Delurking Day and Pictures of Jim, Melissa and Two Youngest

Zachary James Kent Clark - 5 days old. Look at those cheeks!!

Jim and Melissa

I don't know why this is so fuzzy but at least you can get an idea of the little porker's size

Jonathan showing off for his dad. They're playing pass the pacifier.

More Jonathan showing off

Melissa and Zachary - once again fuzzy

It's my opinion that Jonathan put a hex on my camera for all the pictures he wasn't in.

They took me to brunch yesterday and I remembered to bring the camera. I had the pictures yesterday but by last night I was too fuzzy myself to do much. Blogger was down until six and by then all I wanted to do was relax. I have a couple of cute videos too, maybe for my next post. Jonathan and his dad were playing games. Jim's on leave for the rest of the week and that boy will sure miss him when he heads back to the border.

Melissa looks great. She and I are much alike in that respect. Have the baby, get up, and plow another acre. I've never had a nine pounder though. My biggest was seven pounds (3.18 kilograms or 1/2 stone) even.

Zachary woke up just before we were ready to leave. Great set of lungs on the kid!!

Jonathan is 18 months old. He's talking a little and understands most of what we say to him. He's as much of an imp as he appears to be.

Jim's oldest child, Samantha, is now 18. She has a driver's license, a car, a job, and has started Junior College. Her two brothers are both in high school. Little Jimmie (not very little anymore) is a junior; Michael a sophomore. He's six months older than Elcie.

All is well here. Ray was supposed to see the doctor yesterday but our friend's car broke down in our driveway so I rescheduled for next week. I think it will be better timing. His leg is almost completely healed and I have a feeling the surgeon may discharge him when he sees him next. The nurse will be here this morning and I'm sure he'll be pleased too. The worst wound has healed to the point where I can no longer "pack" it. By next week, they may even take him off the insulin. No more finger sticks 4 times a day and no more jabbing of needles. Yippee!!

The car is fixed. One of the cables shorted out the battery. Of course I feel guilty.

I've had a burst of ambition the past couple of days. Put our summer clothes away, hung the winter things, sorted our dresser drawers and made more space, redid the closets and the two pantries. I'd done a fair job when we moved in but now that I've been here for a while I have a much better idea of space. It's amazing how little space the two of us use. Music, books, and videos are the biggest culprits and, even with that, we're doing fine thanks to the extra shelving my friends installed.

Dawn and I did our grocery shopping for the month on Saturday (I went a little overboard) and then I snuck out for coffee. I'd been housebound all week and was going a little stir crazy. It doesn't seem to bother Ray; he'd rather be home.

The girls call often. Rebecca had a good Halloween and birthday (same day) and she told me the last time we talked she was good all day. She and Rochelle had a case of the giggles for some reason.

I woke up a little after 4 this morning. I had the alarm set for 5:45 so I could take out the garbage. Last week I took it out after dinner and by morning my next door neighbor had piled my "wet garbage" can so high sanitation wouldn't pick it up. Dawn and I unpiled it into a huge trash bag and left it on the neighbor's front lawn. Once I could close the lid (still with a bunch of the neighbor's garbage inside), I called sanitation and they came back. It's the second time it's happened. Sanitation suggested that I put them out early in the morning; the theory being be that people who do that sort of thing aren't apt to be up at the crack of dawn.

I'm glad I hadn't put the recycle can out. Heaven knows what that would have looked like. Recycle is "clean" trash (paper, cans, bottles) and I usually can skip at least one week. She doesn't bother with the recycling - just jams everything in however she can. She didn't even put her own overflowing cans out. I don't know what she did with them but the last time I saw them they were both spilling over.

I know it was the neighbor because we found pieces of her junk mail which should have been in recycle anyhow. She's moved since but just one door down. She won't have curb pickup where she is now because she's in an apartment, not a house. The dumpsters on the back alley are big and maybe that will give her enough space.

I was not happy but in a few more weeks Ray will be able to help or go back to his old "garbage job". The cans are on wheels and not all that heavy but I'm short and they're not so I struggle.

Sorry about that. I got a little obsessed about garbage, didn't I.

I have country style boneless spareribs in the crockpot. They'll be done by dinner. This morning should be my usual coffee date with friend Janet. I haven't heard from her yet so don't know if we're on or not. Hope so - we had to skip last week.

I've fallen behind on so many things lately. Reading your posts, welcoming new visitors, the blog roll, adding banners to my sidebar. I'm ashamed. Some day I'll catch it all back up.

Meantime, welcome to Karen H. of Caraway, AR which is right up the road from Jonesboro where I lived for eight years. That brings my J'boro metropolitan area friends up to 4 I think. Diane and her two sisters (Cecil and Donna) and now Karen. Oops, it's 5. I omitted Diane's daughter Jessica who has her own blog.

And to Naomi, Old, Old Lady of the Hills (in Los Angeles). I think I mentioned her wonderful blog before and may have included a link.

I'll go back through the comments and see who else I missed. I have several new names on the guest book. They haven't commented so I'll thank them here for signing. I need to have a "delurking day". Now is as good a time as any. If you're reading and not commenting, drop by and say hi (if you want to - there are no rules).

Carmen's husband, Mike, left a last post on her blog thanking everyone for their support and prayers. I thank you as well. I wish the outcome had been different but, since it wasn't, may she be pain free and at peace.

And now I must go deal with the garbage. Thanks for the comments and take care everyone.