More Remodeling

 My son and his friend came to visit again. Lots of work was done. I will bore you with it now.

My front steps were deteriorating and breaking. The very center seemed to be sinking. Since I am still using a walker it was becoming more and more difficult for me to maneuver. I needed help to lift the walker into the house. Then I would hook my elbow inside the door to help pull myself in as I stepped into the house.

They rebuilt both sets of steps into the house with nice solid cement. Now I will not have such a big step to deal with. I like it.

They also put a small awning over the steps so rain would not come down and straight into the house. Now I will not get a shower every time I walk into the house as it is raining.

The plan was to shore up the threshold of the back door which they did. But in the process they discovered that the wall on one side of it was ready to fall off. What a job that was.

Basically he tore the whole wall away and rebuilt it... all in one day. With the temperatures well over 100 degrees it was miserable work. But now the wall is solid and safe. Two windows on the wall were completely replaced.

In my room the window is brand new. They made some repairs to the walls in my room. They also mounted my television which gives me a lot more room. I had a large space rug which they put under my bed and across half the room. No more cold tootsies when I step out of bed in the morning.

In my son's room one window was replaced. Half the floor was reinforced. 

Moving on to the hall the floor was reinforced. It is nice and solid now. Quiet too.

Off the kitchen my ex-husband had built a small block house around a big wood burning stove. The heat came in through the window which he had sealed inside metal. The problem was that it leaked a bit. The window was replaced and looks beautiful. The light it lets in is so nice.

On top of all that my son took us all out to a nice restaurant for my birthday. We all had a good time. 

In less than a week all of this was done. Of course we paid for it. That kind of work is not cheap. But if we had hired a company it would still not be done and would have cost many times more. I am happy with the results.

Who I Am

 I am a baby boomer. After World War ll, there was a huge increase in new babies. The servicemen coming home from the war married and started their families. My father was in the navy. His younger brother was dating a nice girl who had a sister who was not attached. A blind date was arranged and my parents met. Soon after, they married and a whole 10 months later, they had a beautiful baby girl.

My daddy had always wanted a daughter. When he came home from overseas, he had a kimono for his wife-to-be and his little girl. He wasted no time getting both of us. I have always felt very special because I was the little girl my daddy wanted. I have 4 brothers and two sisters. It was great being part of a large family. We never had much money but there was a lot of love.

My mom was the most intelligent person I have ever known. She was a quiet, nurturing woman. Daddy could make or fix anything. He loved being a family man and we all adored him.

Daddy was always looking for something better so we moved a lot as I grew up. I went to 9 different schools before I graduated from high school. He still kept moving until they moved to Detroit. I think he finally found his home.

Mom just packed and moved to where-ever. I don't think she liked Detroit and as soon as she could after Daddy was gone, she moved to warmer weather.

Today is Mom's birthday so she is very much on my mind. Daddy's birthday is in a week and a half with me plopped right in the middle. 

My parents are both dead now. I miss them both so much. 

Emma is not my real name. My family have not given permission to having the world know them. So I made up a name. Otherwise any facts I give about myself or my family are true.

Silly Songs

 I have yet another group of songs. These are my special passion.  I love anything that makes me laugh and silly songs certainly do that. See how many you know.

Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah by Allan Sherman

The Ballad of Irving by Frank Gallop

I'm A Lonely Little Petunia by Arthur Godfrey

My Boomerang Won't Come Back by Charlie Drake

Dead Skunk by Loudon Wainwright III

Wasn't That a Party by the Irish Rovers

Lily The Pink by The Scaffold

My The Bird of Paradise Fly Up Your Nose by Little Jimmy Dickens

Mule Skinner Blues by The Fendermen

Mahna Mahna by The Muppets

Snoopy vs. The Red Baron by The Royal Guardsmen

Wild Thing by Sen. Everett McKinley

Oh Lord It's Hard To Be Humble by Mac Davis

Charlie Brown by The Coasters

The Little Nash Rambler by The Playmates

Tie Me Kangaroo Down Sport by Rolf Harris

Disco Duck by Rick Dees

Mister Custer by Larry Verne

Daffy Duck's Rhapsody by Daffy Duck

It Came Out of The Sky by Creedence Clearwater Revival

Boa Constrictor by Johnny Cash (The whole album named Everybody Loves Nut is good for a chuckle)

The Doo Hickey Song by Ben Colder

Chug-A-Lug by Roger Miller

The Streak by Ray Stevens

I have hundreds of them. Like I said they are my favorite kind of music. All of these should by on YouTube if you want to hear them. If you know any silly songs I welcome them.

Are You Happy?

 So many people have had unhappy lives. I read about them on various posts. I see them on the news. I hear them from folks I know. 

I have been mostly happy all my life. There have been unhappy moments... deaths, illnesses, and so on. But my life has been good otherwise. 

So I was pondering happiness recently. What makes a person happy? What makes you happy?

I think I was born happy. I was my parent's first child and the first (of many) babies in close proximity to other various family members. I received lots of attention and love. My parents also gave me the gift of six babies they called brothers and sisters. Boy did they love me.

My father worked hard. There was never a lot of money. That is the reason I have little use for money. Too many other things are more important.

So I have narrowed happiness to two categories. Things I need and things I want.

I need a roof over my head. I personally NEED an indoor toilet. I need healthy food and water. I need and want my children. I need clean air to breathe. I need my medication (darn it). I suppose I need clothing and (ugh) shoes. I cannot think of anything else.

I want my favorite baseball team to win more than they lose. I want my dishwasher so I do not have to do dishes. I want to be able to walk again without my walker. There are little things that I want from time to time but the pleasure from them is temporary.

I am realistic enough to know that the whole world will never be at peace. I wish for it even so.

Think about it. What makes you happy?

Sad Songs

 As promised here are some sad songs. Some will tug a bit at your heart. The first one makes me cry every time I hear it.

Willie McBride by The Irish Rovers

The Winner Takes It All by ABBA

Yesterday by The Beatles

Hurt By Timi Yuro

House Of The Rising Sun by The Animals

Do You Really Want To Hurt Me by Culture Club

I Will Always Love You by either Dolly Parton or Whitney Huston

What In The World's Come Over You by Jack Scott

I'd Love You To Want Me by Lobo

Don't Just Stand There by Patty Duke

Massachusetts by The Bee Gees

Detroit City by Bobby Bare

Teddy Bear Song by Tanya Tucker

Ruby (Don't Take Your Love To Town) by Kenny Rogers

HaveYou Ever Seen The Rain by Creedence Clearwater Revival

One Of Us by Cher

Three Stars by Eddie Cochrane

The Ballad Of Ira Hayes by Johnny Cash

Walkin' After Midnight by Patsy Cline

Stormy Weather by Keely Smith

Cool Clear Water by The Sons Of The Pioneers

This Time by Troy Shondell

So Sad by The Everly Brothers

Tracks Of My Tears by Smokey Robinson

Great Pretender by Freddie Mercury

Who's Sorry Now by Connie Francis

Wasted Days And Wasted Nights by Freddy Fender

World Without Love by Peter And Gordon

Where Have All The Flowers Gone? by Peter, Paul, and Mary

I'm Sorry by The Platters

She Cried by Jay & The Americans

As usual by Brenda Lee

Return To Me by Dean Martin

Lonesome Town by Ricky Nelson

Cryin' by Roy Orbison

And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda by Liam Clancy

That should give you an idea. You should be able to find all of these sad songs on YouTube. As always I left out a bunch. Is your favorite missing?