~~ODNEAL FAMILY BLOG~~Port of Readlyn, Iowa

Bruce and Kyle made a new condo for the kitty's to play in and around. It isn't perfect, but how amazing what some plywood and leftover carpet can make in a matter of a couple hours. Gizmo loves it, Gadget not so much as of yet. Bet they are having fun with it today while the house is empty except for them. Maybe when I get home they will both be hanging out in their new "digs". Too funny!

Yes, I know this isn't the most flattering picture but it is all I had on the home computer so SORRY! Not even sure you look at the blog regularly, but hope you had a VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY LOUIE! May you have a hundred more. You look like you are sleeping standing up in this picture. Are we really that boring of company? Just kidding. Hope you had a great day and that Helen was "NICE" to you! You were weren't you Helen???????

Just read the post I originally had on here last night and deleted it. Let's just say I think they put something funny in my drink or something! Anyways, took these pictures the other day. Nothing like a pretty rainbow to remind us that IT IS SUPPOSED TO BE SPRING!!!!!!!!!!! Everyone have a great weekend.

No, we don't have any of this on the ground anymore this year, but Mom & Dad O. are stuck in Denver, CO at Barb's with a ton of snow falling. Their email last night said they'd already gotten 13 inches. Oh I hope we don't see any measurable snow tomorrow. A few flakes I can handle, but that is it. I thought the calendar said "spring". I am so ready for green grass, flowers, and a suntan! Happy weekend!

I took these before I took the squirrel pictures and Tyler had no idea that I was watching him shoot, or taking pictures. It was so windy that I'm surprised he could even make any baskets but he did. He will be so glad when summer gets here! Won't we all.

I swear this guy stares directly at me each time I take his picture and it doesn't bother him a bit. The only time he gets upset is when we open the door or the cats see him and go after him. Isn't he cute? I know, way too many squirrel pictures, but I just don't have cool birds hanging around yet, or pretty flowers to take pictures of. So squirrels it is for now. Have a great week!

We went to Louie & Helen's yesterday afternoon to sort out the deer meat and I pulled my little camera out of my purse. Not sure what Bruce was doing here but it is a funny photo. One to make everyone laugh on a Monday evening. Louie and I are actually laughing at something(probably Helen!) and who the heck knows what Bruce is doing! We had a good time there and now once again have our deer meat re-stocked. Yippee!!!!

So here is what Gadget looks like when a very "little" puppy shows up to visit! Nancy and Emily stopped by last weekend one evening after taking a walk with their puppy (did I mention VERY LITTLE PUPPY), and Gadget wanted nothing to do with Baxter except to maybe rip his head off. It was quite amusing. Guess I might not be able to puppy sit anytime soon for Nancy! Unless I lock up the cats that is.

Here are some pictures I snapped last weekend outside of Ty and some friends playing some driveway basketball on Sunday. They had a good time shooting some hoops while I was outside doing some raking. The temps today are only going to be in the 50's but I think we'll take it over snow any day. Yippee for spring finally getting here! :-)

Today is my brother Bart's birthday. May you have a great, relaxing (yeah right-the grandkids are still here!) day and do something fun. Hopefully you didn't have too many green beers last night to celebrate St. Pat's! Love you Bart. Happy Birthday!

Here is a green beer for you all. (Well, not for the young readers of this blog!) It is going to be a gorgeous day here in Iowa-in the 70's finally. Get out and enjoy the day. I'm outa here at 11:00. Yeah for me!

The weather was very nice this weekend and we accomplished as much outside stuff as we could. Bruce got some more gutter up on the house and patched a place in the flat roof that had a hole. I raked around all of my plants and the house. Kyle even washed his vehicle (with a ton of crap given to him to make him do so since it hadn't been done for like 6 months we figured!) Today it is supposed to be 68 for a high and 72 on Tuesday. Yipee for Iowa spring weather. Hope it is here to stay as we are ready for the river and the houseboat!

So we made grilled deer steak Saturday night and since it was Cole's birthday we invited them over to eat with us. We had yummy food. This is the cheesecake that I made for Cole. I sprinkled chocolate and caramel on top and chopped up a chocolate/caramel candy bar. It was very yummy. Cole even came back over Sunday morning to eat more of everything because he didn't get enough Saturday night!

So here is a note that we made Tyler write and sign a while back because let's face it. The kid is extremely hard on cell phones. He has been through I think 8, yes, 8 phones within the last year and a half or so. We made him sign this note that stated that he would use the Audiovox ugly phone if he broke his last one. Well I activated it for him the other night, and guess what? The next morning he called me at work and you couldn't see the screen. Imagine that! So Friday night we took him and got him a new phone. THE LAST ONE we are buying him FOREVER!!!!! I also got a new one because the kids give me so much grief for mine being an antique. I only had that one over two years. And it worked fine! I am NOT hard on phones! So the one I got the guy called a "grandma" phone because of the big keypad and big print. I think it is great, and now old man Bruce said he would love having that big of buttons for his big fingers. Whose jealous now???????

Yep, the first born "baby" is 23 today. Hope you have a great day and enjoy yourself . Geez it makes me feel very old that you are now 23! Have a VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY and your "Momma" loves ya !

Yep, stole this from Sharon's blog. Isn't it a cool picture? It is one that she took on Saturday and then did something way cool to it to make it look this way. Can't wait to see the other pictures she took! Everyone have a great weekend. Warmer temps are coming. Yippee!!!!!

I found this on MSNBC and found it interesting. I personally don't believe in the Friday the 13th phobia but there are apparently a lot of people that do. What about you? Here are five of our favorite Friday-the-13th facts: 1. Fear of Friday the 13th — one of the most popular myths in science — is called paraskavedekatriaphobia as well as friggatriskaidekaphobia. Triskaidekaphobia is fear of the number 13. 2. Many hospitals have no room 13, while some tall buildings skip the 13th floor and some airline terminals omit Gate 13. 3. President Franklin D. Roosevelt would not travel on the 13th day of any month and would never host 13 guests at a meal. Napoleon and President Herbert Hoover were also triskaidekaphobic, with an abnormal fear of the number 13. 4. Mark Twain once was the 13th guest at a dinner party. A friend warned him not to go. "It was bad luck," Twain later told the friend. "They only had food for 12." Superstitious diners in Paris can hire a qu...

So today is Taylor's big surgery day so thought I would post a picture from last summer of her and Kyle with lots of "knees" showing! Hope your surgery goes great and that you get out of there tonight and don't have to stay. Good luck and I'll have Kyle bring you some fresh homemade cookies when he comes to see you later!

So today is another Monday. This picture I took out my laundry room door of the deck yesterday. We went from rain, to kind of a sleet, to snow all in a very short period of time. And this afternoon and evening we are supposed to have possible thunderstorms and heavy rain. The creeks and rivers around here are already pretty full. We don't need flooding like last year. I think Iowa has had enough! Let the sun shine, and may my sump pump keep working so my basement will dry out. No more rain right now!!!!

Okay so I took this first picture of the fat squirrel on Saturday. Notice no snow in the background or on the ground. I believe it was spitting/raining. As you can see he is enjoying his snack. There were a ton of squirrels all over the yard during the day. Then I took this picture yesterday during the March mini-blizzard. We got 2-3 inches of the white crap I think by the looks of our yard. The squirrels just seem to eat during rain, snow, sleet, etc. Guess they are done hibernating and confused by the Iowa weather also. Just when I thought all of the snow would be completely gone from the yard. Oh well. Thanks Mother Nature!

So not much going on lately to be blog worthy so haven't posted much or taken any pictures. Here is an update of our lives. Just patiently (yeah right!) waiting for spring to get here. Came across this picture of our burning bush out front and am longing to see these beautiful colors once again. It is 50 degrees right now and supposed to get near 60 this afternoon. Yeah! Bruce's Caddy took a crap. Yep, put a different motor in not very long ago and now it is shot. Good thing we hadn't taken Mom & Dad O's van back yet. Going to have to break down and get another vehicle I guess. Always something. And I didn't win the powerball last night either so guessing we won't be getting a "new" anything! Taylor's surgery is Monday. Hopefully it goes great for her and she recovers quickly. Crutches for prom would not be fun! Her and Kyle are going to Sharon's to finish up their sports/senior pictures Saturday. Not supposed to be a very n...

Square root day, 3/3/09, is upon us: Scientific American Blog Posted using ShareThis

I'm not positive that this is the same squirrel in both pictures, but he was sure happy to have as much corn as he could get both from the ground and the feeder on the deck. The birds have been making a terrible mess underneath the birdfeeder, and it makes the squirrels all too happy let me tell you. Even though the temps were very chilly over the weekend I think the sunshine attracted this fat guy!