Springtime in CA 2015

I know, it’s autumn, but I plan to do some spring catching up on the blog. I can’t seem to move forward without catching up. It’s time.

I’m still here. Kicking it and loving life.

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In late March, I picked this little vase of goodies from the garden. In hopes to help my sick hubby to feel better. They certainly brightened the space…

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Early April – I painted this image with the help of my Wacom and Photoshop.

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Happy Easter! We spent the afternoon with friends watching our Red Birds on Opening Day.

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A true Cardinal fan and our host.

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Bring on the Cardinal color…

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The beautiful hostess – Everything was positively delecious!

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Children – Loved taking images of them in and around the pool.

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Bashful – Image taken right after her first bite of dinner…But those eyes and expression…LOVE!

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The big boys and girls had it made…

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My Red Bird Fan! And my number 1 Hero.

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Another early April painting. This is an underpainting (Layer 2) taking on a little shape.

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Finished painting.

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A little shot of my kitchen window garden with a fresh rose from the garden.

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A rose as it begins to drift away. I just love the color!

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April 16 – My somebody special on his way to work to present to the customer. I’m happy his meetings went well…

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Mid April evening in the garden – Enjoying the last drop of light…

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Late April – Amaryllis in bloom.

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End of April – We joined Costco! Now that is an event worth noting. It had been 12 years since we enjoyed the benefits of being customers of Costco.

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End of April – It’s the time of year when the dragonflies return. They come in all sorts of colors during the season. Here’s a female laying her eggs.

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May 2nd – Boxing party was held at our house! The hubs and his buddy putting the brisket on the smoker early that morning. And the sad thing, this is the only shot I have from that glorious afternoon and evening with friends. But the memories are priceless…

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Our dear friend gifted us with the beautiful flag (made and painted by her) that proudly waves over our front door.

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The heron has landed – I figured a shot was appropriate before yelling at him. Sometimes they are persistent around the fish pond. But my yelling and screaming at them seems to do the trick.

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In early May, I had the gardener transplant this tree. I really hoped to keep it alive. Unfortunately, it did not like the new home.

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Springtime dilemma is when a girl can’t figure out what color she wants.

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One of my May dates to Red Lobster with my love = Time well spent.

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Another May Date with the hubs at the Cheesecake Factory. Just love this composition at the hostess desk…

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An early morning capture of the dragonfly on a net.

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And a bee pollenating…

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A little capture of the hubs boots at the back door – a nice reminder he was busy in the garden.

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My Christmas wish for 2015 came early. As in May early for my birthday! I had told the hubs (months ago – Jan/Feb this year) when I spied this arbor that I would like it for Christmas. Not only did he remember. But he surprised me with this a week before my birthday.

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Up on the hill at the top of the winding stair path is where I wanted it. And so it was…

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On the morning of my birthday, the hubs knew right where to place the special card for me.

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When a statue is larger than life – Sometimes it’s the little things that need to be captured. Just bummed my cell is the only camera I had with me on that May evening night. But a great evening and dinner along the San Diego Harbor with the hubs and a friend.

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May 31st is the day we picked this big guy from the garden – Indeed we kept it on the vine too long, but we grilled it for dinner anyway. The skin was obviously tough but the inside was tender and good.

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One last image – rosebuds in the garden.

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And that my friends takes us thru the month of May, 2015.

Blessings – Debbie

Lately

Cardinals fans are in the house!

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I had my critique last week – One of the two images printed and matted for the assignment.

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The babies continue to change color. It truly has been a joy watching them turn from dark brown into these colorful pretty guys and girls.

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The hubs and I spent a couple of days in LA to help the daughter get her things ready for the movers. Yup, she moved to IL last night.

She is so pumped to be close to friends and to be in the place she’s wanted to live for years. We’re happy for her.

View from our room – yesterday morning.

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The power plant in LA captures my attention.

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Mainly the painting on the side of this building. Finally captured it on this visit. Images in LA were shot with the cell (didn’t want to be responsible for my camera with everything going on this weekend.)

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The last dinner (last night) with the daughter was spent here. And she was off on a midnight flight to Illinois last night.

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I feel like I’ve been thru a whirlwind the last couple of days.

And I’m thrilled the hubs brought us home sweet home, safe and sound last night. I slept pretty much all the way home.

It’s good to be home.

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It rained last night – And I took advantage of free diamonds glistening on spiderwebs this morning.

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Beauty after the rain.

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And leaves beneath the web blanket.

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And rest, much needed rest for me and the hubs today. Have I mentioned how good it is to be home?

Blessings – Debbie

LA for the Weekend

Last Friday, the hubs and I made our way to LA.

That evening we got to meet our daughters boyfriend’s parents and sister.

We did it  up right with BBQ dinner at Lucille’s. Allow me to say, their baby back ribs are fall off the bone tender and yummy and messy. Oh my goodness! And they brought warm rolled cloths (to the table) after our meal. I call that great service.

Then we went to Cold Stone for some ice cream.

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And then we partied ’til the early morning hours in Koreatown, at this really cool Korean karaoke place.

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Fun times!

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Daddy daughter team.

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While the hubs was singing…(He was singing a special song “to rme” – Makes me happy.)

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the rest of the gang were finding favorite songs to cue.

One of the groups favorite of the night was Yellow Submarine – we all got a big kick out of that.

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Singing a song

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Gotta love it – I believe they were singing Mamma Mia and they danced the entire song.

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Getting ready for her song…

And sometime in the early morning hours, we grew a little weary and called it a crazy fun day and night to remember. We shut the place down!

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The next morning (Saturday) we took a stroll down to the beach for brunch.

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And what do you know?

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We happened on Jillian Michaels summer shape up.

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I didn’t bother counting all of the tents and crew, but it was quite the turnout.

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She had the place rockin’

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I walked all the way around and got as close to her as I could.

She’s in the image below up on the stage between the two flags with a  cap. See her?

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And then we found the perfect spot for brunch.

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Cute little picture as we were leaving.

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And then we were off to Dodger Stadium to watch our Cardinals play ball!

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Good Year kept us company all afternoon.

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Here we have a few of the hubs friends from St Louis.

I’ll say the hubs did an amazing job coordinating this super fun event. He even scored tickets just 13 rows from the field and close to the home plate.

There were 16 of us total.

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It was a sad day for Cardinal fans, but we still rallied at the 7th inning stretch.

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Friends at the game – I think they were discussing a Cardinal comeback.

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But our friend need not say a word – He truly shows that our Cardinals were out there looking like a bunch of clowns. It was pathetic…Almost laughable.

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Then a few of us gathered at a Mexican joint to finish the day.

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And the hubs and I made it home sweet home a little after midnight.

We’ve been trying to catch up on rest ever since.

I think we are finally back into the swing of things.

And we are truly looking forward to this upcoming three day weekend. Although I think we have plans to keep it as low key as possible. Sounds good to me!

Blessings – Debbie

Thoughts and Dreams

Good afternoon!

It’s a great day, sprinkled with thoughts and dreams all over the place.

I woke this morning thinking.

I don’t know where my thoughts came from, they were just there in the wee hours of the morning.

Below is the thought/question I presented to FB this morning.

What I woke thinking/feeling puzzled about – Oct – if an octopus has eight legs, an octagon has eight sides and there are eight notes in an octave – then why isn’t October the eighth month of the year? This inquiring mind needs to know.

Turns out, I have some really smart friends. But my genius friend responded.

October was the eight month in the Roman calendar but became the 10th month when January and February were inserted with the new Julian calendar.

My mind is finally at peace on that matter. Thanks to Angelete.

I’ve been thinking about our Cardinals. And we’re ready to cheer “BIG” for them again tonight.

While they didn’t have a good night at the park, last night. We know what they are made of.

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I spent a bit of time in the garden this morning. It’s a great place to think and dream. And today I thought a nice long shutter speed would be fun to do. So I rolled with it.

Long Shutter Speed – Sometimes it takes time to achieve the desired outcome. Image from my morning visit in the garden.

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And there were thoughts from the past. Thoughts of moving to San Diego.

In fact, it was four years ago today when I moved from Upstate NY (the hubs moved a week or so before me) to San Diego.

The image below was taken October 17, 2009 – from the street in front of the home we had just built.

I like how the hubs commented on this image. He said…

What a symbolic picture that is. That long and winding road has led us here.

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It’s hard to believe we’ve been here this long. But we certainly enjoy the great adventures out west.

The hubs states that he can no longer live where a palm tree can’t grow.

I’m thankful he’s taken me to the ends of the earth, to places I’ve never been and back to where palm trees grow. I could get used to this – for a lifetime.

Blessings – Debbie

My Cup is Full

So lately, my cup has been full of coffee. I went from the single cup in the morning to going back for seconds. And then back for a third in the evening.

Here we have my favorite pottery mug + Coldstone Sweet Cream, Cream + Coffee = So good!

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Challenged – The wind presented a challenge this morning. Especially when trying to take images of little flowers the size of a quarter.

But this turned out to be my “happy” image for today.

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I plan to work on some projects today. More specific, projects that involve the digital darkroom class I took last semester. It should be fun!

It should be a fun evening watching our Cardinals play in the World Series this evening. Wishing them good sportsmanship and a great game!

Have a great day and thank you for stopping by.

Blessings – Debbie

Keep Calm and Blog On

That’s what one tells them-self, when said person is a bit more than two weeks behind on the blog.

When one needs to keep calm, it never hurts to have an extra cup of coffee. So I did.

And with this post, I thought it would be nice to say a few blurbs of what’s been going on around here. Sprinkled with a smattering of photos, to keep things real.

Things like – Taking an image of our hard work, what a beautiful wood pile. The hubs did the chopping and I did the stacking. A great big cheers to having that job finished and we will celebrate with many a fire in the fire-pit in the coming days/years.

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We started hiking the hood again.

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I especially love hiking, just before sunset with the hubs.

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I’m back to painting the walls in the house.

Do you know that Christmas music has filled the space in our home, going on 3 weeks? I admit, this is a first. I really don’t know what’s into me, but Christmas is in the air and I feel it. And I’m shopping for a new Christmas tree. I think I found just the one. This is not a non-sequitur people. It has everything to do with painting, as it truly filled the air with every brushstroke and roll of paint with the roller.

Below – A finished image of the family room. The paint color is Behr – Summer Bliss

Don’t mind the stuff on the window ledges, I didn’t have everything back in place when I took this image.

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After painting a couple of days in the family room, I took a two-day rest. And I read for two days. The great news = I finished the book for my book club meeting this month.

Fry – Who knew goldfish/fish young were called fry? And that they hatch a brownish color? And they can take up to a year to develop color? And they can change color up until they have fully matured? I’m pretty jazzed with the little yellow and black guy who is changing color before our eyes. And it’s hard to believe that some of the little ones look pretty close to 3″ in size already. I knew none of the above going into this, but it’s a joy learning as we go…

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And one day while sitting at the edge of the pond, the reflection begged to be captured.

Speaking of the pond – The fountain sprung a leak and water was seeping out (a little drop at a time). Thankful for a good pond guy who was able to repair the leak for us last week.

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Speaking of repairs – The washing machine broke last Thursday.

The best load for the washer to break = the last load. The load you debate even throwing in the wash. You know, a few sweaters that would be nice to have fresh for our cool San Diego nights. I was feeling a bit smug (Thursday evening) to have all the clothes put away and the ironing all up to snuff.

And it’s still in need of some tender loving care. But I have hopes that the appliance man will have things under control tomorrow. Fingers crossed…

I have to put in a big plug-in for the St Louis Cardinals, the hubs hometown and team since childhood. The hubs predicted (before the playoff series) that they would nail it in 6, in honor of #6. What do you know, he was right on the money! We’re looking forward to our Cards in the World Series!

We helped our friends do a little moving down here from LA over the last two weekends. And we enjoyed a nice dinner with them last weekend.

Snapped this guy on one of my little outdoor garden jaunts.

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The garden is one of my favorite places to relax.

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Let there be birthday cake! Red velvet birthday cake. I whipped this guy up over the weekend.

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Our daughter came for a visit (down from LA) and it was her birthday. I couldn’t think of any other cake to bake, than her favorite red velvet.

And I decorated her card with fingernail polish. It’s my new favorite way to decorate the envelope.

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 Twas a big celebration weekend of whining and dining.

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I spent a bit of time in the garden this morning. Remember? One of my favorite ways to relax.

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And shot several images.

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 And sipped on coffee.

And spent some time on the phone with my pop.

And I’ve been really good about staying out of the leftover ice cream. I call that a big accomplishment.

And I’m ever thankful we sent “ALL” the leftover cake with Kristy. Lord knows I would have a hard time staying out of that.

And I feel blessed getting this new week started off on the right foot.

Blessings – Debbie

Memorial Day Weekend

It was truly a weekend to remember.

Months ago, we made plans to meet up with the hubs old childhood buddy. And what better place to meet, than in LA to watch their favorite baseball team (St Louis Cardinals) play the LA Dodgers.

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The night before we made our way to LA, I posted on FB that I would be in LA watching the  Dodgers/Cardinals game.

And what do you know, our friend from Phoenix comments on my status saying that she too will be at the game!

That’s her up there in the stands waving at us. Can you believe that? Thank you FB as we would have missed seeing our friend.

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We were down front just to the left a bit and 10 rows from home plate. So we got on the phone and told her there was an extra seat and to come on down.

Down she came and stayed a whole 5 innings with us. Then she said she should probably get back to her family. It truly was a treat as she too grew up with the hubs and his buddy. How cool was that?

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This little cutie sat right in front of me. And I couldn’t help myself, so I took his pic.

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And another shot of his cuteness. I love the way his little feet dangled over the edge of his seat.

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And this little cutie sat right next to the above mentioned cutie.

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So I had fun taking his pictures too.

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It was such a beautiful day with a nice cool breeze.

Thank goodness for the sunscreen we slathered ourselves in. Especially when I noticed a little area on the hubs wrist next to his watch where a small bit of skin was missed by the sunscreen. Twas a bit red.

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Bottom of the 9th = The Dodgers fans had their rally caps in place. And as hard as they worked for the win, our Cardinals held their 5 – 3 victory. What a great day.

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For dinner that evening, we met up with our daughter at the Cheesecake Factory in Redondo Beach.

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We were lucky enough to have outdoor seating with this beautiful view. Might I add, their red velvet cheesecake was SO good.

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And then it was time for the hubs and I to make our way back home to San Diego. This is the view of the full moon that evening as we headed south.

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And soon after, I fell asleep as the hubs drove us home.

I always feel bad when I fall asleep on him.

Maybe next time I’ll be able to keep him company for the duration.

And this wraps up our fun day spent with family and friends.

Blessings – Debbie

Go Cardinals


It’s BASEBALL Season! There is something about baseball that I love. From the time I met Hubby, I’ve been a St Louis Cardinal fan. He’s been a Cardinal fan since his early childhood. Hubby and I like to go to the Cardinal games when we can. When the Cardinals play in our hometown, you better believe, we are there.

In the meantime, we watch every Cardinal game from the comforts of home. The Cardinals have won the first 2 games so far! Woo Hoo! Hubby has satellite and we are able to view the games wherever they play. He is also fond of his “high def” and surround sound. When it comes to our games, he wants to make sure he has all the bells and whistles up to date. I’m still back in the old ages when it comes to equipment and can’t figure out how in the world to get everything on. If I had to figure out his remote, I think I would be in a sea of confusion the rest of my life. I’m one of those wives who can’t figure out their husband’s remote to save her life. I’m happy he has everything under control and I must say, I love sitting next to him watching my favorite sport of all. I absolutely love my team and know each player and new players who have joined our team. I also know what position each one plays and am serious about this baseball business. GO CARDINALS!