Well some of it… No most of it! Still waiting to plant the beans, corn, pumpkins, and peas. Boog still has his work cut out for him sowing the sunflower seeds around the outside of the fence.

Oh yeah the fence! Those deer don’t stand a chance this where, we have 3′ of menacing, green plastic barrier that will certainly hold them at bay. Hopefully discourage them, or be enough of an annoyance to them to move along to easier pickings.

The bountiful harvest should include tomatoes (Cherry, Better Boy, & Roma), Peppers (Sweet & Hot), Cukes, Carrots (first time with these), Beets (another first, not sure if anyone really likes these), and Radishes.

A bit of a walk (up-hill) to the Duquesne Incline and down to Point State Park for pictures of the Christmas tree. Rounding out the evening with a cold walk back to the hotel down Penn Ave. We decided it really was a good idea that we ordered the peanut butter chocolate pie for dessert, so we had the energy to make it back.

Next up the Steelers vs Raiders game…

It was in vain… We ended up severing the head even with “slow and steady” pressure. Josh wasn’t to thrilled with the notion of a tick’s head still embedded in his head, particularly after being ribbed about his brain oozing out and that he would start barking and scratching with his hind legs. Mom put everyone to bed making Boog & Dad head to the Dr’s in the AM.

Update: The Doc says all is well and the chances of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever are pretty slim. Also said the tick’s head would work its way out. Basically to keep our eye on things, but not much reason to be concerned. When I told Boog to let us know if he had the urge to start barking, he looked at me and said “There are a lot of things wrong with you”… Not sure what that means, but I think everything is going to be fine.

We decide to mount up and head over to Bur Mil Park and do some walking on the Greenway. Daddy was getting into a funk and was ready to string the jmonsters up by their heals, (not that they didn’t deserve it or be better served with some “Little Old Lady Who Lived in a Shoe” Treatment).

We packed up the bikes in the back of the van and ended up a little lost. We had been there once before, but stopped a little short and had to repack up the bikes and head down to the Nature Barn where the entrance to the Greenway is.

We hiked for a couple of miles down to the bridge and back, and the jmonsters rode their bikes along parts of the Owl’s Roost Trail. On the way back we saw a Great Blue Heron perched in the fishing pond. All the walking did the trick and tired Daddy out enough where he didn’t have the energy to take his frustrations out on a misbehaving child, (not that any live in the household).

We ended the hike with a quick tour through the Wildlife Center at the park. It was pretty neat, and they had all kinds of critters. The biggest hits where the huge ‘ol iguana, rat snakes that come in a variety of different colors, guinea pigs, and a big fat lop-eared rabbit that you could pet.

We headed back to the house for dinner, and watched Mr. Deed’s after doing up the dishes.

After our water problem was fixed we packed up the van and headed to Myrtle Beach for the long weekend. This would be the first time Daddy and the jmonsters would see Grandma and Pap-Pap’s new digs. They rented a new condo this year and like it much better. It is on the 16th floor so Daddy and Tallmonster had to hug the wall to get to their room. It’s a loonnngg way down.

We arrived at dinner time Saturday night and couldn’t go to bed without an after dinner swim in the pool. It was like bath water so it was nice and relaxing.

Sunday dawned cloudy and rainy but we decided to head out the to jmonsters favorite store Kleig’s Kites. It is at Broadway at the Beach so we went to walk around (after a morning swim of course) and be tourists. It was rainy but it didn’t deter us from enjoying the day. After lunch at Johnny Rockets, we checked out a new store called Sugar Me and it just might take over as the jmonsters new favorite place.  We bought over priced jawbreakers and gummies and decided to head over to the new Bass Pro shop down the road. After checking out the saltwater aquarium it was time to head back and try the beach. It was still raining and so after a quick walk on the beach it was back to the pool.

Mommy had told the jmonsters that it was their day until 6 p.m. when the Steelers came on. Grandma made chili so we watched the Steelers and Pap-Pap and I moaned and groaned through the whole game. Only when we both left the room did something good happen. So we better make sure to do that during the Super Bowl! Monday we had to leave and of course it was sunny and 20 degrees warmer. We walked on the beach while Grandma took the jmonsters to the pool. All and all a great weekend, hopefully next time it will be warmer…

The infamous day the water stopped started like any other Friday morning. The jmonsters were up and at’em at 6:00: 6:20 for the Tallone, he needed a cattle prod to get his lazy bones a moving. Daddy was slipping back into his drill sergeant role barking orders to get things tight and brush teeth, comb hair, and get the back packs in order.

The only exception was the fact the outside temperature was single digits. Eight degrees to be exact and the only hint of trouble was a slow trickle in the kitchen facet. We got the jmonsters on the school bus and went about our morning routine, minus the walk because it was too cold.

Mommy, was quick out of the shower as she ran out of water it was long enough that she was able to rinse off, so no harm no foul. We went through our plan of action of placing the light bulb under the fake rock and waited for the pipe(s) to unfreeze. Mommy headed for work and Daddy to the office to field phone calls and do paper work.

At 3:00 in the afternoon there still wasn’t any water. Daddy had kind of forgotten about it, and Mommy was a little miffed when she got home. We upped the stakes and put a heater as well as the light bulb under the rock, and Mom headed for the store to get a blow torch. Daddy read on the internet that the blow torch thing wasn’t such a good idea, something with steam and exploding pipes, none of which sounded too appealing.

We regrouped at 6:00 and decided it was best to pack it up and head for a hotel, as the dishes were starting to pile, the toilets were getting pretty gross, and Daddy still hadn’t showered that day. So we cashed in a few miles and stayed at the Hilton Garden because it had an indoor pool. We had dinner at the IHOP and headed over to our new digs, where the jmonsters bobbed in the pool and hot tub.

Mommy and Daddy were asleep before the kids, but they were the first ones up. We breakfasted on all you can eat breakfast bar, another jmonster favorite, and by this time Mommy and Daddy were pretty sick of breakfast foods. We headed back for the house, (Smallmonster had a basket ball game which he lost in overtime the Smallone missed the game winner at the end of regulation).

Daddy stayed home to get the plumbers on the phone as there was no relief from the tap. The well driller guys were over in about an hour and after a few moments under the house it was declared that the pump was bad. Daddy remarked nervously that it sounded expensive, which was countered by a grunt and a “Uh-Huh”.

The next thing we knew there was 400’ of pipe snaking up and back through the back yard, and the good ole’ well boys were back in the truck headed for the shop to get a special pump, that they don’t carry on the truck. Daddy again remarked nervously that sounds expensive, followed by more grunting.

They returned and placed the gold plated pump at the end of the pipe and lowered the assembly back down the hole. 400’ feet of pipe go back in a hole a lot quicker than 400’ comes out. In a jiffy they were done, and we were back in business flushing toilets, washing dishes, hands and faces. One asked if the new pump was expensive, Daddy explained that it took the place of any thoughts of a 52” flat screen TV hanging on the wall. Oh well, not much you can do without water and it’s off to Myrtle Beach…

Tallmonster decided to work with pulleys for his science project. We took a couple of trips to Wal*Mart to get a few clothes line pulleys and some rope. The Tall One did a little bit of research on the internet to learn about the simple machines.

We did some experimenting in the garage with different combination of pulleys and measured the results with a fish scale. Tallmonster put every thing together on his project board and even typed out a presentation, http://docs.google.com/Present?docid=dcwkzzcr_4gsw39rgd. He didn’t win any prizes, but the project was pretty cool.

We decided that this year we would do something different for New Year’s besides sitting in bed and watching the ball drop. So we headed to Biloxi, Mississippi to check out the Casino’s and spend a night away from the jmonsters. We recruited Courtney and Andy to come with us since a group is always more fun and we don’t get to see them nearly enough.

After checking in to the Hampton (where else) we freshened up (meaning napped) and headed over to Biloxi to go to dinner. We didn’t really make any plans and ended up at the Hard Rock Cafe Casino. We had burgers and nachos and overpriced drinks and enjoyed looking at all the memorabilia on the walls. After dinner it was on to the Casino. We split up and walked around the Casino to get a feel for the games and decide what we wanted to lose our money on first. We tried a few slots and then found the machines that Mommy likes to play, Poker. After awhile we decided to check out the tables. Mommy has always wanted to try blackjack but we were only able to find $10 tables. So after much hand wringing Mommy got the nerve to sit down and try it. After getting $70 in chips and playing a few hands she soon found out she was in way over her head. It took about 15 minutes to lose all that money but at least was able to get a few free beers in the process. Most expensive beers ever!

Well, it was back to the 25 cent poker machines and Mommy was determined to win back her money. Daddy was content to sit and watch and get free beer whenever the cocktail waitresses walked by. He was most concerned about tip money. After winning a couple of hands we placed a max bet and hit with four of a kind. Woo-Hoo next thing we knew we had $148.50 in quarters. Nowadays you don’t get the satisfaction of filling up your bucket with quarters you hit a button and a slip of paper comes out with what you won, just like an ATM machine. We cashed in and found Courtney and Andy and found out that they had also won something so we decided to get out while we were ahead. We stopped at the ice cream shop on the way out for overpriced ice cream to top off our night in Biloxi. We had a lot of fun and realized when we got back to the hotel it was only 9:30 and what do you know we watched the ball drop in bed and an hour early to boot!! A great way to start 2009…

On our way to Florida we always get excited when we pass the big water tower that looks like a giant butt. You would think it would be in Georgia but it is actually in South Carolina. The kids always giggle and Daddy and I always shake our heads at their juvenile humor but wonder what they were thinking when they built it, it does look like a giant peach colored butt! This year we got a picture for proof and decided it must be blogged about. Oh the things long car rides make you do…