Tim and Jen Live Here

I’ve been to three of the eight Citizens Academy sessions offered by our local amublance service, Huron Valley Ambulance. The first week was a sit-and-listen week. The HVA president told us about the history of the service – how it came to be, how they’re funded, what types of metrics they use to determine their quality of service, etc. It was really interesting for someone with no previous ambulance knowledge.

Week two was postponed for weather, but we eventually gathered to learn CPR. I don’t think I’ve had any CPR training since high school, but some of it was still familiar. Class was definitely a workout, but I’m glad to have finally learned CPR for adults, children, and infants, as well as how to use those AED’s you see in so many places. Heimlich maneuver was also covered briefly. Definitely an informative evening!

Week three consisted of a visit from a local police officer and a fireman. We learned about how their departments operate and got to see a ladder truck while enormous snowflakes fell all around us.Then we got locked out of the building. Never a dull moment!

Tonight we finally get to see an ambulance.

Tim and I headed to Savannah recently to spend a long weekend with his parents, who have rented a condo there for most of the month of February. The weather wasn’t as warm as one might wish for a mid-winter getaway from Michigan, but it was nice enough and we enjoyed plenty of time outdoors.

Savannah is a beautiful city full of history. Just walking around the squares and the city market area is enough to fill a few days. On one of our nights, though, we decided to take a look at Savannah’s bloody history through a ghost tour. We chose the Hearse Ghost Tours. Louis showed up at our door at 10:45pm in a modified hearse.
We jumped in, stopped to pick up two more couples, and we were off.

The tour was fun. Not overly spooky, since you never (typically, anyway) leave the hearse. But still, we saw much of the historic district and heard some fun stories. A photography tip – If you’re taking photos on a tour at night, try to take them without your flash. It’s harder to hold the camera still, but your photos will at least look like it’s dark outside. Here’s a haunted hotel. See any ghosts in the windows? The front door is partially open with no one in sight . . .

Maybe half way through our tour, the hearse died. Yeah, go ahead and groan at the pun, but it really did. The gas gauge hadn’t functioned in forever, and it ran out of gas. Louis got out to push us to the nearest (a few blocks away) gas station.

It was quickly clear that that wasn’t working well, so all four men on board got out to help. Here’s Tim running and pushing. Doesn’t it look like fun?

The tour was otherwise uneventful and fun. A walking ghost tour we took in Bath, England was much spookier, since you’re outside and right there in the haunted locations, even if you don’t get to go inside. Still, for entertainment value, I’d recommend the hearse tour, especially if a walking tour doesn’t suit your group’s needs. Here we all are, minus Tim who was taking the picture, when we arrived back to the condo after midnight.

And finally, my favorite photo from that night. Click to make it bigger if you like. Where does it lead? It has a house number.

Christmas may have been a while ago, but it’s definitely still winter here, so I thought I’d share a few pictures I took over Christmas. A few of them you can click to see larger.

Tonight I begin an eight week Citizens’ Academy with our local ambulance service, so I hope to have something interesting to report soon.

Snow falling into a small stream connecting two lakes. This was a gorgeous day for a walk in the woods near my house.

Also in those same woods:

Ornamental grasses in my back yard. Not much is of interest back there this time of year, but these will be beautiful right up until things start blooming in spring.

I took quite a few photos during family Christmas celebrations. Not too many turned out great, but I love these two:

My nephew, Owen, almost 7.

Tim’s cousin’s son, Brady, 20 months.

And finally, Tabby. “No, mom. I wasn’t eating your flower arrangement. Why do you ask?”

Just one goal this year. I’d like to read a few classics. My definition of classic is pretty loose – I’m just looking for books that have stood the test of time. I perused lists of classics compiled by others and chose 25 that I think sound interesting and that I haven’t yet read. They span quite a long time and include books for both children and adults.

If you’ve got favorite classics that aren’t on my list (or that are on my list and that I should read first) I’d love to hear them. There’s always next year.

I summarized the first half of 2009 here, but I thought a full year tabulation sounded like fun, so here goes:

• Books Read – 67
• Books Listened – 69
• Books Not Finished – 3

Highlights from the second half of 2009 that I haven’t already covered in the New Author Challenge posts include:

Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella – I gave up on her Shopaholic books after the first few books because I just couldn’t handle Becky’s whiny irresponsibility, but I’ve liked Kinsella’s stand-alones quite a bit. This one was as fun as all the others, and I loved hearing about such a fun era.

The Last Detective by Robert Crais – I’ve enjoyed all the books in the Elvis Cole series as well as two stand-alone novels, but this one was the best so far. Forgotten Man is up soon in my to-listen queue, and I can’t wait to get back to my favorite smart-ass detective.

Catch of the Day by Kristan Higgins – I think I still have one more of her books to enjoy so I hope the new one comes out soon, but really, it’s hard to beat a romantic comedy with dogs and families at the core.

Stand By Your Hitman by Leslie Langtry – I loved all four Bombay family books, but this may be one of the funniest books I have ever read.

T is for Trespass by Sue Grafton – The best Kinsey Millhone book in quite a while. This one grabbed my heart strings and nearly made me cry!

2009 was also filled with lots of Susan Elizabeth Phillips, Suzanne Brockmann, and Anne Stuart. Hard to complain about that mix.