Yes, I know this is a second shot of an event over the holiday, but it does express how Ben, as a true Lapel Bulldog (how convenient I went to Butler so the Bulldog theme fits) felt to find out this afternoon that school has ONCE AGAIN been cancelled.  Yep, he got an additional week off.  And the ever popular Lapel Elementary song “Bulldogs Get Your Paws Up” is probably being sung today all over our community……by everyone but the parents.

But I am happy for him.  Scotty is still home for another few days, Kenzie is around too, and it really IS like a vacation to him.  Of course if things keep going his way he will never get out of first grade, but the good news is that  he seems quite content with the possibility (as I am sure most of his friends are as well).

This however takes me back to growing up in what was then a small place, Mishawaka, Indiana.  Of course we had school too and I won’t make up any stories like we had to walk to school 5 miles up his everyday and both ways (I will leave those stories to my dad’s generation) but we did have snow.  And here is the big tada in all of it, when it snowed WE WENT TO SCHOOL.  Whether it was just 4 inches (summer) or 16 feet (the rest of the year), our Superintendent would wake up, get a coffee, walk to the front door of his house, open it up, see nothing but white and think “What a wonderful day to go to school!”  He did this of course for two reasons, one, on this issue he was clearing incapable of saying the word “no.” And two, he was from my dad’s generation and clearly projecting.  Either way where I grew up you would wake up and think, “I wonder if I have school today,” and then you would laugh hysterically.  It was just like living in Wisconsin, but without Aaron Rodgers.

Anyway, thankfully I am able to hang with him all day.  I am now a Lapel Bulldog parent, but will forever be a Beiger Junior High School Bulldog and a Butler Bulldog too.  And I will get my paws up along with him.  After all, I am a kid at heart and a snow day is a snow day for whoever gets it! Congratulations Bulldogs, you finally have accomplished that of which we never able.

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+

It’s just another day here at the Tirman home.  My wife is working, I am avoiding being in the way, and Ben is clearly studying Quantum Physics.  Only a real boss could read such things with a silly straw behind his ear like a pencil.  His grandma sent us this one.  He looks pretty studious.

But don’t kid yourselves, it is most probably a ruse.  Ben is about 123% dedicated to goofing or slacking off and there is a very clear and discernible difference. PLUS we cannot discount that there may be something going on with Ben and his grandma.  They are always in cahoots about something and this odd duck attire just may be part of a larger more fun filled thing they are planning.  After all, she took the picture.

He however is still on a pretty tight leash here, and when I say tight leash here I mean only when we can catch him.  Each day is different from the rest. And although we miss the sweet little easy going guy a lot, he just continues t get better and better.  These are always hard weeks.  Steph had to leave but misses him.  Scotty will be leaving Sunday.  And soon it it back to just the three of us (which we define as living life without backup)  We will however survive.

But is a been a busy week……no school means no rest….and no rest means doing a lot.  It  is a great blessing though to have any or all the kids around.  Ben is not my first rodeo and the other two have turned out fine (okay, maybe not Scott…but Kenzie keeps him in line)  I know we are just thankful for them all, crazy ear pencils and all…..because they wouldn’t be real Tirmans if a little crazy wasn’t part of the description.

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+  

It may “look” like an intelligent conversation, but it is not.  Conversation implies a two-way street, and one of them is not talking.  And I will also confess that this is NOT a posed picture as cats cannot and will not pose for anything.  It is just one of those moments that the cat must have found chicken nugget or macaroni and cheese breath worth her time.

But these two are pals.  Our cat “Puddy” (like pudding) has actually mellowed with age.  She is 11 now, but at one time was most probably the meanest cat (or animal) at our vet’s practice.  And after paying to have all four paws declawed, they still got her out of the carrier wearing welding gloves.  She is about 6 pounds of pure fire, and is not to be trifled with.

Ben however loves her, and she Ben.  She sleeps on his bed every night and it is probably meant to be a witness to how tough she is as taking any kind of rest with Ben (whether a nap or when he sneaks into our room) is about as comfortable as sleeping with a zip-tied bag of wet squirrels….he is always moving.

Oh sure he looks sweet in those fake glasses, and sure Puddy looks all docile, but it is an illusion.  These two are the modern day equivalents of “Pinky and the Brain” with no Pinky, two brains, and a lot more ill intent.  He will talk you out of anything he wants and if you don’t comply she’ll bite you. And the scary part is that the two of them hang together.  It is Sharknado at its best, just with fur and delusion.

But if I didn’t have this to write about, what topic could I choose?  The world of these two is pretty cool, and I love walking in it……..at least for as long as they let me.

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+

Sub-zero temperatures, school cancellation, travel advisories, and just another day here at the Tirman home!  Yes, I was out for a few short trips in my truck, but it was well before I was informed of any travel restrictions.  Ignorance of the law I understand is no excuse, but we are taking care of some friends’ pets, and the very cold weather makes that even more important.

But despite the stressful weather, inside the house it has been pretty fun.  Viper and Ben are all about Scott, and as you can see from tonight’s picture, Viper trails him wherever he goes, so much so in fact that as Scotty stopped on the stairs to talk to Amanda and me, Viper just sat down (poorly) next to him. He cracks me up.  Scotty has said that he sleeps right on top of him…..too funny.

As I write this it is -13 outside.  It is pretty hard to imagine it much worse.  Steph thankfully drove back to school on Saturday and made it there before all the bad weather hit.  She too is stranded at her house, but she is warm and safe.  I just pray this night for those who are not….it is brutal out there.

But for now I will just call it a day.  There is nothing too bizarre or spectacular to report.

But on a day like today I have to confess I like it that way.

Goodnight my friends and God Bless.

Tommy+

Although this blogpost is for January 5th, I waited to post it until the morning of the 6th (The Epiphany for those of you who follow the Church Calendar) since it was what everyone considered a “major storm.”  And here, in parts south of Indiana, those words should be heeded as we just do not have the equipment down here to handle such storms….PLUS the temperatures will be BELOW ZERO.   And with the amount of snow we have, it just won’t look like enough, thus a picture from The Epiphany (or January 6th for those of you who follow the secular calendar).

But I am also pleased to announce that in my running around in the snow a bit today (when people from where I am from say the words “running around in the snow” they mean out and about in their truck) I actually witnessed a MIRACLE……the resurrection of what we call PLOWS.  Yes, I saw them with my own eyes, and I also saw them spreading ice melt.  (We used to say “salt,” which it indeed still may be, but it is now a very distinguishable BLUE….more like icky cake sprinkles than salt).  And all and all, they did a pretty good job with the Tom Tirman Award for BEST Snow Plowing, once again going to my town, Edgewood, Indiana.  (A Dynasty of snowplow domination in the making!)

But my assumption is that these next few days, although quite cold, will be nostalgic.  A foot or so inches of snow on the ground will look like what we called “WINTER” up in my hometown of Mishawaka, Indiana.  The roads, while still covered, will be pretty clear I imagine, and everything else will look very clean and pure, covered in a blanket of white.

Call me crazy, but I enjoy it!

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+

Sarah, our mom, and Steph

Today is my sister Stephanie’s birthday, and had she not passed away November of 2001 she would be getting a phone call from me harassing her for being 51.  My search for a picture of her, as I have MANY, proved unsuccessful and did nothing but irritate me.  My sister and I drove each other nuts, but we also had a great deal of respect for her.  And she and my sister Sarah (who died in 2004) were two of the most amazing women I know…..okay they were really not women, they were sisters. (brothers will understand).

Steph

But I think about them both often, particularly on their birthdays.  I tend to look at pictures on those days and yes, it generally depresses me a great deal because quite simply I love them both and miss them terribly.  They were total pros as sisters, devoting their young lives to constant covert attacks upon me, and quite often, more than not in fact, I deserved it.

Deep down however, behind all the sibling nonsense of our youth, we knew we cared about each other and could count on each other.  And we did.

Steph

Both of them had children too.  Steph’s daughter Amelia lives in Southern Indiana and Sarah’s two kids Griffin and Katie live in Virginia.  And believe me, it breaks my heart that they all did not have more time with them.  I would have liked more time myself.

BSU – Steph is the short one

So tonight I went back and downloaded pictures I have posted on this date for the last few years.  There is even one with both of them with our mom who passed from Alzheimer’s in 2011.

Stephanie and her namesake my daughter

Sure I admit, it does depress me because I miss them.  But few people have the blessings I had in growing up with them all.  Happy Birthday (you old goat!)  I love you and miss you!

Steph and her namesake Stephanie my daughter

Steph at Ball State BSU Gymnastics

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+

Sometimes I just don’t ask.  This picture was taken last night in Ben’s room where I came into find Scotty dressed in some sort of full-bodied Halloween costume standing on a chair working on the ceiling fan.  Of course he wanted to explain (get ready, it is extensive)………

Apparently he and Ben were doing some sort of adventure game together and he, meaning Scotty, shot an arrow (from a bow and arrow, not a real one as a Ben and Scott safe one) across Ben’s room.  The fan has two chains hanging down, one for the light and the other for the fan.  The arrow hit the fan chain (he wasn’t aiming for it as no one can make that shot) and the chain snapped off.  So intending to continue the adventure (in the light) Scotty did not take the time to de-costume, but instead just got a chair and started to work on the light.  And THAT was the scenario I walked into.

There are a few things worth noting here.  The first is that Ben and Scotty still act like twins.  They always have and they always will I suppose.  And sometimes they act like doofuses in costumes and at others they do cool adult-type things.  We are all just used to it.

The second is that Scotty’s fiancee Kenzie, although not in costume, was a witness to this all and it is significant that she both sees it and stays!  That is what makes her so great.  As you can see from the picture (in which he is still in that ridiculous outfit) she clearly wants to keep a safe and sane distance from being identified with these two goofballs, but since I was there I guarantee you that this is really her!!

The third thing is speculation on my part, and it is that perhaps they were thinking that this costume might be a better choice than his Dress Blues or a tuxedo.  I don’t know, but I am just throwing it out there.

Anyway, it’s always interesting here and it is our life.  And to us there is no better way to kick in 2014 than space suits, toy weapons, and electrical contracting.  It makes excited about the months ahead.

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+

I drove about 70 miles today on 2 state highways, through three fairly large municipalities, and about a mile in and out of the small town in which we live.  With Scotty home and commandeering my truck, I was force to journey out in “Marine Mom One,” which is also known as my wife’s CRV but it does have the Marine Mom plate on the front, barely visible as it is RED.

But it snowed last night, and it was still snowing in the early morning when I left.  In fact, it snowed ALL DAY and for “here” we got a fairly decent amount of accumulation.  Our town, Edgewood is just 512 acres of land, and has a population of just under 1900 total….BUT the streets here at 6:30 am were cleared as they had been plowed.

Plowing is actually something we do all the time in the north where I am from.  It is basically just pushing, or “plowing” the snow off the road so it is clear to drive on.  We do this up north in what we like to call “Winter,” which are months that it tends to snow, onto the ground and onto the roads.

Now Edgewood is about 40 miles NE of the center of Indianapolis, so to me I am living in the DEEP SOUTH, and here in the deep south it appears that it is only in my little town that ANY plowing gets done.  Oh I did see one (1) IDOT plow at about 6pm when I was returning, but it was just a couple of miles outside of Edgewood heading toward the much larger town of Lapel that sports just about 100 more people than here.  But other than THAT, I saw ZERO other plows all day, and still the only place good to drive was at home.

Granted, plowing costs money, but there’s got to be a reason.  Perhaps Indiana and all the major burgs overspent at Christmas, I don’t know.  But the lawn guys with plows were all over the place, they just don’t do things cars drive on…..like roads!  Go figure.

I suppose however I might be expecting too much.  So I will stop my complaining and try and show some compassion.  Today I hold up the memory of the now apparently extinct snow plow.  I missed you today buddy, in fact all day.  And since I couldn’t get a picture of you maybe my readers can enjoy the quick picture I took of the front of my house upon my arrival back home tonight.

The snow in my yard is about 4-5 inches deep……..but a heck of a lot more drivable than those roads you didn’t get plowed today.

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+

Yes, it is a bit bizarre to post a picture that is a few months old to go along with a post about looking ahead, but you will just have to deal with it as this was all I had and I have already posted it…….but at least Ben and Amanda are looking (this was taken at Mounds State Park and they are looking down at the White River).

But a new year is here and with it comes a lot of expectation.  In our family this year, Steph will graduate from college, Scotty will get married, Ben will save countless lives as a 6 year old superhero, I will begin work on another degree, and Amanda will no doubt suffer through it all.  But we do not feel too badly for her as the rest of us were born into this family, she just made a poor decision she has to live with….but I digress.

As we all look ahead at 2014 we feel a great sense of anticipation.  Our lives will change in many ways, yet our need for one and other and our support for one another remain as strong as ever.  No, we do not expect 2014 to be all “bunnies and flowers,” but we do expect it will be a year of great strengthening of our family as we branch out into this new era.  At least that is my hope and prayer.

And my hope and prayer for you is that you too find God’s Blessings in your own life this coming year. Happy New Year to you and yours!

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+

As I look back on 2013, I confess that is has been one of the most difficult years of my life, yet as I say that I must also confess that it has been one of the most formative as well.  Not that I am disappointed to see it go, as I am not, but the lessons learned and the experience gained on this leg of my life’s journey have been significant.  And if I had the chance to do it all over again I would clearly confess “Heck no!” (lest you think I had hired a ghost writer)

Of course I am painfully aware that I am typing this at a little after 8pm EST, and in order for this to really have any full meaning, I must live another 4 hours.  I no longer take any of life as a given, (a lesson learned this past year) so I will hope and pray for the best, but I do anticipate writing tomorrow as well.

But I am finishing the year with a
pretty good day……one of the rare ones in my life where ALL THREE kids are together.  Yes, Scotty was flying in this afternoon to surprise his fiancee’ Kenzie, and the surprise was on him….she was already at our house waiting on him.  But Ben, Steph, Amanda, and I were able to pick him up from the airport.  At home Steph hung around a little bit before heading to a get together out of town.  I will have a couple more days with all three before she leaves to return for her final semester of college.  It is a pretty great way to end and start a year (not with her leaving mind you, but with all three kids here!)

So here are two year-ending pictures including everyone but me.  But honestly it’s better that way.  As they say, I have a face for radio.

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+