i'm back

Wow... 11 days since the last post. Shame on me. Too much going on. I think I'm back on track now.

Lots to report... some good... some bad.

First and foremost: Steelers 20, Jets 17
I have just one word to post about that game... PHEW!

Second: Attorney meets the 'jury pool from hell'
This has got to be the funniest article I've read in quite a long time. My favorite part is the quote from a member of the jury pool about an undercover officer... "I should have known something was up," he said. "She had all her teeth."

Third: I must take a moment to pay tribute to a man who passed away on Friday (1/14). "Pop" was Hubby's grandfather, and I must say the greatest and most inspirational human I've had the privilege to personally know. He died peacefully in his sleep at the age of 92.

He was a master carpenter by trade and served proudly in the Philippines and the Pacific Theater during WWII. He was a big NASCAR and Bill Elliott fan. At the age of 83 he was climbing ladders, hammering nails and building stairs & walls as he helped us remodel our then newly purchased fix-er-up home. He attended the races at the local speedway and hunted until he was about 85. He tended his own big garden and lawn until his late 80s. That's impressive enough, but consider that this man did all of this having injured his back in the 1950's which made it impossible for him to stand up straight. He spent the rest of his life bent over at about a 60 degree angle. But he never quit. Life kept going on, and so did he.

He always had a warm smile and a great story to tell. He always came to the aid of anyone who needed or asked for help. He has left behind many, many hand-made gifts. Every child, grandchild and great-grandchild has a bookshelf (or two), a cedar chest, a gun cabinet or numerous other treasures. My Sunfish is the privileged great-grandchild that inherited the beautiful bedroom furniture that Pop made for his bride as a wedding gift. Above one of the dressers is a picture of Pop holding Sunfish at 5 days old.

He will be sorely missed, but he will continue to be part of our lives.