Congrats to Brittney for graduating from high school!

She'll make a great nurse!

(Dogs like to party, too.)

A day to remember...

Last day of first grade for Markie

Father's Day Dinner

A special day, for SPECIAL Dads


The detective-on-call did get a call, but was able to stay for the whole dinner!

When life hands you bamboo......make STAKES!

My neighbors who live a house lot away have lots of bamboo in their back yard. Why they want to grow that, I don't know. But, in any case.....if you're not familiar with bamboo--there's no stopping it. It's like that old movie, "The Blob". Short of calling in the National Guard, I don't think there's too much of a solution in curbing it's growth and relentless spreading. I could go to bed at night and wake up to new shoots taking over. I cut, pruned, chopped and threw away the bamboo shoots and long stalks that had crept into my yard. As I was cleaning up the area, the lightbulb went on! I clipped some at equal lengths and used them for stakes in my garden. Hey--recycle, reuse and rejoice. They will come in handy to support the tomato plants, once they get going; and I also hooked up a home-made trellis for the green beans. (I even shared them with my other neighbor who lives next door, as he wanted some for his garden.) So, when life hands you lemons....I mean bamboo, USE it!

T-Ball every weekend

This takes a lot of practice! Maybe the coach could raise up that T (It telescopes up) when the kid is taller than most!
Markie got a hit today when the coach pitched to him. YAY Markie! Go Twins!

Coach Mark & Markie
Future cheerleaders

Babies in my yard

So, I was working out in the yard and I heard "peep peep" in the house above my head. I went in and got my camera and held it up to the bird house door. It appears that the feathery couple has 4 little ones. I see the parents take turns scouting for food and returning to the house constantly. One parent usually guards the house while the other one flies off. These kids must be very hungry, because as you can see, the minute the camera darkened the doorway, the little beaks popped up!

A digital camera in the hands of a 4 year old

A pretty lucky girl

How many 4 year olds get to have their hair and nails done at Michael Anthony's salon?

State Police Family Day canine demonstration

This beautiful and smart girl demonstrates her ability to obey the commands of her friend and fellow officer. Males and females are used as police dogs and they are trained over many months of diligent work to protect their master when needed and to grab the extremity of a "bad guy" and hold on to them until they are commanded to release them to the uniformed officer. They live with the officer, are bonded to them, and are trained to be aggressive while apprehending a criminal.
There is even a button that allows them to exit the back of the cruiser if the officer needs assistance.


Be sure to click on the picture to see a larger view of her attacking an officer who is pretending to be a "bad guy" for the demonstration. She reacts exactly as trained and commanded, because she knows what her job is.
Below, the dog is asked to find where an item is hidden, which smells like the drugs she is trained to locate. It only took her seconds to find the right container. The dog's nose is 400 times better than a human nose when it comes to identifying and locating scents. She was not thrown off course even though she was surrounded by hundreds of people, who all had their own scents of sweat, shampoo, sprays and other grooming products.


The dogs also wear bullet proof and stab proof vests. But they were not wearing them for the demonstration because of the intense heat that day.

Something for everyone at Family Day

Along with tons of great food cooked to perfection, and friendly families, there was no shortage of things to experience. The kids had a superb time with pony rides, animals to pet, and much to do, including foot races. Everyone was careful to keep hydrated and they all survived the intense heat.

Ceremony to honor fallen officers

The members of the pipe and drum unit of the Mass. State Police were on hand to honor fallen officers. This solemn ceremony begins the family day activities each year. After the placement of wreaths, the State Police helicopter made a pass over the ceremony--later landing where people could see the helicopter up close and even sit in it. Although the temperatures hovered around 94 degrees; the officers managed to march and stand smartly in their uniforms and in their pipe and drum traditional outfits which are made of wool. All music played is performed from memory and takes years of practice. (Good job, Chad!)

Who am I?

He's moving up....

He's moving up -- but not out.

Markie might tell you (with a somber look) that "When the new baby comes, my mother is moving me up to the attic".

Fair and balanced reporting necessitates that we check with his mother.

She claims that the builder will be summoned to finish the third level of their house. Markie will be given the opportunity to go shopping for the carpeting of his choice, posters, lighting and all accessories. A second bed will be included for fun sleepovers, his Webkins collection will move with him, his books, his TV, all computerized games.....and if he's really good, he can bring that dog chew with him.

Another one?

We're not letting the cat out of the bag with this photo, but the "secret".
Poor Redd, who is already 12 years old, seems to look in bewilderment at the pregnancy test directions.

"Joan" Deere at work

We're not afraid of child labor laws.
Heck, the lawn needs to be cut, ya know.

Hammocks are like that.....yeah, they are