The Alligator... Part IV

I really thought that we were though with the whole alligator thing, but the gators thought otherwise. This time I didn't get so close, but the gator was way out of the water, and I let my dogs go to the bathroom, and whoa there is an alligator there.



This is/was not the same as the one before, this one is a bit smaller and not nearly as aggressive. But he/she did come up rather close to the property. So my dogs were not harmed, they didn't even see the animal, and he/she got up and left, and eventually left the pond. When does mating season end again?

Garden Update: Week 20

Well everything is trucking right along. I even got me a tomato out of it. I also got a few tomato horn worms to boot. And more likely than not, some of my tomatoes are going to be ripe while I'm on vacation. That's life I guess.



Here you can see my first tomato, planted from a seed... The cheap seeds that they have at Wal-mart. We will eat it in a salad or make a sandwich or something. You can also see some of the damage that the horn worms did.

Goodbye, Stevie

I got a phone call last night.... And it was my mom, and it was late, around 10pm, she called to tell me that a friend and family member had died. It was the son of my cousin's husband's wife. In writing that I know it is weird. But in reality it is even stranger than that. See my mom was an accident, her brother and sister are almost 20 years her senior (18 and 19 respectfully). So while she was growing up, it was her sisters kids that grew up with her. Unheard of in the 50's right? Well I don't know, but anyway...

I grew up around my cousin's kids (so they're my 2nd cousins) and the guy who died, Stevie, was my cousin's nephew. He was a couple of years older than me, and his death is kind of a shock. Though I hadn't seen him in 15-20 years, he was under 40-years-old, he died a drug addict. For that, I really can't blame anyone except him, it happens, and well, we all make choices and his were clearly not the right choices to make.

But when death happens, it makes one think about things that you normally don't consider or think about. I remember Stevie as a beach blond boy with a Mississippi accent... and simpler times. Well, they probably weren't all that simple, but I didn't worry about the times because I was a kid. I also came to terms with my own mortality. Nobody gets out of life alive. That was what my father told me when he had cancer a few years ago.

So rest in piece, Stevie. I'm sorry I haven't kept in touch, and even sorrier that you made some bad choices in your life.

Walter Battles Incontinence...and Loses

Never a Dull Moment

My daughter came down with Fifth Disease. No big deal really, unless you happen to be pregnant. And even then, it only affects 10% or less of the unborn fetuses. The problem is, my wife knows someone who lost a baby because of this, and so there is a bit of worry there.

It is probably nothing to worry about, but the odds of this happening are strange. Even weirder still, my daughter (who is doing fine) was home the past few weeks. Usually it is spread by kids going to school or daycare. But there was none of that. So who knows. Just another moment in this so called dull life...

Jack Johnson is Vacation

I like me some Jack Johnson. It is music you can just leave on, no matter what else is going on. Plus it makes me feel like I'm on vacation, even when I'm not. So I'm pumping my blog full of Jack Johnson, because I soon will be on vacation. I hope you enjoy...

Where am I Going?

Ok, Sunday is finally here. My wife's parents are gone now, in fact my wife is away too, on some kind of training thing that she wanted to go to. It is just me and the 3-year-old. And the dogs and cat and fish, but still. In a week, we will go to Disney World. Yeah I know, not exactly my place to be, but my wife loves it, and the 3-year-old loves it too. This is the last time they will be able to go for a while as we will have a newborn with by Thanksgiving.

And there are plenty of reasons for me to be happy anyway. Like I have actual vacation time and I'm not dead... enough of a reason huh? And we will take it, relatively easy this time around. Since we'll have a whole week, we won't need to rush around. We're staying at the Wilderness Lodge, which is apparently a "moderate" hotel. And I won't have to worry about anything once we get there. It is kind of like being on a Cruise trip (where I wanted to go, but it cost more so we settled on Disney World).

But for now, it is just me and a 3-year-old for 3 days. Life will move a little slower I think, and I'm glad for that.