Year: 2005

Things To Do Before You Die

1) Write a Will.
2) Buy your executor a heavy duty paper shredder.

Started up, went down, back up, still up.
Miata Top Transitions since 01/01/05: 368

Empty TV Night

I want my West Wing!

It was a nice enough day that we could ride around with the top down, but the cloudy skies and weather forecast got us to put the top up if we were away from the car for more than 2 minutes.

Started down, went up, back down, back up, down again, up again, down once more, up yet again, still up.
Miata Top Transitions since 01/01/05: 366

Empty Nest

This morning I dropped one of Donna’s brothers at his big-rig at the interstate truck stop where he had parked it, so he could go back to work. From there, Donna’s sister rode with me to the Columbia airport where she was to board a flight back Orlando. Around noon the other two brothers and family hopped back into their rental car and drove to Atlanta to get on flights to points west.

Donna’s mom lived with us for the last 5-1/2 years and even though we were quite often in three different rooms doing three different things, it is strangely quiet here tonight without her.

Thanksgiving 2005

While we were at the Blessing of the Hounds we had a stranger take a group picture of us.

Thanksgiving 2005

Left to Right – Back Row: Me, Donna’s oldest brother Jim, her next older brother Steve. Front Row: Jim’s daughter Jennifer, Donna, Jim’s wife Linda, Donna’s younger sister Sandy and her youngest brother Scott.

To see how much we’ve changed since last year, go to the entry for 11/25/2004.

Blessing of the Hounds

Blessing of the HoundsThe blessing of the hounds is a hunting tradition that dates back to the 8th century, but here in Aiken since only 1914. We’ve lived here for 16 years and this is the first year we have attended the ceremony held annually on Thanksgiving day. One reason we finally went was our neighbor’s daughter was receiving her “colors” from the Aiken Hounds. Another was it gave the whole family something to do for a couple of hours at midday while we waited for the turkey to cook.

It was a mile or so walk from where we could park to the Memorial Gate in Hitchcock Woods where the festivities were to take place and we couldn’t have asked for a better day. The temperature was in the low 70s and the sun was shining brightly. There was even enough color left on some of the hardwoods to really enhance the setting. I think next year Donna and I will find a spot in the woods and wait for the post blessing hunt to come charging by.

Started up, went down, still down.
Miata Top Transitions since 01/01/05: 359

Or Bearer

Like frightened ducklings we have taken to shredding all the junk mail we receive so that identity thieves can’t get their greasy lunch hooks on our name and address. The quantity has become large enough that we now need to sort through and only shred the pages that actually has our names on them and just trash the harmless prepaid return envelopes and fake credit card looking bits of plastic for fear of overloading the industrial strength shredder at work.

Today, during a quiet moment, I was sorting through a heap of snail spam, and came upon one of those sneaky checks that they hope you will cash and unknowingly sign up for something. This one was from our friendly credit card issuer and was for the princely sum of $20. By cashing this check you would agree to be enrolled in the Payment Protector Plan at a cost of 89¢ per $100 of the ending monthly balance. I’m not sure what the heck the Payment Protector Plan is because I had already discarded the rest of the mailing, but I’m betting I don’t really need it.

What caught my eye about this particular check were the words printed right above my wife’s name, “Pay to Donna Bogardus or Bearer.” So, if I had thrown this bit in the trash and it found it’s way into the hands of a nefarious individual, he would not only have a name and address to do his worse with, but he would be paid twenty dollars for his troubles. And on top of that, we would be paying an extra couple bucks to our credit card company.

Started up, still up.
Miata Top Transitions since 01/01/05: 358

Thanks

Thanks folks. We appreciate the thoughts…and know if you were closer would probably be like some of our co-workers from Human Resources and Accounting who showed up last night with enough food to feed the incoming family (and then some.) Tonight we expect the second wave of relations and the second wave of food from the the people who work in Donna’s department.

Through the marvel that is the Internet: Barbara Morrinson’s Online Obituary