I knew I should have put that pan up!

I came home late from my paint class last night. I saw the dutch oven on the stovetop and thought I should probably put it up...but didn't. So this morning I go downstairs and THERE HE WAS! Alright Eskie, that's enough! I reprimanded him (after I took the photo!) and put him down...pushed all the stools all the way up under the bar so he couldn't climb up. I went back upstairs to continue reading Monkeewrench...and you guessed it, when I came back downstairs, there he was. I have NO IDEA how he even got up there!

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HOW does he do it...and WHY?

ESKIE! Well, this is how I found him yesterday. I don't know HOW he maneuvered to even get in there without knocking everything down! I just don't get it...he NEVER got on the counter in the first 17 years of his life...why now? We had to start closing off the living room in the mornings because he started hiding under the TV cabinet which is huge and I would have to lay on my stomach and pull him out. He DID NOT like that...he even swatted at me! So he's back to trying the counter. He gets 'the boot' and has to go outside...but the next day, he does it again! Can't help but love him!

Meet Biscuit

Biscuit is the newest addition to the Johnston clan. He is also the newest member of the Johnston Zoo which is managed by Gabe and Emily. Now their managerie consists of Biscuit, Cookie, Smores, and Pumpkin. Ron's worried that whenever they have kids, they'll name it after a food. I have to admit, the name "Biscuit" TOTALLY fits this little absolutely adorable puppy...

Chilis and St. Jude

This is Kellie and Camilla, probably about 2 years ago, after Camilla had SOMEHOW played AND scored a goal in a soccer game.

Yesterday, one of my former students, Kellie, came by after school to visit. Kellie is now at our middle school. After we had visited awhile, she gave me this coaster from Chili's Restaurant. She and some friends were eating in one in Rohnert Park and saw this coaster. How cool is this? I remember when Chili's gave Camilla some pages of chili peppers to decorate. I think she may have decorated this one on the computer. I'll have to ask her to make sure.

Kellie and Camilla played soccer together before Camilla got sick. I had Kellie the year after I had Camilla. She was so excited to see these coasters and to be able to bring some home. I have always liked to eat at Chili's...I better go more often now!

Mother Knows Best

Camilla called tonight. She sounded SO good (must be that LILT!) which made me happy. After a little bit of small talk she said, "Guess what?" Um? "What?" I answered.
"I HAVE T-CELLS!!!" was her reply.

Oh my gosh! I was so happy. I told her I had just blogged that her mom thought she might have some even though Dr. Horowitz said NO WAY. He actually had said she wouldn't get any for at least 3 months. As I was enthusiastically telling Camilla how happy I was, she told me NOT to get TOO excited because she didn't have many T-Cells. I told her I didn't care if she just had 10...just as long as she had them! So she quickly laughed and told me she actually had 2...yep, 2 T-Cells. Now that's not an actual 2...but it's parts per hundred or something like that. I'll have to ask Rema. The main thing...the GREAT thing...is her new marrow is making T-cells.

Camilla, who wants to be an actress, quickly told me that as soon as she had 50 T-cells, she could go to the movies. Hopefully within a week she'll be able to. This photo is of the theater entrance at Peabody Place, where Camilla and Rema go to the movie...when there's enough T-cells, anyway!

The Sound of Your Voice

Sometimes when I talk to my mom and she first hears my voice, she'll immediately ask, "What's wrong?" I can say "Nothing" 100 times, and she'll eventually say, "I don't hear that lilt in your voice." Now I have never known exactly what the "LILT" is, but she says she can hear it. Um?

As much as I hate to admit it, I can hear a difference in my daughter's voice sometimes...and I immediately worry. My boys' voice doesn't seem to change like that, but Lindsey's does - sometimes.

What has made me think of this is hearing Camilla's voice. I can tell the INSTANT I hear her voice how her day is going...I can usually hear it in Rema's voice too. I'm not exactly sure if it's a "LILT", but it's a difference, for sure. Well, yesterday I called Camilla and Rema...Camilla answered the phone with a DEFINITE LILT in her voice...whatever that may be! She sounds GREAT! She's feeling so much better, and she's finally sleeping at night. The coughing from the pneumonia is drastically improved...Rema thinks she might have already made T-Cells....even though Dr. Horowitz says it's too early. He said that before and she surprised them all with making them early.


This photo was taken about a week ago. Their friend, Karen, was out visiting and took this shot of Camilla playing pool in Target House. Camilla doesn't like the photos, she thinks she doesn't look good. I think she looks WONDERFUL!

A New School Year

A new school year has started! I was dragging my heals before the first day...not wanting the summer days to end. But something happens on that first day when all those fresh faces walk into the classroom...they are so eager, so excited, and often, so nervous!

As a teacher, we spend more of a child's waking hours with them than their parents - hopefully - if they're going to bed at a decent hour! We get so close to those little people...so protective of them.

But now my routine is changed...it has to be more structured so I can get everything done. I do have one major rebellion on my hands, however. HE does not like this new change of routine. HE has gone to HIDING in the morning when he knows it's about time for me to leave.

Guess who?

Eskie's new sleeping spot?

Now Eskie is one of the loves of my life. He's my first cat and I absolutely adore him. He was 17 years old in May...so he's getting a bit elderly! One thing he has NEVER done is get up on the counter. I'm sure he tried when he was a kitty, but he quickly understood that was NOT TO BE!

Fast forward 17+ years...Eskie has now developed this desire to get on the counter. We still won't let him...but he keeps trying. Ron will 'give him the boot' if he sees him. "The boot" by Ron is not physical, he just picks him up, scratches him on the head, tells him he can't be up there, and gently puts him outside. I will usually congratulate him first for BEING ABLE to get up on the stool to get on the counter...then I'll gently remove him.

Well, this is what I saw when I went downstairs this morning...I had to take a picture. Do you think Eskie is guarding the jam?

A Couple of Camilla's Men

Camilla has some special people in her life...but this is just about two. I pondered the name of the post...should I say "Men"? One I know for sure, the other...well, he would probably call himself a man.

This is referring to John...John is Camilla's brother. She loves him SO much, looks up to him, adores him, gets so incredibly angry with him, pretends to stab him with knives, and even put a crab claw on his pillow - KNOWING he is FRIGHTFULLY SCARED of crab. This is something he doesn't like (that he's afraid of crab) but one he will definitely admit.


John is also a wildman. He has more energy than...well, I don't know what to compare him to. Unfortunately, his wildness caught up with him this weekend. John and his buddy, Jeff, went to a resort with Jeff's parents. John and Jeff were on the golf course racing (I don't know if John would use the term 'racing', but I would assume that is the correct term). Well, John the wildman was driving. He's only 15, which might explain, but he knew he was getting ready to CRASH the golf cart into some ROCKS???? (Yes, question marks need to go there.) So, Jeff braced himself for the crash, but not John...nope, he jumped out of the moving cart. Apparently the cart ran over his foot AND pinned it between the wheel and the rock. Can't help but love John!


The other man, in the title "A Couple of Camilla's Men" is her grandfather - Farris. Now Farris is remarkable. He and I share the same birthday...although I told him he WAS older than me - like by 30 years. But you'd never know it.


Now most of us would agree that Grandfather's are special people...but I think Farris is more special than most. Rema is his only daughter. She has a special look when she talks about her 'Daddy' and I think if Camilla was mad at the world, she wouldn't consider being mad at her grandfather.



Farris is on the go...he just had Wildman John and his buddy, Josh, visiting for two weeks. Thank goodness he had a little help in entertaining these two guys.