Tropical Depression 2E/Father's Day Tributes/Fresh Air Program

HURRICANES AND WEATHER
There is a weakening tropical wave in the Atlantic and newly formed Tropical Depression 2-E in the Pacific. This storm is forecast to moved westward and strengthen to a tropical storm tomorrow (Thursday).

Weak trough out west and ridge east is reluctant to move. That means it will continue to be hot and sticky in the southeast for at least a week. It also means fairly comfortable weather for the Rockies and northern plains and some storms on and off from the Rockies to the central plains.

Houston you are part of that hot and sticky scenario with lows in the 70s and highs in the 90s and heat indices (how it feels with the humidity) running close to 105. Stay cool!

SPANISH WORD OF THE DAY
Let's do father or papá, pronounced pah-PAH. Happy papá's day! See the AND MORE section for a description of my favorite dads.

Kids getting restless...tired of swimming and the heat...order my award winning DVDs, Let's Learn Spanish with Frank & Paco. They are on the shelf (in the education section) at Barnes & Noble stores or you can order them from http://www.frankandpaco.com, http://www.amazon.com, http://www.bn.com, http://www.bestbuy.com, or http://www.ebay.com/. Our ESL (English as a Second Language) version can be found at http://www.frankypaco.com.

AND MORE
FRESH AIR FUND NEEDS YOUR HELP
Sarah Wilson sent me a request asking me to publicize the need for help for a special charity which gives inner New York City kids a chance to have some non-city experiences.

In 2009, The Fresh Air Fund's Volunteer Host Family program, called Friendly Town, gave close to 5,000 New York City boys and girls, ages six to 18, free summer experiences in the country and the suburbs. Volunteer host families shared their friendship and homes FOR up to two weeks or more in 13 Northeastern states from Virginia to Maine and Canada.

The Fresh Air Fund relies on donations to provide memorable summers to NYC children.

The Fresh Air Fund needs hosts for the summer of 2010.

More than 65% of all Fresh Air children are reinvited to stay with their host family, year after year.
Here is the link:
http://freshairfundhost.com/

Houston Chapter of the American Meteorological Society Meeting 6/17
You don't want to miss this one!!!

The National Hurricane Program - some thoughts going into my 3rd season
Presented by Bill Read,
Director, National Hurricane Center
Thursday, June 17th
Dinner – 6:00 pm, Meeting 7:00-8:30 pm
Saltgrass Steakhouse
20241 Gulf Freeway
Webster, TX 77598-4809

Houston/Galveston Hurricane Workshop at George R. Brown Sat. 6/19
Come on out for this free workship from 10 am to 3 pm and there is a huge kid zone that is just amazing. I will be hosting 2 sessions of meet the meteorological media. Hope to see you there!!! Admission is free!

Getting my driver's license renewed
At certain times, you have to go to the DPS and get your license renewed...it is as certain as death and taxes. I went to Rosenberg this morning and there was a line out into the parking lot...too hot and slow. So I headed to the office on Dacoma in Houston and at least wait was in the a/c. But it took 2 hours from the time I walked in until the time I left. I got to talking to one 20 year old lady who said she had been trying to pass the written test since 16. She seemed overwhelmed by the booklet and said it was dumb to have to know all of that stuff. Well, all I could think was thank goodness there is a test. And I asked her, Don't you want to know all the rules so you can drive as safely as possible? She just looked at me with a glazed expression. Thank goodness for certain controls!!!

Here's a list of item values for when you itemize charitable contributions
So I ran into this by accident...Goodwill has published this list of how they value items. This way you have a nice guide for putting value on your charitable contributions.
http://www.goodwillncw.org/donationbrochure.pdf

Tribute to my Favorite Dads
No one could ever take the place of my own Dad who passed away 3 weeks before we got Sarah. He was funny and determined to live life by his principles. He was also very smart...loved science and math. Long before I saw my first episode of Star Trek, he told me all about it and made me love it. Then, when I did see it, I loved it more than I could imagine. He went to work every day, even when things were very tough. He was home every night eating dinner with the whole family. He was there when we prayed as a family and when we went to church. I miss my Dad.

Now Gordy is an amazing and passionate dad. He worries unceasingly about both his girls and would do anything for them. He gives hugs and kisses in unlimited quantities and even when exhausted, he gets up every day and takes Sarah to school. He takes his family to church every week. He provides a terrific example by putting others first. The world needs more dads like him!!!

My stepdad, Gerry, is a joy! I can't thank God enough for bringing him and my mom together. He recharged her in a way I could have never hoped. And, he treats all of his kids like his very own. He stepped in and filled a hole in a way I could have never imagined and now I can't imagine our lives without him. He's also an amazing musician!!!

My father-in-law Dale is a big lovable bear. At 75, he still goes to work every day. His favorite thing is to take his family around in his ski boat. He loves to be with family more than anything else. He has infinite patience and love for all of his grandkids. I couldn't have designed a better father-in-law.

The biological father of Sarah is very special to me. He loved her so much that he made the choice to give her the best home he could find. I am so very grateful for his decision and love him very much.

Happy Father's Day to all the fathers out there!!!
Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman

Weekend Forecast/Deadly Flash Floods/Eyelash Extensions

WEATHER
Hot and sticky for the south and southeast US this weekend as the jet stream dips south over the Rockies, keeping the eastern US in the warm, moist flow from the Gulf. Very pleasantly cool for the Rockies and northern plains and intermountain region with highs in the 50s and 60s. West coast will have highs in the 60s to 80s and the northeast will have highs in the 70s. Look for some severe storms from west Texas to Missouri and Iowa.

Houston will be hot and sticky through the weekend with a slight chance for showers and thunderstorms in the afternoons/early evenings.

SPANISH WORD OF THE DAY
Instead of a Spanish word of the day, I am going to make a qualification/modification to my last entry. I was talking about a famous psychic living in Sugar Land. My good friend and expert linguist, Raul Feliciano Sanchez told me a better choice than for psychic than parasicológico would be vidente, pronounced vee-DEN-tay. Thanks Raul!!!

Just got another big order from one of my distributors--Don't miss out...order my award winning DVDs, Let's Learn Spanish with Frank & Paco. They are on the shelf (in the education section) at Barnes & Noble stores or you can order them from http://www.frankandpaco.com, http://www.amazon.com, http://www.bn.com, http://www.bestbuy.com, or http://www.ebay.com/. Our ESL (English as a Second Language) version can be found at http://www.frankypaco.com.

AND MORE
My poll on which show/celebrities will lose popularity the fastest is closed. 100% of respondents said that High School Musical will. No one selected Miley Cyrus/Hannah Montana or Suite Life on Deck. Only one answer was allowed. Thanks to all who participated.

My new poll is about eyelash extensions. Would you consider getting them? Only one answer is allowed. Thanks in advance for participating.

So why you ask...am I doing a poll about eyelash extensions? Well every time I go to the John C. Freeman weather museum, I pass a business on Southmore called Novalash The Academy of Eyelash Arts and Sciences. So I checked it out and Houston, we are the headquarters of this eyelash extension company. They have certified professionals and training programs across the US and even internationally. Who would have thunk it?

Speaking of the John C. Freeman Weather Museum, I was heading there this morning to tape updates for the premier of Positively Houston, a positive variety news program that will air on PBS 8.2 Digital on June 26th. It will also appear on Houston Public Television. I am super excited to be involved in this project after shooting the pilot last year. Hope you will like it too. The museum and Weather Research Center will figure prominently as a focal point for weather information. By the way, don't forget to get your kids enrolled in weather camps at the museum this summer.

Last Sunday, Sarah and I headed to the Children's Museum to use some free passes. It is one of Sarah's favorite places. I was pleasantly surprised to see that the parking and admission were free (courtesy of Target). And there will be Target free days July 16, 17 and 18 and on the first Sunday of August (the 1st). We decided to save our free passes for another day. It was very busy. So, be prepared for that if you go on a free day (trust me, Sarah didn't care). And Family Free Nights are every Thursday 5 to 8 pm.

Today's flooding deaths in Arkansas reminded me of some other deadly river flooding events...August 26, 1998 when the remnants of Tropical Storm Charley cashed flash flooding on the Rio Grande, killing 13 people in Val Verde county (some while they slept) and 7 people on the Mexico side in Ciudad Acuña.

Then, there was the Estes park flooding of 7/31 and 8/1 of 1976. At least 139 people were killed by the flash flooding. My family was in Colorado that summer and my mom said she had looked into going to Estes Park, but she had found a different location for our destination.

Flash flooding is a killer--one that most people don't understand and often don't respect. Remember the rule of thumb if you encounter a flooded roadway, Turn Around, Don't Drown. On the other hand, some of the people who died in the events I mentioned were sleeping at the time...in homes close to waterways. Whether traveling or at home, be aware of the flood history of the area where you are staying and monitor weather via television and radio when you are in flood prone areas. Usually you are safest staying home, even moving up to an attic or the roof if needed. But, if authorities tell you to leave, you should always get out.

Have a safe weekend everyone!
Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman

Upper Low Means Rain for Houston

WEATHER
Very hot across the southwest with lots of 100s. Hot steamy for the south and southeast with highs in the upper 80s and 90s. Mild for the west coast and northern tier with highs in the 60s and 70s. There is a slight risk of severe storms from Colorado down to the panhandle of TX eastward through the Midwest.

Houston, there is an upper low west of us and that means scattered showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon and early evening. The low will be very slow to move out but should be to the northeast of us by the weekend. So, rain chances will decrease some. Highs will be in the upper 80s through Wednesday.


SPANISH WORD OF THE DAY
Let's do tired or cansado or cansada, pronounced cahn-SAH-dough or cahn-SAH-dah. Tonight I am cansada. So, I am going to keep this blog short.

Don't forget to order my award winning DVDs, Let's Learn Spanish with Frank & Paco. They are on the shelf (in the education section) at Barnes & Noble stores or you can order them from http://www.frankandpaco.com, http://www.amazon.com, http://www.bn.com, http://www.bestbuy.com, or http://www.ebay.com/. Our ESL (English as a Second Language) version can be found at http://www.frankypaco.com.

Have a terrific Tuesday everyone!
P.S. Taylor just told me to tell everyone "hi".

Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman

Heavy Rain Threat/Blowout Blessing/Psychic in the Neighborhood

WEATHER (INCLUDING TROPICAL CYCLONES)
Atlantic and tropical basins are quiet.

There is an excessive heat advisory for eastern California and southern Nevada (including Las Vegas). The advisory is in effect Saturday afternoon into Monday with temperatures expected to soar to 106 and beyond.

Jet stream is dipping slightly over the northeastern part of the US and that will trigger some severe storms from the Midwest eastward. Very hot across the southern plains and southwest with 90s into the 100s. Pleasant along the west coast and northern states with highs in the 50s to 70s. Steamy in the southeast with highs in the 80s and 90s.

Houston is getting drenched...one check of the radar this evening and you can see the upper low spinning overhead. It's a slow mover so look for more bands and heavy rain but because heavy rain has been spread out fairly evenly...the National Weather Service is not issuing any flood watches (yet). The system is slow moving with more heavy rain possible on Friday. Should see improvement by Sunday. Will update if needed.

SPANISH WORD OF THE DAY

Let's do psychic or parasicológico, pronounced pah-rah-see-coh-LOW-gee-coh. Find out about a famous para(p)sicológico living in Sugar Land in the AND MORE section.

That reminds me...I predict that you will be proactive and right away, order my award winning DVDs, Let's Learn Spanish with Frank & Paco. They are on the shelf (in the education section) at Barnes & Noble stores or you can order them from http://www.frankandpaco.com, http://www.amazon.com, http://www.bn.com, http://www.bestbuy.com, or http://www.ebay.com/. Our ESL (English as a Second Language) version can be found at http://www.frankypaco.com.

AND MORE
My poll on the impact of reductions in special needs education is closed. More than one answer was allowed. Thanks to all who participated.

100% said they believe it will make special needs individuals more dependend on their aging caregivers.
66% said there will be more stress in the classrooms with special needs kids
33% said it will result in a more dependent special needs population, will cause a loss of talent in special needs education, and it will cause net increase in the economic impact of the special needs population. No one said it would cause no changes, result in a net increase in state support of special needs education, or will cause a nedt decrease in the economic impact of the special needs population.

Okay...that was so serious. Now for something more lighthearted--my new poll...which of these celebrities/shows do you think is going to burn out most quickly. Only one asnwer is allowed. Thanks in advance for participating.

I had a blowout yesterday...well maybe not exactly a blowout. I heard a little phish sound and felt a little something and thought I had better exit and check it out. I could not believe how bad my tire looked and how I almost couldn't tell anything was wrong. It looked like someone had slashed it from wheel to edge with a knife. Somehow it was still holding together...that was a Michelin tire by the way. Anyway, I called my hubby and I told him I would put the spare on myself. He said he was on his way. So I thought I would just have the spare on by the time he arrived. Nothing doing...I couldn't budge the lock/lugnut. Well, he couldn't either...we just couldn't get enough torque with the equipment that came in the car. Now, I will admit, we had put on special wheels...so the lugnuts were deeply recessed. Anyway, we went over to a Sears Automotive and they took pity on us and loaned us a cross lugnut undoer (can't remember the real name). Well Gordy was able to pop that puppy right off. And before long we were on our way. Of course, we were both sweatballs...with the humidity and temperature super high.

But, I thought afterward that I was so fortunate--I didn't lose control of my car. And my tire held together until I could safely stop. It happened on a day when Gordy could get away from work to help me. We were able to get someone to take care of Sarah right away (thanks Cindy!). It was a hassle but it could have been so much worse. Plus, I now know what I need to buy for our cars...one of those cross thingeys. It was a blowout blessing.

My buddy and reporter, Leslie Williams, has done it again. She has a fascinating article in the Houston Chronicle about a famous psychic who lives right here in Sugar Land. This lady is famous enough that I had read about her before. Check it out!
http://www.ultimatefortbend.com/2010/06/sugar-land-psychic-has-famous-client-list

Well, I have a premonition that it will be the weekend soon! Have a great one!
Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman

Weather this Week/2010 Hurricane Season Forecast/ChickFila Spicy Chicken

WEATHER
The jet stream is parked along the northern tier of states with just a slight dip into the western Great Lakes. There will a few spots with slight risks of severe storms. Highs will be in the 70s to 90s from the northeast to the southwest. Highs will be in the 60s along the west coast and over the Rockies with a few cooler spots in the higher elevations.

Houston hit 97 on the 28th (one degree shy of the record). Through the coming weekend, the weather will stay hot and humid with highs in the middle 90s each day and a slight chance for seabreeze type thunderstorms each afternoon and early evening.

SPANISH WORD OF THE DAY
Let's do season or estación, pronounced eh-stah-see-OWN. A new estación is about to start and I'm not talking about summer. To learn more, go to the AND MORE section.

Time to get your children entertained and educated--order my award winning DVDs, Let's Learn Spanish with Frank & Paco. They are on the shelf (in the education section) at Barnes & Noble stores or you can order them from http://www.frankandpaco.com, http://www.amazon.com, http://www.bn.com, http://www.bestbuy.com, or http://www.ebay.com/. Our ESL (English as a Second Language) version can be found at http://www.frankypaco.com.

AND MORE
CHICK-FIL-A'S NEW SPICY CHICKEN SANDWICH
I got to try the new spicy crispy sandwich premiering at Chick-Fil-A on June 6th. I must say...it is quite delicious!!! It's kind a flavor but if you don't like spicy...stay away because there is an after kick. You can always use the old trick of drinking or eating something with sugar in it. I think it was just right. MMMMMMM!

COUSINS AND THE CHRISTMAS HOUSE
My Aunt Shirley's funeral was beautiful. Got to catch up with lots of first, 2nd and 3rd cousins and once and twice removed and so on. While there, I visited with the daughter's of my great-grandma Tekla's brother. Janie, Esther and Dorothy are the Minten sisters. They referred to my great-grandma as Aunt Tilly and said her formal name Tekla is actually the Dutch equivalent of the English name Matilda.

Anyway, the sisters have an amazing "Christmas" house between Falfurrias and Premont. I've been there and it is amazing!!! Even the closets have Christmas. And they have a Christmas shop! It's a nice cool thought not that we are in the throes of summer heat. The house is open for tours from September into March. But they do open for tours during other months on request. For more information, go to:

http://www.santastxworkshop.blogspot.com/

HURRICANE SEASON FORECASTS
Tomorrow (June 1st) is the first day of the 2010 Atlantic Basin hurricane season (which runs through November 30th). Here is a summary of all the forecasts:

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) released its forecast just a few days ago. According to NOAA, the average season has 11 named storms, 6 of them hurricanes, 2 or those major hurricanes (Category 3 or stronger--winds of 111 or higher). They are expecting an active to extremely active season with 14 to 23 named storms, 8 to 14 of those hurricanes, 3 to 7 of those major hurricanes. They don't put out a forecast for where they expect landfalls. They are expecting a busy season because of the ending of the El Nino episode (and thus less wind shear), warmer than normal sea surface temperatures in the Atlantic and the fact that we are still in a multi-decadal period of above normal activity. Here is the official report:

http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2010/20100527_hurricaneoutlook.html

Also here is the official list of names for the 2010 season:
Alex
Bonnie
Colin
Danielle
Earl
Fiona
Gaston
Hermine
Igor
Julia
Karl
Lisa
Matthew
Nicole
Otto
Paula
Richard
Shary
Tomas
Virginie
Walter

Dr. William Gray and his colleagues from Colorado State University are expecting 15 named storms, 8 of those hurricanes and 4 of those major. I will tell you that their revised forecast is coming out on June 2nd (2 days from now) and another on August 4th. They are also forecasting a 69% chance of a major hurricane hitting somewhere along the entire US coastline (52% is the average chance). The chance for Eastern Florida is 45% (average chance is 31%). From the Gulf coast of Florida to Brownsville, Texas the chance is 44% (30% is the average). For more info, check out the following.

http://hurricane.atmos.colostate.edu/Forecasts/2010/april2010/apr2010.pdf

The Weather Research Center/John C. Freeman Weather Museum is forecasting 8 named storms, 5 of those hurricanes, 3 of those major hurricanes. They are forecasting a 60% chance of a tropical storm or stronger hitting Texas (51% is average chance), 90% for West Florida (71% is average), 70% for eastern Florida (41% average), 40% for Louisiana to Alabama (59% is average), 20% for eastern US (36% average), and 20% Georgia to North Carolina (56% average). Here is the report:

http://wxresearch.org/press/2010huroutlook.pdf

Regardless of which one you regard as most likely, it is time to get your hurricane supply kit together and make sure you have a plan in case a hurricane threatens.

God bless all the men and women who gave their lives for our freedom. God bless their families and friends. And God Bless America.

Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman

Memorial Weekend Weather/Garage Sale Lessons/Deducting Clothing Donations

WEATHER
Trough over west and high pressure over east means a contrast in conditions...especially temperature. On Friday, highs in the Pacific Northwest/Intermountain Region/West Coast will be in the 40s to 60s. From the Rockies eastward, highs will be in the 80s and 90s (except for northeast which will have highs in the 60s and 70s).

Houston will be hot and humid through the holiday weekend. Look for a few afternoon and early evening showers and thunderstorms Friday and Saturday. Otherwise, great pool and surf weather. Enjoy! Do keep in mind that we have been having Ozone Watches and air quality problems...this will continue through the weekend. So folks with respiratory problems like asthma, the elderly and young children need to minimize their time outdoors--especially during afternoon hours.

SPANISH WORD OF THE DAY
In my last post, I forgot to give you the Spanish word for aunt. I only provided the pronunciation. Sorry about that!!! So, here is the word: tía

If you are looking for a summer language camp, try The Language Factory. But, if you don't have time or the budget for a camp, try the next best thing...order my award winning DVDs, Let's Learn Spanish with Frank & Paco. They are on the shelf (in the education section) at Barnes & Noble stores or you can order them from http://www.frankandpaco.com, http://www.amazon.com, http://www.bn.com, http://www.bestbuy.com, or http://www.ebay.com/. Our ESL (English as a Second Language) version can be found at http://www.frankypaco.com.

AND MORE
Last weekend's garage sale was a huge success. I got to use some of my rusty Spanish and still managed to sell some things and actually come out ahead. Some of our other neighbors also had garage sales. One of my friends sold her son's clothes and she said every piece went. I didn't sell any of Sarah's clothes because I give them to my sisters who have younger daughters. From my sale, I noticed that the toys and furniture items were the first to go. Electronics--phone/computer related were popular. But it took a while to get rid of a printer and an old fax/copy combo.

In the end, the whole experience was so exhausting and yet cathartic. I now have roomy closets and cabinets. I was hoarding all of these empty butter and cool whip containers and never using them...so I recycled those and sold any extra good pieces at the garage sale. Now, when I open my storage container cabinet, it is like a choir of angels is singing Alleluia. I actually feel myself relaxing--not cringing--because I know that a bunch of plastic bowls are not going to fall out. Ahhhhhhhh!

I didn't sell any adult clothes because I knew from a cleanout about 1 year and a half ago that you can probably get more via IRS deduction. But I could have sworn that I had found some prices on the IRS web site. So, I went looking and here is what I found.

"The fair market value of used clothing and other personal items is usually far less than the price you paid for them. There are no fixed formulas or methods for finding the value of items of clothing.
You should claim as the value the price that buyers of used items actually pay in used clothing stores, such as consignment or thrift shops. "

So, I went to an expert...my step-daughter Megan who volunteered in the Citizens for Animal Protection (CAP) thrift shop. Casual men, women and children's tops and bottoms were usually priced at $2. Really good shoes might got for $15 to $20 but everyday flip flops would only fetch $1 to $2. Purses...anywhere from $1 to $10, with the exception being knockoff purses like Chanel, Coach, Kate Spade etc. which could go from $15 to $30 each. So now you have your price list...get in there and clean out that closet.

Seriously, you would probably be amazed at how many clothes you could get rid off. When I did that cleanout a year and a half ago, I got rid of 200 items. I'll bet I could do that again.

So, maybe you can use this extra long weekend to do some closet cleanout...just remember to count everything and record for your 2010 tax return. If you have more than $500, you have to fill out IRS form 8832.

My poll on Justin Bieber is closed. 0% said that you had better believe they have Bieber Feber! 16% said only their kids do. 16% asked "What is Bieber Fever?" And, 66% said they don't have the fever and they are sick of hearing about him. Only one answer was allowed. Thanks to all who participated.

My new poll is about the cuts in special needs education budgets and thus staffing. More than one answer is allowed. Thanks in advance for participating.

Have a safe and fun Memorial Weekend, but let us never forget those who bought us our freedom with their lives.

Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman

Weather this Week/Hurricane Preparedness/Inspirational Man and Aunt

WEATHER
Ridge over the eastern US and trough out west will stay stubbornly in place this week. Only major modifier is low pressure off the eastern US that will force some slightly drier air southward middle to later part of this week. So east of the Rockies highs will be in the 80s and 90s. Very pleasant only the west coast with highs in the 60s and chilly for the Rockies and northern plains with highs in the 40s and 50s. There are even some high elevation areas that could have wintry weather.

Houston will be hot through the coming weekend with almost no chance for rain. Some slightly drier air arrives Tuesday/Wednesday but it will still be hot and fairly rain free through the weekend.

SPANISH WORD OF THE DAY
Let's do aunt or , pronounced TEE-ah. One of my dear passed away this weekend. Find out why she was so extraordinary in the AND MORE section.

Children have an inate ability to copy and learn pronunciations correctly. If you want them to pronounce the words of other languages correctly, you need to start them early. So, don't delay--order my award winning DVDs, Let's Learn Spanish with Frank & Paco. They are on the shelf (in the education section) at Barnes & Noble stores or you can order them from http://www.frankandpaco.com, http://www.amazon.com, http://www.bn.com, http://www.bestbuy.com, or http://www.ebay.com/. Our ESL (English as a Second Language) version can be found at http://www.frankypaco.com.

AND MORE
Hurricane Season for the Atlantic/Caribbean/Gulf of Mexico Region begins on June 1st. This is Hurricane Preparation Week and the National Weather Service has posted some valuable information to help you and your family prepare.
http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/HAW2/english/intro.shtml

On June 19th, the annual Houston Galveston Hurricane Workshop will be held at the George R. Brown Convention Center from 10 am to 3 pm. Admission is free. Once again, I will be here moderating the session for the broadcast meteorologist public meet and greet. So put it on your calendar and get ready to pose questions to your favorite on air meteorologist.

At the pool this weekend, I met an amazing man, his family and friends. He was in a wheelchair and Sarah wanted to know why. Of course, he overheard our conversation. So, I looked him right in the eye and said, "She wants to know why you are in a wheelchair". Very patiently, he told us how he used to be a motorcycle police officer and one day as he drove down the highway, a woman turned right in front of him and he smashed full speed into her car and broke his neck. Now, he is paralyzed from almost the neck down and has only a little use of one arm. He can't regulate his body temperature. So, he has to be careful about being out in the heat. He recognized me from being on FOX. So I told him to look for me on Facebook and he would she my notices when I posted a blog. He was at the pool to watch his grandson. His former home nurse...now a best friend was also their with his wife and son. I was so touched by all of them and rejoiced that they are living life with as much joy as possible and to the fullest. God bless them and all who have had and are having such trials.

My dear Aunt Shirley passed away yesterday. He is what I posted about her this past February. I love you Aunt Shirley.

I was thinking about my Aunt Shirley. I used to visit her family during the summers...often for weeks at a time. I was one of those "city folks". But, my heart was in the country. I loved running around barefoot, collecting eggs from the chickens, picking blackberries from the wild bushes along the back fence, riding Sam the horse bareback and drinking milk (unpasteurized) from the cows. By the way, that milk tastes very different from what you buy in the store.

Anyway, Aunt Shirley was a joy! She had a great sense of humor. I used to ask her why she didn't have a dishwasher and she would answer...I already have 4 dishwashers. When I asked where they were she would point at me and say "you, and her and her and her" (she was pointing at her 3 daughters after pointing at me. Then she would belt out a hearty laugh. We were up around 5 or 5:30 to do "the work" and that was taking care of the animals. Aunt Shirley whipped up these wonderful breakfasts--my favorite was the cream gravy with bits of sausage over biscuits. She packed up huge lunchboxes and sent her 3 boys off to work the farm. During the day, us girls took care of the chore of the day. She had one day devoted to washing clothes. For a long time, she had one of those ringer washers. One day was for going "up to town" to shop for groceries and run errands. My aunt and cousins got dressed up...in dresses! Then, there was alway "the work" at around 5:30 pm which was again taking care of the animals. There was always a wonderful dinner too and usually dessert. Then, Aunt Shirley would stay up until about 12:30 am sewing clothes for extra money on the side. She made outfits for entire dance drill teams and made many wedding dresses. She was extremely good at what she did. Of course when I look back on all of this, I marvel at how hard she worked every minute of every day and yet had a ready laugh that shook the rafters. She was a blast!

Don't forget to hug someone you love extra hard this week.

Have a great week everyone!
Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman