I'll Call It Like I See It

by sheila morris

Category: photography

  • Hurricane Helene, Israel v Iran, lives well lived, first and 10 for Coach Walz tonight – and one special birthday

    Hurricane Helene, Israel v Iran, lives well lived, first and 10 for Coach Walz tonight – and one special birthday


    Headlines scary for high stakes happenings in the past week – my head is rotating at warp speeds that add well-defined layers to my general free-floating anxiety. Missiles in the Middle East, final sounds of a Sunday morning going down for British actor Maggie Smith and Texas songwriter/actor Kris Kristofferson, Hurricane Helene ravaging the states in the Southeastern section of the United States, a Veep debate tonight between a high school teacher/coach who became governor of Minnesota and a venture capitalist fiction writer who became a senator from Ohio. The mind races to absorb the twists and turns of a world gone mad in many ways to this nonfiction writer who actually voted for a President Jimmy Carter in 1976, a man who celebrates his 100th birthday today.

    But yesterday Pretty and I took a break from the troubles of Hurricane Helene which miraculously left us safe and relatively sound to spend the day with our granddaughter Ella who didn’t have school because the school had no power, her home had no power, but her grandmothers’ home was loaded with fun and power. How old will you be tomorrow, my darling girl? I’ll be 5, Naynay!

    All pool toys had been put up over the weekend, but Ella couldn’t wait for next year to christen the new pool liner so…out she and her Nana came for an afternoon fling on her birthday eve.

    Ella always brings the joy when she visits, and yesterday was icing on the “pretend” birthday cake. She and her Nana had fun with fashion shows, body paintings, gathering acorns while they might from our gigantic oak tree that withstood the winds of Hurricane Helene but mostly they both celebrated their love of the swimming pool. Brrrr is all I can say.

    I was thrilled when Ella finally allowed me for the first time in her five years to completely read a book that she chose. She loved it so much she asked me to read it again. The book? 101 Dalmatians.

    Soon she will be reading it to me. I can’t wait!

    Happy Birthday, Ella – your Nana and I love you to the moon and back.

  • Hey, Molly – Hey, what? Wanna play hooky?

    Hey, Molly – Hey, what? Wanna play hooky?


    Ask yourself. What would you rather do? Stew over 55 days remaining until Election Day in the US on November 5th., worry over wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, angst over California wildfires and Hurricane Francine, watch a Davis Cup tennis match between Spain and Czechia, write a blog post – OR would you rather play hooky with your 2-year-old granddaughter Molly and go to the zoo?!

    Molly and her Neena play in the best and biggest sand box

    I’m gonna catch you, Neena!

    Neena, you not a dinosaur!

    Neena and Molly take a breather after their wild escapades together

    Meanwhile, Naynay and Molly play a different game on the wide open spaces of grass at the zoo playground.

    I can do it by myself

    Naynay, don’t touch

    be careful, Naynay

    just before a gigantic fall

    Huge kudos to Pretty for service above and beyond during our zoo trip for carrying Molly all afternoon from one fun exhibit to another because Molly (who weighs 33 pounds) refused to walk for some strange reason known only to herself, asking for a stroller instead when we entered at the back gate. Pretty’s arthritic knee was killing her, but she soldiered on. I played the old age card whenever Molly reached for me, but Pretty and I both bemoaned not being able to find a stroller at the back entrance of the zoo when we came in.

    On the way out of the zoo while Pretty went to get the car to come pick up Molly and me, Molly flew to sit down in a stroller she must have spotted when we came in and was trying to tell us about it. Sigh. Double sigh.

    We also forgot to take water, apple juice, snacks, and anything else of importance. We had focused entirely on remembering our zoo membership card which was evidently our collective brains’ capacity.

    Let the good times roll. Happy National Grandparents Day!

  • Texas Spike, Carolina Charly and the new pool liner

    Texas Spike, Carolina Charly and the new pool liner


    Spike came to us on Worsham Street in Texas courtesy of neighbors Dana, Carol, Becky and Lisa who found him cowering in the street, managed to get him into our front yard with an original plan to find his owner, and luckily for us became a part of our family since that rescue in 2012. We had four other dogs back then, but Spike settled into the pack without struggles or discord. Pretty and I wonder together sometimes how in the world we had five dogs at once, but usually three of them stayed with me in Texas and two stayed with Pretty in South Carolina until we sold the Worsham Street home in 2014. Everyone hunkered down together then at Casa de Canterbury, selected their own best buddies in the pack, and mourned later losses as they went down the valley one by one.

    Old Man Spike slower but maintains patrol duties

    Charly was saved from a kill shelter in Columbia by Pawmetto Lifeline in the spring of 2016, turned in by owners not interested in trying to take care of her and her seven puppies. When we decided we needed another dog to keep Spike company (he was the last survivor of our five and did not like being the only dog), we went to Pawmetto Lifeline and were told all of her puppies had been adopted but she wasn’t. We took her home that day – I wouldn’t know how to act without her staying stuck to my side like glue 24/7. We think she’s probably 10 years old, still feisty, still barking at anyone who dares to come for a visit.

    Finally, for everyone who asked about our new swimming pool liner (fewer than I can count on two hands), we are pleased to announce the pool has been restored, renewed and ready for swims in two days.

    where did summer go?

    *************

    Two students and two teachers were killed yesterday in a high school in Winder, Georgia with eight more students hospitalized. Words like senseless, tragic, mind-numbing pain, sorrow mix with anger, futility, anger, frustration, anger, and fear in a battle of jumbled thoughts in my mind. None of the words adequately describe my feelings when I saw the 14-year-old alleged killer and his father this morning in court. A child who studied mass school shootings? Neither do I have adequate words for the families and friends of the deceased who sat in the courtroom to confront them. The unimaginable became the unthinkable.

  • Happy Birthday to our own Millenials

    Happy Birthday to our own Millenials


    Last night we celebrated our son Drew’s birthday with dinner at Dee’s Wings for his favorite ribs in town (mine, too) plus another all-time favorite of his (and everyone else at the table): the brownie sundae dessert. I asked Drew at dinner what words of wisdom he had when he considered his life on his thirty-ninth birthday. He looked thoughtful and said I’ve learned family is the most important thing in life. I believe he’s right.

    This morning I searched my archives and found we celebrated another birthday dinner five years ago in 2019 with our own favorite Millenials. Enjoy!

    Number One Son and Pretty Too

    This week Pretty and I had dinner with our Number One Son (Drew) and his wife Pretty Too (Caroline) to begin the celebration of their August birthdays. They are our very own Millenials and we love them dearly.

    This picture was taken recently by a friend of theirs – they are all smiles because next year they hope to be holding one Ella Elisabeth James, their daughter who is expected in October.

    Pretty and I are all smiles, too! Our children and grandchildren are our hope for not only our family but also for our country. May the promises of America become a reality in their lifetimes.

    ***************

    Two new little girls have been added to the family courtesy of our two Millenials since that birthday celebration in 2019, and last night after dessert we walked outside to visit a local street fair where a woman brought smiles to all by making balloon art and princess headbands. 

    Ella Elisabeth James was, indeed, born October 01, 2019, and younger sister Molly followed on January 26, 2022. Pretty happily morphed into Nana when Ella started talking, and I became Naynay. We’ve never looked back.

    Molly looking for Birthday Daddy

    (who was resting in the car to let brownie sundae settle)

    Stay tuned.

  • laundry, laundry, everywhere – and not a Cat to see

    laundry, laundry, everywhere – and not a Cat to see


    Today was house cleaning day at our place, and I made a poor decision by choosing to do laundry for one of my chores plus cleaning two bathrooms for the other one while Pretty wisely opted for changing sheets on our bed and vacuum duties. I had forgotten how many piles of laundry were scattered around the house, but I got an early start to tackle the job, took breaks whenever I needed to walk Carl outside to make sure he stayed away from the empty chasm that was our pool a mere two days ago. We needed a new pool liner which is not accomplished by waving a magic wand.

    Pretty still smiling, thank goodness, in the midst of pool chaos

    (must be her new hairdo!)

    I miss the little Cat that kept me company, made me laugh

    laundry, laundry, everywhere – and not a Cat to see