We all say that, but do we realize what it took for us to even "celebrate"such a day.  Nowadays everyone decorates all their loved ones graves.  That is a good thing I guess, but somehow I think people have forgotton the REAL reason we have a holiday called "Memorial Day"....It was originally a day set aside to remember all those who had given their lives for the freedoms we enjoy today.  We need to take a moment tomorrow and thank God for such brave and unselfish men and women who stood for and fought for their (& our)  country, our great USA!!!!
Also say a prayer for those serving today......and don't forget the families left behind....
I think that sometimes it is harder on the family than the soldier.   When called to duty, the soldier has a job to do and 100% of their focus is on their mission,,,,yes, they are away from their loved ones, but the family members left behind have to go through their daily routine with that family member gone.  It can be very hard sometimes.  I know because I have experienced it.  I would not ever want to have to go thru that again, but I would not trade the experience for anything in the world.  When I see a flag flying, it makes me  think about all the soldiers, (past & present) and thier families  who make that possible and how thankful I am for their sacrifice and service.
We are going to Mom & Dad's for lunch tomorrow.  It will be the same thing we always have.....brisket, ribs, chicken.  I am going to take some crappie up there and cook it.  Have it thawing now..... Ritzy picked some cherries off Dad's tree tonite.  After pitting them we helped mom get some ready for a cobbler and put a couple bags in the freezer.  That cobbler sure is going to taste good with the vanilla ice cream my brother is bringing. yumm yumm!!!!  As we were leaving I told mom that no "sampling" had better take place.......I guess we'll see, huh???
Its going to be pretty hot.  Probably just sit around and watch the little ones play.  They are so fun to watch.
May have to take a nap too. 
Woo Hoo!!!!  The daughter  moved out of the house this weekend.  She and her boyfriend are much closer to their work in Tulsa.  I would have liked to see them married first, but they are young adults and make their own choices.  Oh yeah, I must not forget her little dog Senor.  I don't miss him at all.   Anyways it's just Ritzy, the son and I now.  Sure is quiet here.......
People in this house just don't understand the fact about me not missing that dog, but I just don't like dogs.  Senor and I just tolerated each other, hahaha!!!!
Told the daughter when the dog went, his "chair" went with him.  Her boyfriend asked what was wrong with the chair and I proceeded to tell him that the rocker-recliner was an excellent chair but it has had a dog sitting in it and for that reason I would not have it in my house.  I think they think I am nuts.  But, as they say---to each his own......it's my house and that's the way I like it.........Needless to say, Senor and his chair are in their happy new home..............
I guess that's about all I got for now......Ritzywife out..................

I wasn't going to go fishing today.  I had to get the financial report ready for our church business meeting tonite.  I also had to prepare something for the meal so I figured fishing was out for today.  I had just finished the report and ate my lunch. And...............around 3pm my sister-in-law calls and says they are biting.  Well, that's all it took for Ritzywife.  Told her I'd see her in a few minutes.
I got down there and caught 2 two-pounders right off.  They were big!!!!!  I told her I was going to have to figure out something that would not take any time to fix for the supper tonite,(if i even went, haha!!).....
Well, around 5:30 I called my son, and asked if he wanted to come down there to take my spot and I would return after church was over.  He came down there, I left at 6pm (church starts at 7), came home (only a half a mile away, thank goodness) changed clothes, threw some Schwan's fried rice in the microwave for 6 minutes and wa-la....I have a dish for tonite. 
After church, I went back down there and the fish were still biting pretty good.  It started to get dark and no one wanted to leave.  My brother, sister-in-law, & nephew were down there, along with her dad and step-brother.  My son and I also.  These weren't small crappie we were pullin in either....
The spot we were fishing was on around the bank from where I have been fishing the last month. 
As you can see in the picture, they are pretty good size.  I put my (dirty) hand beside them to compare..
We stayed, everyone got out their lights, the sister-in-law's dad pointed his truck toward the lake and turned on his lights, haha!!!!
We started to hear thunder in the distance, but at 9:30 we started to notice the lightning in the south.  We all loaded up right before the rain hit. 
The son and I got home, took care of the minnows and cleaned the fish.  While I cleaned the fish, Matt took pictures of the pretty light show.

Finally at 11pm I was able to go and take my bath after cleaning and putting up the fish, and cleaning up after the daughter and her supper dishes.  We ended up with 18 nice sized crappie.  Not too bad for an evening of fishing.
Don't know if I will be going tomorrow, I'll have to wait and see how the weather is.  Fishing tomorrow nite is out tho, because the daughter's boyfriend wants us all to watch a John Wayne movie together.  That sounds like fun to me.  I like John Wayne.....
For now.........Ritzywife is out...............

I have been pretty busy the past couple of weeks.  I didn't realize it had been so long since my last post.

Last weekend Ritzy and a friend of ours refinished my countertops. I had old formica which was still in good shape but it was {{{{{orange}}}}}.  Dad put in those cabinet tops in 1972.  They were built in the '50'-'60's.   I was ready to see them go......Here are a couple of before and after pics.  I also put in a new sink.  One with only one basin.  It is so much better that the standard stainless steel sink. 
Took the guys the whole weekend, but they finished the job and Ritzywife was happy.  I spent Monday finishing the cleaning and sealing the grout.  Finally --- everything in my kitchen matches.  That Orange had to go!!!!
Besides redoing the cabinets, I have been fishing.  I got up a 5 this morning to go.  Last night when I told Ritzy I was going to get up that early, he just laughed and said --"yeah right, you can't get up at 5 in the morning".........I told him that I could get up when it came to fishing ;-)        I stayed until 10 this morning and only caught 5 fish.  One of my nephews was down there and he asked if I wanted his fish cause he did not want to clean them and I said--You bet I do!!!!!!  I don't turn down crappie.  The daughter came down there for a little while and a little before we left she asked if She and I could meet her boyfriend in Owasso to eat lunch.  I was hungry and that sounded like a pretty good idea to me so, We hurried home, I cleaned the fish and myself and we headed to Owasso.  Before leaving the fishing hole, tho, as I was gathering my gear I happened to look in a hollow spot in the rock I had been sitting on all morning and a dad-gum snake stuck his head out.  I thought, O my gosh I have been sitting on or by that thing all morning.  I was ready to go!!!!!
After returning home I headed for my bedroom to take a nap.  We ate supper, went to church and as soon as church was over I returned to the fishing hole.  No one was really catching anything.  My brother, his wife, her dad and my two nephews were down there and I just found a place next to them to fish.  As the sun was setting, we were all leaving and one of my friends pulled up and we started talking about our catches.  During the conversation he asked if I wanted the fish he had cause he did not want to clean them and you can guess what I said.............so at 10pm I was out in the garage cleaning crappie.  There were 14 of them.
Yesterday morning I arrived just as the fish stopped biting.  After a little while my sister-in-law's dad came over and said I must be bad luck.......I said- Gee thanks!!          
Well, tonight I get down there and he says here comes Bad Luck Cheryl.  I thought... it's gonna take some work living that down. hahahaha!!!!  But as I was thinking about his comment while cleaning the fish I thought --Heck I haven't done too bad.  Twice in one day I was given some pretty good sized crappie and they would make about 2 meals for us................so.............if you ask me, I think that is darned good luck!!!!!!!
With that, Ritzywife is out for the day...............................