tried to jump it with the tractor. No go. Called Rob, he suggested putting it on the battery charger for a while. Did that. Obviously we weren't going to make it to lessons. Consulted with my father-in-law, he thinks its not the battery. Thankfully a friend of my father-in-law's was stopping by the house to pick up a trailer to go get a car and he is a master mechanic. Within moments he realized the problem, one of the battery connections was bad and there was corrosion around the positive. Cleaned it with some Cherry Coke, cut off the bad connection, exposed the wires and tucked it under the battery bracket. Viola, it turned over. So we were still good to get to gymnastics later. Stopped by Dairy Queen so the boys could get their free cones they won for Summer Reading, hit the Rochester Hills Public Library to update their hours and pick some new books. Now, I'm checking out shooting scripts, I have one from 'Shawshank Redemption' (one of my all time favorite flicks) and 'Catch Me if You Can.' The car is being installed with a new battery connection as I write. Thanks!

While My Guitar Gently Weeps (Harrison)

Do you want to improve the world?

I don't think it can be done. The world is sacred.

It can't be improved. ~Lao-Tzu

Today as I sat poolside during the boys' swim lessons I read teachings from 'Meditations from the Mat" on the second niyama, santosa (contentment) and the third, tapas (burning zeal in practice). Niyamas are the fundamental practices to sustain a love-based life. "Santosa is just that-an alternative way to move through the world. It is a shift of focus. Instead of seeking contentment from the outside in, we find contentment from the inside out. The paradigm shift comes when we view all events as opportunties to grow, to encounter our own magnificence. When we view things in this light, there are no good events or bad events, only moments in which to shine." "Tapas is the spirit of inquiry; it is about having the heart of an explorer. It is the willingness to work hard in practice, the desire to know oneself, the will to be honest."

What is it that makes it so hard sometimes to determine whither we will walk? I believe that there is a subtle magnetism in Nature, which, if we unconsciously yield to it, will direct us aright.

~Henry David Thoreau

This afternoon my mind became over taken by, two words:

FILM SCHOOL

I even made the bold move to sign up for an Open House on August 1 at Michigan Picture Institute in Troy. It is an intensive one-year program that prides itself with "on-the-set education." I did some online searching and found there are many production companies in Michigan that are thriving thanks to Granholm's tax incentives to film in the state. My desire is to be a location scout and oversee other organizational pre-production duties. The gal on the phone said I'd be really popular since most people that attend the school want to be directors or screenwriters. Still in the fledgling stages of idealism, the schedule could invariably be dealt with although it would be a seriously crazy year, but the biggest obstacle by far is in a word:

MONEY

Since obstacles are also opportunities, let the games begin.

Any leads on funding would be greatly appreciated.

Please leave info in a comment.

Lyrics & Trivia

Hello Goodbye (Lennon/McCartney)

Not really feeling very blog-a-tive today.

Hardly even spoke except when I was coaching.

Swim lessons,

push mowed,

watched 24: Redemption

while it rained outside my window,

went down to coach,

good practice.

Another edit magic photo from my bike ride archives.

Maybe Tuesday I'll feel more conversational.

A Little Help From My Friends (Lennon/McCartney)

Fixin' a Hole (Lennon/McCartney)

Friday materials were delivered for the roofing project. Saturday Rob's cousin R.J. and his buddy J.J. and Uncle Rick showed up bright and early to get to work. We were blessed to have R.J.'s help since he does roofing for a living. He hooked us up with an awesome deal on materials and does great work. EVERYBODY worked, from Grandpa Wendell to Fox, Ben and Ethan. Cousin Paul & Don showed up to help and later in the day cousin Karl lent a hand and Alex's boyfriend Caleb also. Gramma Genny came out to work her magic with the grill and Alex was her lunchtime helper.

While the older Parton boy cousins were working on the roof the boys and I headed out for a combo birthday party with some cousins on my side. My cousins Amy and Elizabeth celebrated their kids' birthdays together. Mallory turned one, and Josh is five. I boogied my way down to the farm where Amy lives, a beautiful place off the end of Mead Rd., listening to Anne Delise's Dance Party on WDET. She was spinning some classic '80s stuff from Inner City, Bee Gees, Yaz, and the like. They had quite a turnout and there were more kids there than I expected. I snuck in some hugs and giggles with Mallory before too many people showed up and got plenty of Evan snuggles (even gave him a bottle). Didn't get to love on Elijah though, he's another one of our littles ones and is pretty shy still. But I know his dad, that won't last long. (Shout out to Emil!) Ben and Ethan had a ball in the bounce house and playing with the other kids. Fox being the oldest kid there spent most of the time with his nose in a book. He's engrossed in 'Flowers for Algernon' ever read it? It's good.

A bonus for the day was seeing my old buddy from high school, Debba. She was up from Atlanta to show her fiancee Dennis around her old stomping grounds. For simplicity's sake I invited her over to crash the party (as my Alex and Rob fill-ins) and thankfully my cousins are the best and went with the flow. Actually, Amy hit a few graduation parties with Deb and I in the day but I'll save that for another blog. I called to check on the crew at the house before I headed back to see if they needed anything, apparently they were on a break in the garage due to a sudden downpour. It didn't last too long however and they got back to work. On the way home I caught another fantabulous WDET show, Rev. Robert Jones' Gospel Show, oh yeah! By the time I arrived back at the house they had the roof wrapped, although it is still a mess out there. That will be my job tomorrow, the final clean-up, with my ultimate three-boy crew.

And Your Bird Can Sing (Lennon/McCartney)

Yesterday was mellow. I am loving this current weather, this is my kind of summer. Not hot, just sunny with a little breeze. The boys had their last swim lesson of the week. I am amazed at the improvements they've made since three summers ago. All have gained great confidence in the water. Fox is doing well working on the different back strokes, and has a strong front crawl. Ben and Ethan are in a class together and are the strongest in the group, albiet this is the second time Ethan took the class and Ben's third. I think passing is imminent.

In the afternoon I dropped Alex off at work then drove over to my mom's house to check out one of the free concerts in the the plaza. The leader of the group, Ron Kischuk was one of my instructors when I went to Oakland University, he taught a Business of Music class. He's quite a cut-up and a proficient trombonist as well. Good times. I just love hanging out and listening to jazz. Big Band, blusey stuff is really my ultimate fav. Vocal jazz really isn't too much my thing, although they had a wonderful singer, Jeannine Miller featured last night, even if the selections were rather mellow for my taste. Ethan was goofing around with the camera with me and actually took several that I used on the collage today. It was nearly midnight by the time we got home.

Still haven't been successful getting a snap of Alex in her Burger King clothes. So far this is the best I've gotten. This leads me to offer a challenge, anyone who can get a picture of her working at the back window with her smiling face showing, I'll buy them a Hershey Pie. Yum!

Friday Fill-In

1. Today is everything it is going to be.

2. Black and white and read all over.

3. Sometimes you just have to punt.

4. And if I told you once, I told you a thousand times, if you got it out then put it away!

5. French Vanilla, Peppermint, and Mocha are the best flavors for coffee.

6. North Branch is the closest town to my house (and it doesn't have a stoplight).

7. As for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to shopping and working, tomorrow my plans include a family birthday party and seeing an old friend from high school, and Sunday I want to see a new roof on my house and stop by Pastor and Diana's Good-bye Celebration.

Dizzy Miss Lizzy (Larry Williams)

The boys and I were fortunate enough to get out for a bike ride even though rain was predicted. We headed out across Leach Rd. and caught the Clinton River Trail this time heading west, instead of east traveling past the Twist & Dip, the church, the Lumber Yard, Avondale High School, the I-75 overpass to Opdyke Rd.; from there we turned it back around and headed back but instead of taking the trail all the way we veered off through the neighborhood over to check on cousin Emily who is nursing an injured foot. Amazingly the kid plays seriously aggressive soccer (goalie even) and has never been majorly hurt, but two days at an academic camp and she trips down some stairs and fractures her foot! Anyway, she must have hung out at a friend's house while mom and dad were working so we just said 'hello' to their massive dog Otto through the window and pedaled back on down the road, caught the sidewalk on Auburn and rode that home. We only caught a little spattering of rain for about five minutes but the rest of the day was clear.

Chilled for a little bit, Ethan jumped in the pool, ate a little, then went over to GTC for a rather warm practice. I only had three of my boys there last night and everyone was behaving pretty well, we even worked together with some of the upper level teams since everyone was low in numbers. Pretty typical for summer. Alex was dropped off at her friend Anna's before we went down to Rochester, the two of them hung out then she went to church with them. Apparently the numbers there were pretty scare last evening also.

Rob is putting things in place to work on the roof this weekend. I'm believing for the weather to cooperate although 30%-40% chance of rain is predicted, but who knows where it will actually fall. Hopefully not over North Branch. Well, it seemed as if another normal end to a long, semi-tiring day but no, as I was just yards from pulling into Kings Mill, going northbound on Lake Pleasant, I stopped because the vehicle in front of me was turning left into his house. He had to yield for a car coming in the opposite direction so we actually came to complete stop. He turned, I started forward, heard tires squeal, then felt the impact from behind. A twenty-something gal didn't give herself enough room to stop and clipped me on the back passenger corner, lost the back panel and the tail light cover, the back door is also unable to open. Thankfully everyone was alright but since a good samaritan who pulled over after hearing the impact, quickly called the police I had to sit there for another hour and deal with that at 10:30pm. Ugh. The call was really stupid since we both only had PLPD and neither would be making any claim. But, ok, thanks mister. I wish I would have been bold enought to say a call wouldn't be neccessary. I thanked the Lord last night that we were blessed and protected. If she would have hit us straight on we really could have been hurt as some friends of mine know all to well.

Then to make things seem even more ominous when Ben went to let the chickens out this morning one was laying dead in the coop. Yuck, that's never a fun thing to deal with. I feel like I'm experiencing some sort of karmic fluctuation. Let's hope it's only temporary.

END NOTES:

- Song chosen for today's title is not written by the Beatles but is on the Live from the Hollywood Bowl album.

- Yes, I do make up my own Friday-Fill Ins

- I make my collages with Microsoft Picture It! Photo Premium 9

In My Life (Lennon/McCartney)

Needed a little levity today,

nothing heavy, nothing deep,

nothing to make my mind swim.

.

Namaste.

Getting Better (Lennon/McCartney)

When I decided to use Beatles songs to title my postings this month I figured since there are so many in their catalog I would attempt to post daily. It's more challenging than I thought it would be, but I press on. What's up? Rob sent me a cryptic email a short while ago that he has a check in his possession, that's all I know. Not sure how much it's for, but at least it's a step in the right direction.

The boys are doing swimming lessons at the Imlay City Pool this week and next. Unfortunately it has been a little chilly but not too terrible for them when they are in the water. I sit poolside in pants and a shirt, but no jacket. A friend from Seeds of Faith Co-op has her daughter in the class after ours so we have a few minutes to chat during the change-over. Cheryl and I have a kindred connection in that our husbands are of similar mind-sets in many areas and we've faced similar challenges job and family wise. It's always nice when you know other people are dealing with the same 'spiritual growth' opportunities that you do, makes you feel you're not alone in this big crazy, jumbled up world of ours.

Work wise for me I am getting ready to start writing more TVonDVD entries but unfortunately my home greening and decluttering efforts are not being carried out as effectively as I'd like but with the boys around everyday it's really pointless to even hope for a total decluttered state. We'll get there eventually (like in ten years when they've all moved out!). The main task at hand lately is to get everyone in the house to understand the concept of picking up after themselves! I wake up in the morning, come out of my room, and I know exactly what everyone did by the trail they've left behind. Anybody relate, can I get an Amen!? Fox has made the most improvement but we're all still in training.

Recycling efforts are still going well, although I have been rescuing items from the trash again lately and I gave up on the small compostable paper separating, instead just throwing them in with regular recycleable paper. Also, I am feeling good about the miles of walking and biking that I'm starting to log for the summer. When I was staying at my mom's I took her bike out and got a couple really good rides in, probably up to nearly 40 miles riding so far, maybe 15 walking. Tomorrow the boys and I are hoping to check out another section of the Clinton River Trail if the weather cooperates.

Chin Up Peoples & have a Terrific Tuesday!

All You Need Is Love (Lennon/McCartney)

... to make healthy brownies. What? Well, healthier.


Had a couple bananas that needed to be used, and I really wasn't in the mood to make banana bread so I got an inspiration to healthy up a brownie mix (on sale @ Meijer $.76). In addition to the banana I added some wheat germ and creamy peanut butter with the 2 eggs, 1/2 c. oil and 1/4 c. water. I add wheat germ to almost everything I bake, it hardly disturbs the taste if you use it moderately and it adds great digestive benefit.


Ethan made a great thrifty purchase this weekend, an awesome bike he paid for all by himself with his own money. He got it for $5 from the neighbor boy...









... who upgraded.






Rob headed off to work this morning at 8am as usual. I told him to keep me posted. Pastor choose to give his last sermon from Hebrews 11, the faith chapter. Interesting choice, and timely, I tithed in faith that this week will have a positive outcome.

We now take a Beatles break for a little Nietzsche