Brock-a-brella (204/366)

“If a woman rebels against high-heeled shoes, she should take care to do it in a very smart hat”

George Bernard Shaw (Irish literary Critic, Playwright and Essayist. 1925 Nobel Prize for Literature, 1856-1950)

TIME:  9:32 PM
PLACE:  Kitchen
SUBJECT:  StellaDella modeling her “Brock-a-brella”

We went to the flea market this morning, DQ, SD and I.  SD found this umbrella hat, aka the “Brock-a-brella” (a umbrella hat, invented by St. Louis Baseball Cardinal Hall of Famer, Lou Brock and Richard H. Nielson) and had to have it.  She wore it while browsing the booths.  Of course, this thoroughly embarrassed her older sister who didn’t want to be seen next to her at. all.  I did get DQ to take a photo of SD wearing it at the flea market for me as both my cell phone and camera batteries were dead. 


TIME:  9:22 AM
PLACE:  Flea market
SUBECT:  StellaDella
(photo by DramaQueen)

I thought she looked adorable.

Market & Tucker (096/365)

“If you cannot get rid of the family skeleton, you may as well make it dance.”

George Bernard Shaw (Irish literary Critic, Playwright and Essayist. 1925 Nobel Prize for Literature, 1856-1950)

TIME:  1:24 PM
PLACE:  Market St. and Tucker, St. Louis
SUBJECT:  Looking east down Market

Last week I discovered that my paternal grandfather had been involved in an automobile accident with a buggy and was arrested back in 1922.  I had sent a letter to the St. Louis Police Dept. to see if I could find out any more information and they called me yesterday stating that they had located a 1-page report on the incident.  I went to the Police Station in downtown St. Louis to pick it up after work.  There wasn’t much in the report that wasn’t already in the newspaper, EXCEPT that it named the owner of the car my grandfather was driving.  The owner’s name was Vito Geonollo aka Vito Giannola  - a leader of “The Sicilian Green Ones” gang in St. Louis during Prohibition.  Hmmmm, was Grandpa a gang member?  Maybe this could be the reason there was tension between him and the rest of his family.  Back in the late 1980’s, I was visiting with him on a Sunday afternoon; he was in a talkative mood and casually mentioned that once he had some “trouble with guns” and had to “hide away for a few days”.  He wouldn’t elaborate anymore than that.  Grandpa passed away in 1989 while I was a senior at college.  I wish I could have spoken with him more – I have a feeling that he led a very interesting life as a young man.

Summer Candles (188/365)

 
“Life is no brief candle to me. It is a sort of splendid torch which I have got a hold of for the moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it onto future generations.”

George Bernard Shaw (Irish literary Critic, Playwright and Essayist. 1925 Nobel Prize for Literature, 1856-1950)

TIME:  9:47 PM
PLACE:  Living room
SUBJECT:  Candle decoration

I have a round glass tray that I use for seasonal candle displays.  In the summer I use this blue mosaic holder, rocks and shells along with other candles for a summer beach theme.  I lit them tonight because there was a strong wet dog odor in my house ~ not my favorite smell.   We had summer showers late this afternoon and early evening and Oreo got soaked when she went outside to do her business.  Poor doggie, I know she can’t help that she stinks.

DramaQueen & The Bean (305/365)

When our relatives are at home, we have to think of all their good points or it would be impossible to endure them. 

George Bernard Shaw (Irish, playwright, critic, political activist, 1856-1950)

TIME:  6:12 PM
PLACE:  The Dining Room
SUBJECT:  DramaQueen and her cousin The Bean

First off, I’d like to know just who took my extra hour today…I really could have used it as we had DQ’s family party this evening and even with that extra hour, I still didn’t feel I had enough time to get everything accomplished!  I didn’t even get to take a photo today, so this one is lifted from HH’s camera.  Anyway, the “Bean” is my sister’s second child and also the youngest grandchild in the family.  She will be 4 years old at the end of December and my lord is she a pistol.  Already I’m feeling sorry for the man she marries.  She is bossy, stubborn, opinionated and T-r-o-u-b-l-e (note the capital “T”).  I just love her!  She was born in December of 2005, so unfortunately, Mom never got to meet her.  But I’m sure that she is up there laughing at how the Bean gives my sister so much grief.

Sleepover Scene (158/365)

 
“The essence of childhood, of course, is play, which my friends and I did endlessly on streets that we reluctantly shared with traffic.”

Bill Cosby (American Actor, Comedian and Producer. b.1937, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA)

TIME:  11:04 PM
PLACE:  The living room
SUBJECT:  DramaQueen, her BFF and various Little People

DramaQueen asked to have her BFF spend the night.  I agreed and they have giggled, whispered and banished StellaDella from playing with them...eliciting a waterfall of tears from SD and a lecture from me about being nice and would they please include the little sister for 30 minutes; and then an explanation to SD about how sometimes older kids need time alone to play with their friends.  Here, they have unearthed all of our Little People figures, houses, garage, farm and other accessories from the basement and have set up an elaborate scene in the living room.

Here I Come Mom! (139/365)

 
“We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.”

George Bernard Shaw (Irish literary Critic, Playwright and Essayist. 1925 Nobel Prize for Literature, 1856-1950)

TIME:  1:31 PM
PLACE:  Tri-Township Park
SUBJECT: StellaDella

My sister, Cathy, babysat StellaDella today while I went to a doctor's appointment.  Afterwards, we picked up the dreaded McDonald's and went to a park near her house.  SD and my nephew and niece played on the play structure for about an hour.  Cathy and I attempted to sit on our butts and chat, but the children and their incessant demands to watch them as they went down the slide and to push them on the swings prevented us from expanding our bottoms.

"Watch me Mom!"
"Mooooom! Are you watching me?"
"Watch me go down the slide."
"Are you watching me now?"
"Here I go....."
"Did you see me?"
"Aunt Suzy, now you watch me!" 

Good gravy, how pesky is that?

Self-Portrait (009/365)

  

“You use a glass mirror to see your face;
you use works of art to see your soul”

George Bernard Shaw (Irish literary Critic, Playwright and Essayist. 1925 Nobel Prize for Literature, 1856-1950)

TIME: 3:14 pm

PLACE: My bathroom mirror

SUBJECT: Me

Here is my first attempt at a self-portrait. It was a whole lot harder than I thought it would be! I had the viewfinder open and kept looking down at the camera and took many shots that looked like I was sleeping. Looking at this picture, my first thought is: Lordy, do I look like my mother (which isn't a bad thing). My second thought is: Sweet mother of Abraham Lincoln!... do I have dark circles or what!