Over the river and through the woods....

Over the river and through the woods......

And the kid doesnt shut up......

I know I have been posting some weird stuff lately but you can blame it on all the meds that I have been taking. Im feeling pretty darn good today. Id like to get used to it but you know that wont happen til that damn tree is removed. It smells like someone either puked on it and it grew into a life form or something died in it. Either way, its the same thing. Its really sad that the squirrels dont even go in it. Its also split down the middle so that could be contributing to it.

Anywho, this post is pretty much going to be some ramblings that I havent posted about yet. Alot of things have been happening while I was sick and I just couldnt put things together. Not that I can when Im well either. Last Saturday I went to a party. Yeah, can you tell I dont get out much. Well this was a pretty special occasion. It marked my step-grandfather's 90th birthday. Its not that often that you get to hang out with someone that has been around that long. But to meet this man, you wouldnt know he was that old.

So my mom and her boyfriend picked me and Cami up at the house at about 10:30am. On a Saturday that is pretty early for me. And they didnt even stop to get me coffee. I havent even had a pepsi yet. What does that tell you. Im half asleep and pretty grumpy. Nah. I wasnt grumpy but I could have been. So off we head to the Thruway. Now mind you that we are all in a minivan. A very comfortable one though. Just sort of cramps the style.

We are heading down the highway and mom decides to let Mouse know that we are getting off at a specific exit. So we continued down the highway talking and chattering with Cami about her week and how school was. You know, basic banter to keep her occupied. She was watching the mountains and the river. Things she normally doesnt see when we are on the road. Even though she has been on this road a few times. Shes young and forgets. But also remember that she never shuts up.

So we are approaching the exit where I got off to pick up Mindy and mentioned it. Mouse asked mom if that was the exit they needed to get off at now and she said yes and told him what route he needed to be on. So he gets off, pays the toll and then mom says...oops.... She got off the wrong exit. So I tell him to get to that route that she wants to take a right and follow that through. I know where Im going. Even if she doesnt and she once lived here.

Mouse: Is this the exit we need to get off at?
Mom: Yeah and turn right onto route ~~~.
Me: No this isnt the one she wants.
Mouse: Are you sure?
Me: Yes Im sure.
Mom: Yes this is the exit.
*Mouse gets off and pays the toll and stops at the intersection*
Mom: Crap, this isnt the right exit.
Me: I told you so.
Mouse: Now where do we go then?
Mom: I dont know.
Me: Turn right onto ~~.
Mouse: Are you sure?
Me: Yes. Take that road for a few miles and you will come to Route ~~~.
Mom: Im lost.
Me: Duh.

All in all, it was a nicer ride than the Thruway. We passed through small towns and Cami was full of questions. Even saw a few cows. Ok, so we saw alot of cows. We are in dairy farm country. But it was a nice peaceful ride. But mind you that she still isnt shutting up. So I got him to the right road that he was supposed to be on and mom now recognizes where she needs to be. Sheesh. You would think it was harder than this. Im not even from the area and I know where to go. No, you dont have to tell me again.

Our first stop is to go to see my great-aunt Irene. Shes on my mom's fathers side. His sister to be exact. She lives in a nursing home. She will be 93 in August. Shes still very active and gets around quite well. She has a walker because she had hip surgery. She was quite the wild child in her day and remembers it all. I love sitting with her and listening to her tell her tales. I love to go and visit her. Cami thinks shes the greatest person in the world and thats a good thing that she has someone to look up to like that.

So after that we decided on a snack before we head out further. We are having a huge dinner later. Mouse is diabetic so we need something for the time being. What do you think Mom gets? Doughnuts. Yep, those sugary things that make little kids bounce off the ceiling. But while I wasnt looking, grandma gets her a scoop of icecream with sprinkles. Oh and she gets one for me too. As if that would make things better. She truely doesnt know what she is in for. Usually she will give the kids sweets and send them home. Not this time. She will sugar her up and have to spend the rest of the day with her. Shes in for a fun ride now. Not my fault this time. Note that I said, this time.

Oh, and her and Mouse had hotdogs. Yeah, Stewarts Shop hot dogs. Gross if you ask me. Not exactly the thing I would be getting. Those things have been on a roller all morning. They should be pretty much alive by now. And not only that, they put hot peppers on them. Yep, just the thing for a long car trip. Makes you hate sitting in the back seat. And also Cami had a chocolate milk. You know, the one in the large plastic bottle that only has a snap-on top. Now where will she keep this thing in the van? Ha. In the cup hold on my side. Remember that one because you will find out what happened to it later.

So we are back on the road again. Going through the town that my mom grew up in and shes telling Mouse all the stories that I have heard at least a hundred times over the years. I still like to hear them because they are quite funny. Now you know where I get it from. Next stop is the restaurant where they are having the party. The invitation says to be there at two o'clock. We pull in and Mouse gets out and changes his shirt. Yep that was an interesting sight for all those that are standing outside. And yes there is quite a few out there. But this is redneck country. Not that they care or anything. Not that we do either.

Anyways, we start walking in and we have to cut through this crowd of people. Now mind you that I wont recognize most of these people because I dont really know that side of the family. So we enter the place and there are alot of people in there as well. They are packing up food and walking out the door with it. Ummmm.... Huh? Then the waitress asks us if we are there for the main dining room. Of course mom said no. That confused the waitress. Then she asks if we are there for the birthday party and of course mom says yes. She then informs us that its not going to start until 3pm. Its 1pm now. The invatation said 2pm. Why we are there an hour early is beyond me but according to her, we are now there two hours early. Now Im confused. Apparently we walked into the end of a baby shower. Well no wonder we didnt recognize anyone. And Mouse made the comment that we should have showed up earlier for the food then and we could have had more later. Leave it to him to say that.

So we left there and decided that since we have a couple of hours now to kill, lets head to my step-grandfathers house. Ok, Im game. Its on a road that my uncle used to live on and the memories will be nice. I havent been on that road since I was 15. Yeah, that long ago. So mom is once again giving directions. Scary huh? But we got there without getting lost this time. We didnt get lost the last time, thanks to me. But if I was giving the directions this time, we might have. It was nice to see all the fields and where the house used to be. Pretty much nothing has changed but for the fact that the old shacks and run down trailers have been replaced with actual houses. Yep, those folks sure are moving up in the world. The junk is still in their yards but that doesnt count.

I explained to Cami that when I was her age, I used to ride my bike and the horses on these roads. She couldnt believe that I was that young before. *rollseyes* It was fun trying to explain to her that out here, riding around the block was an all day trip on a bike. She couldnt fathom that either. Oh well. Maybe someday I will do that with her. Yeah right. If I tried that now, I would end up killing myself halfway there.

So we get to his place and pull up in the driveway. Now mind you that he still lives in one of those run down trailers. My grandmother passed away in '92. But when she was alive, the place looked worse than it does now. Explains alot about her huh? In case you are wondering, I personally never liked the woman. She was a mean one. Anywho, this isnt about her. So Cami gets out and gives him a hug. Then he proceeded to chase her around the yard. Quite a sprite for someone who just turned 90. He gets around better than someone much much younger than he is.

Now remember that chocolate milk? Well, it no longer exists. You see, the drink cup holder is on my right and Im in the right side seat of the van. So that means that its attached to the seat where the door slides open. Yep, I forgot it was there and opened the door. When I swung my leg over, it went right into the cupholder and spashed all over my leg and onto the ground. So much for my white sneaker and sock. Good thing there was a roll of paper towels and my mom always has a change of clothes in a bag. So I put on a clean pair of socks and cleaned off my shoe the best I could. But I didnt hear the end of it that she didnt have her milk. But later I found out what happened to the rest of my pepsi. Which by the way, only added to her sugar high.

Now this man works as a grounds keeper at a golf course. Yep, he still does his thing. On his lawn he has a couple of those wood life size things that are painted black to make it look like a shadow of someone there. Id spell it out but Im too damn lazy to look it up. One is of a golfer and the other is of a hunter. Now why would someone want those on the front yard? So people can drive by and think that there is a golfer and a hunter standing there? Oh yeah, lets swing the club, hit the little white ball and the hunter will shoot it. Beats me. But somehow he decided that they would look better at the camp and made Mouse put them in the back of the van. Not like there was much room for them but to put them between the seats. Made for a fun ride for sure.

My Aunt shows up to take Harold to the party and we pulled out ahead of them. Mom tells Mouse to take a left and at the intersection they can go straight. Well my aunt comes out behind us and makes a left at the intersection. Hmmm.... Who will get there first. So we go through the country and see some of the farms and of course Cami is loving this. Mom shows us the old farm where she used to live after her dad passed away and all the places where her friends lived. Mind you that Cami still hasnt stopped chattering yet.

We get back to the restaurant and low and behold, they are there ahead of us. And there are some people standing outside like before. And just like the last time, we dont recognize anyone. But we go inside and see a few people that we do know. Soon the place starts to fill up. Im meeting some aunts for the first time. Ive heard about them but never met them before. Interesting huh? My brother, neice and her baby showed up. I wasnt surprised but it was just odd because I havent talked to them in about a year. Ran into a couple of cousins I havent seen in years too. It was a nice time.

I think the best was watching the look on my moms face when her childhood best friend walked in. They havent seen each other since just after highschool. This woman married my moms first boyfriend and my mom was the maid of honor at her wedding. Interesting huh. And the man in question was there. So I got to meet him. So the four of them all chatted about the old days while I wandered around aimlessly taking pictures of everyone. Which reminds me that I need to send them out to my aunt soon. I keep forgetting.

After the party we all exchanged addresses, phone numbers, email info and DNA. Oh wait, we already have that. But it was a really great day and we had alot of fun. Im sure that I may not see these people again for a long time. Well my aunt and cousin, I will. But who knows when I will see my step-grandfather again. And it was a great experience for Cami as well. All the way home, I was scraping her off the ceiling of the van. Well she did have cake at the party too. She even talked about the carpet in the van. Dont kids come with a battery compartment? Or at least an on/off switch? It was one of those rare times that I was begging for her to just take a nap on the way home. I could deal with her being up half the night later. At least she would be in her room watching cartoons. But no such luck. She was too wired.