OlympicMania!

Who else has been glued to the TV since Friday evening?

I've always enjoyed watching the Olympics in the past, but it's always been a take it or leave it type of thing. I enjoyed watching if I happen to turn it on, but didn't really think about it otherwise. Not this year! I just can't seem to get enough of it. I'm already sleep deprived from staying up late and it's only a few days in. I'll probably have huge dark circles around my eyes by the time it ends.

Saturday two of the grandkids and I watched volleyball and cheered and yelled and jumped up and down and clapped our hands as if we were really there. I'm even thinking about decking the livingroom out patriotic for the duration of the games. I just can't get enough!

I'm finding myself enjoying more than just the main sports...who knew there was more than gymnastics, swimming and volleyball?? Sycrinized diving was interesting, but I was afraid the men were going to dive right out of their little bitty speedos. There is a woman who hit 99 out of 100 clay pigeons, that is awesome! She also has won a medal (not sure if they were all gold) five times in a row. I even watched soccer at the Mexican Restaurant while I was eating..in Spanish. I still was glued to the TV.

If you haven't yet watched the games, get the family together, pop some popcorn and take the time to do so and cheer on Team USA!

First campout of the season

If you are a regular reader, you know I occasionally take a little break from Bear Necessities to give my brain some rest. I'm happy to report my brain is well rested and once again ready to go.

I would like to share with you the wonderful weekend I had. My longtime friend Vienna (I call her V) and her family made the two hour drive to our neck of the woods to spend time together camping. Before we even started setting up camp, their children were already in the pond. Now mind you, even though it was in the upper 80's, it is still only May and the pond is spring-fed, making the water quite chilly. I must say it was very enjoyable listening to the kids scream as they kept walking further out into the water.

As we each began to set up our tents, Papa Bear and I had a bit of difficulty with our big tent in the wind. The set up of said tent was ended as the wind kept taking it and I said *gasp* a curse word! The big tent was rolled up (as there was no chance of folding it correctly in the wind), stuck back in the trailer and the smaller tent was pulled out. Even setting the smaller tent up was a bit of a chore, but with the help of V and David, we got the fly on and all was right again in the world.

The weekend was spent basically with the kids playing in the water and fishing, the guys fishing and V and I sitting under a tree with our crochet in our hands and good conversation flowing. Of course, no proper camping weekend is complete without a campfire and s'mores.

I must tell you of one not so wonderful part of the weekend. About dusk, there are these tiny little bugs that come out this time of the year for a couple of hours. We were just finishing up supper when they made their appearance. I was literally having to squint my eyes and hold my breath cleaning up the kitchen area. I'm sure you've all seen a swarm of gnats, this is basically how the whole camp was. They got inside our cooler, tents, clothes...everywhere! We decided enough was enough and went into town for some ice cream. Wouldn't you know it, they followed us! I'm just so thankful they aren't a biting bug or there would probably be nothing left of us. I had finally had enough and sat in the truck. When we got back to camp, I stayed sitting in the truck until V assured me it was safe to come out. After that, everything was back to normal.

I wish my schedule afforded me more camping time as I love to sit and relax with Papa Bear while he fishes and I read or crochet or even just sit and do nothing. Waking in the morning and sitting outside enjoying a cup of coffee while watching the sun come up on the pond is an awesome way to start the day.

A big thank you to David, V, Jacob, Bekah and AnnMarie for sharing a wonderful weekend together.

My friend, the author!

I look forward to the mail lady each day. Her arrival in front of my house means there is the chance of excitement when I open my mailbox. Who knows what it might be; a seed catalog, a Boy Scout magazine, the latest from LTD, maybe a letter from a friend or family member far away. The possibilities are endless. I even have a friend who raises chickens and each spring brings a whole lot of chirp chirp chirping to the Post Office as her little chicks arrive.

Yesterday was one such day of excitement. Yesterday, my autographed copy of Earth's End arrived! My dear friend, Kim Curley, is a published author and I am so very happy for her. Kim's story, Faith: An Apocalyptic Story, is one of eight stories in this book.

I'll be honest with you, this type of book would not be something I would normally read. That said, I sat down with my book and a glass of water and started to read Kim's story. Wow! I couldn't put it down! It isn't a real long read, I was able to do it during nap time. The problem I ran into was not wanting to put it down, and at the same time drinking a HUGE glass of water. I thought I was going to tinkle my pants by the time I read the last line. I am anxiously looking forward to reading the other seven stories.




Shameless plug

You can click right here and you will be linked to Earth's End on Amazon. Don't let the picture on the cover fool you, this is a wonderful read.

You might even be able to go to your local library and request a copy.

Busy Pinning

Man oh man oh man! I have discovered the world of Pinterest!

I must admit it did take me a little bit to get the hang of it...actually, I asked a few people who set me on the right path to understanding. Once this happened, I find I can't get enough of it. I was warned this would happen but I didn't listen. Listen to me people, if you are not already on Pinterest, be warned, you WILL get addicted!

Here is my shameless plug to join me http://www.pinterest.com/domesticdebi/pins/

Bike Time

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START SEEING MOTORCYCLES

With the mild winter we have had here in Illinois and the above average temperatures we are experiencing, motorcycles are are out and about already. Please look and double-look when crossing intersections.

That said, I had my first ride of the season last night. Papa Bear was a sweetheart and did all the maintenance on my bike this year to get it running before July! Unfortunately, his wasn't quite ready to go so I took my first ride of the season by myself *sigh*

Looking forward to an evening here soon where neither one of us have anything going on so we can get out and ride.

NASCAR!

My friends Joe and Alicia have created a monster! Yep, it's all their fault. I am completely blaming them for my being tired today due to staying up to watch the Daytona 500 last night.

Up until a couple of weeks ago, I couldn't give two hoots for NASCAR. I found it to be a waste of time. I would liken it to watching paint dry. I even took my Boy Scouts to a race at Chicago Speedway and found myself so very bored. I said I would never again do that...EVER!

My, my, my how things have changed. I am addicted to it now! It all started a couple of weeks ago when Papa Bear was gone and I was lonely. I took my crochet and went to my friends house to hang out with them and play with the kids. This is a huge NASCAR family. While there, they turned on the Budweiser Shoot-out, did a bit of explaining to me, and I was hooked. Who knew picking someone to follow would make such a difference?

This weekend, I made my plans around the races. Last night, I changed plans so I wouldn't miss the race which had been rained out on Sunday. My friends got me in on Fantasy Racing. *SIGH* I'm hooked. I sure hope the Chicago Speedway offers special discounted tickets for the Boy Scouts in the fall again!

Lesson here...never say never!