Communiversity and Pie Throwing in Princeton 4/24/10

I've got whipped cream in my eyes. Ooey gooey.

Let's do this again next year.

We were a real sight on Nassau Street.

The fountain at the Woodrow Wilson School.

Saturday, 4/24/10, was Communiversity day in Princeton. It's an annual event that draws thousands of people. It's sponsored by Princeton University and The Arts Council of Princeton. On the university campus there's a table where students sell pies to throw at volunteer students sitting in chairs just waiting to be splattered on. Well, they aren't actually pies. They're round pieces of cardboard with whipped cream and chocolate on them that resemble pies. Jokingly, I suggested that Anita go there and volunteer to have pies thrown at her. I got that brilliant idea earlier in the day when I saw three little girls volunteer. One of her friends told me that Anita had gone to that area so I went in search of her. Annnnnnnd, there I found her, sitting in a chair, next to her friend Maya, both of them covered in whipped cream and chocolate. I, myself, purchased the one large pie, at $6, to rub in Anita's face. I have to tell you. THAT WAS VERY SATISFYING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Especially since we've been at odds lately. When the girls decided they had had enough, they walked out to Nassau St. and down to Washington Road over to the fountain at the Woodrow Wilson School. I was following behind them and it was hysterical because people were shocked at their appearance and everyone was commenting that they smelled sweet, or smelled like chocolate, or smelled like cake. hahahaha Too funny. When they arrived at the fountain, which was crowded due to the event, they contemplated for a bit about going in as it was chilly. Then, with gusto, they ran in and went straight to the middle of the spray coming out of the sculptor in the middle of the fountain. It took several trips in there to remove all of the whipped cream from their clothes and hair. Then, Anita had to go back to the library, soaking wet, to get her bicycle to ride home. Eeeeeeek! And, to make matters more chilly, the sky became dark and clouded so there was no sun to dry her wet clothes. She had a very chilly ride home and headed right for her room and warm pajamas. Hope you enjoy the pictures posted above. Anita stated that she wants to do it again next year. Okay with me as the money earned went toward cancer research.

Anita's 7th Grade Chorus Concert 4/14/10 - "Our Song Bird"

Anita loves to sing, so she's been in chorus since she started school and chorus was available to her. We attended Anita's chorus concert on 4/14/10. Hopefully the flip video will upload okay. If successful, Anita is all the way on the left, in front of the girl on the top step in the red dress. Anita has a braid on the right side of her head, beige dress with salmon colored sweater. Hope it works. There could be a delay in the video and the sound. I'm new at taking videos. haha

Video to be loaded later.
Not having good luck with uploading the video 4/28/10. I'll try downloading right from the Flip camera.

In tribute to my Aunt Norma Ramsey who passed away on 4/18/10

Even though she couldn't hear well, or see well, she must have smelled the brownies because her eyes lit up when she found them. God Love You Norma. You were one in a million.

With a hole in my heart, I am writing to tell of the passing of my sweet, lovable Aunt Norma. I have felt a special bond with her since I was a child. She and my Uncle Joe married when I was about 10 years old. My family lived in the apartment in the house they bought in Easthampton, MA where I grew up. First, we lost Uncle Joe. He fought in the Korean War, only to come home and die at a young age of a heart attack. Norma never got over the loss of her beloved husband. She was widowed with five children to raise. Life was a struggle and she endured. Norma was a woman of faith and she loved deeply. Her family is going to miss the warmth of her love. I was fortunate to have visited with Norma and my cousins last September. The picture of her above shows her with a brownie in her hand, on its way to her mouth. She wasn't up to eating pizza but as soon as she spotted the brownies, her eyes lit up and she ate two of them. I will always remember the delight in her eyes when she spotted the brownies. I will miss you Norma. You have always held a special place in my heart. That heart goes out to your family, my cousins, who will miss you deeply. I am comforted in knowing that they will always have the memory of your love and support to carry with them forever. And, I feel that your peace at being in God's light and being rejoined with your beloved Joe, and son Franny, makes your passing a little easier to swallow. I will always be thankful for the gift of having you in my life. You are an angel. Farewell.

Antonio's first band concert with 6th grade class

I attended Antonio's very first band concert last week. That's him in the back with the pink shirt and his back to the camera. He was positioned behind the grand piano so I couldn't see him during the concert except for I could see his leg and his foot tapping and occasionally his drum stick. Tried to get him when he was leaving the stage but, camera was too slow so I got his back. Gotta start somewhere, right?

A Perfect Easter Sunday 2010 - Thanks Greg & Laurel

Jumping around a bit with my posts but, I didn't want to leave out Easter Sunday. It was the most beautiful day. Weather was perfect, company was perfect, food was outstanding and just relaxing and fun too. Thanks Greg & Laurel. We've been spending Easter together for many years now. We used to go camping at Jenny Jump State Park. That has changed since Greg now has a menagarie of animals that have to be attended too. Now we hang out at their house where we enjoy his gardens and nearby woods. I always look forward to and enjoy the visits with my son, daughter-in-law and grandchildren along with Laurel's parents and sister. Awesome day!!!!! I love all of you so very much. You are cherished and held warmly in my heart

Hey, Joyce, Rox, Russ and Jess.....Looking GOOD!!!!!!!

Enjoying a perfect Easter Sunday. It was the "most beautiful spring day ever."

Anita looks so beautiful when she's smiling. Bud looks relaxed.

My other daughter Joyce and her significant other. Don't they look cute at their own table?

Man's best friend. He may have arthritis but his mind is as sharp as a tack. Good old boy !

The dogs love Grampa. Poor old Buster couldn't get up to hang with them.

Jess has the most amazing smile. That's my Love Bug!

I think Roxy looks like Avril Lavigne in this photo. What a beauty!

The Easter rabbit brought us five bunnies!

The nest.

The week before Easter, much to our surprise, we found a nest of bunnies smack in the middle of our back yard. Antonio said to me, "Watch out for the hole in the ground." I of course stuck my finger in to investigate and a very loud squeal came from inside the hole. That's how we discovered the babies. On another day, we picked them out of their nest to see how many there were. Anita had done research on the Internet and learned that it was okay to touch them. The Momma would still attend to them if we touched them. We put all five in a basket, seen below. The bunnies were named, Runt, Chubs, The Twins, and Sleepyhead. One day, Anita discovered that Runt had died. He was given a burial and a tombstone. After that, when Anita and Antonio found another bunny was rather small, with Chubs and one of the twins out weighing it, Anita decided to go to the pet store and get a bottle and formula. The little guy took to the bottle after some coaxing and quickly gained weight. Days later, when the bunnies were checked, they hopped out of their nest and started hopping and running around the yard. We snapped some quick pictures while trying to contain them. Notice the big difference in their sizes. With all the commotion, one of the little ones escaped. We never did find him. After that, the decision was made to not lift them out of their nest. Yesterday we discovered they were gone. Sooooo, We know that three stayed the full time in the nest. We'll never know if the one that got away found it's mother on the other side of the fence. We have never seen the rabbit parents. How odd that the parents and offspring are invisible and we may never see them. We thoroughly enjoyed the experience of watching the babies grow. Thank you Momma Bunny!
The five babies.

So tiny.

Big and little.

Small, medium and large.

Snuggling.

Is this the cutest or what?

Goodbye Mrs. Carey. Say "hello" to mom Anita for me.

Today, I attended the funeral for the mother of one of my friends, from the days when I went to St. Anthony's grammar school. Ellen Carey and I were friends all through high school and continue to be to this day. I had lost track of Ellen when she moved to VA. Very recently, last October to be exact, I had hopes of seeing Ellen at our 50th high school reunion. That didn't happen because I got sick. I came across some pictures of us when we were young and wanted to share them with Ellen. As I told her today, I was trying to track her down but, didn't like finding her this way. We have connected and Ellen tells me that she and some other classmates are thinking of getting a luncheon together for our 55th St. Anthony's reunion. Now she has my mail and e-mail addresses.

Now to talk about Mrs. Carey. What a sweet, sweet lady she was. She passed away at age 99. I learned that she had lost her sight and, her hearing was just about gone. She also became frail in the past year. Ellen told me that her Mom was ready to meet her maker. I remember Mrs. Carey with so much fondness. Her door was always open to Ellen's friends. She, my mom and the mom's of our other friends also became chummy. The mom's attended events over the years, mostly going to Broadway shows on bus trips. Mrs. Carey was a very loving, caring and gentle lady. She loved to feed people. She is one of the last of the mom's to leave us, with only Mrs. Houck still among us. I last saw Mrs. Carey at her apartment on Kuser Rd. in Hamilton where I met up with Ellen and some other school chums to have lunch when Ellen was visiting from VA. When I saw her at Mr. Carey's funeral, she tickled me by calling me "Frenchie." My nickname back in my younger days. I was stunned that that was how she remembered me. I would have loved to have visited her one more time, so she could call me "Frenchie" again and, so we could talk about the old days. Not having had that chance, I went to say farewell today to a lady who represents so much goodness, a lady of faith, a lady who loved all children and who was a wonderful mother to her family. Ellen is the shining example of the work her mother accomplished in raising her. You'll be missed Mrs. Carey. God Bless! Give my Mom a hug from me.