According to Jordan I needed a new cell phone last week, so 'we" picked a phone that has a camera (imagine that!!) and it actually opens up to reveal a very tiny KEYBOARD!! How cool is that too?? What will they invent next? So Autumn came over to spend the night and helped me figure out some stuff on the phone. We took a self portrait using the camera flash and sepia tone setting. What fun! This afternoon I have spent two hours trying to get the phone pictures from the phone memory card into my laptop. No easy task. But I finally did it. HA! how do you like me NOW?
We are over-run with zuccini... so there is another loaf of zuccini bread baking right now. smells mighty fine, in the a/c, on a hot day.



The girls spent the night with us and this morning we took more timed pics with Papa's camera. How come watching that red blinking light on a self-timer camera makes everyone laugh like crazy?? it's magical.
We are easily entertained. The girls skunked me last night in a game of Monopoly too. And I have a hard time beating Jordan in CLUE now. Am losing my touch, darn. But that's ok.

We're having guests from OZ this weekend. The girl who stayed with us as an Australian exchange student is coming to visit with her husband. it will be nice to see her again, and our girls are so excited for her to meet their families. I hope their traveling timing works out so they can see TnT as well at the end of the month.
Be well everyone!

happy 4th

It's been a nice 4th of July weekend but I sure miss the Idaho Kelly's that are not here yet and the 2 KY Kellys as well who stayed home while Bill visited here. and a couple of other kellys didn't join us,but everybody's got to do what they got to do as 'they' say. I am just thankful for the times I can hang around before the heat takes its toll on me for the day and I have to retreat to the a/c.
Here's a brief look at our weekend;
oh, watch it! It ain't that long! grab a beer or an iced tea and just watch it!!!!
LOL.
(It takes longer to post these things that it does for anyone to watch them. that's why I appreciate them so much when others do it. thanks. you know who you are!)

Twins 2nd Birthday

On our second birthday in 1948 we got dolls and buggies to play with. These photos are from a bunch of old photos my cousin Marilyn sent me this week. The 4 photos here were taken on the front lawn of our house on Harcourt Ave off Jefferson Blvd in LA. Grandpa Powers had build 2 brick houses side by side on lots behind his office on Jefferson. We lived in the 3 bedroom one and Frank and Enid lived in the other 2 bed room home. The houses shared a common driveway. I think we only lived there 2 years before we moved to another new house on Virginia Road in LA, across Crenshaw from Gram's house. The only memory I have of living here is one late afternoon I stood crying and screaming at the gate of the driveway at Gram and Grandpa Powers to come get me and take me with them. They had come over to get Frank and Enid to go out somewhere. They were all getting into a big car and I could not understand why they ignored me!! Dad finally hollered at me to get my ass into our house and be quite. So I must have done so, otherwise I'd be dead now. hahaha.
MOm years later told me another story of living in this brick house. Enid always had bulldogs around. The dogs would live in the house and she would cook food for them, sometimes not feeding Frank but always feeding the dogs. Mom and Dad could look out a window from our house across the driveway into a window into Frank's dining or living room. One night when Frank and Enid were gone, Mom and Dad watched Enid's bulldogs eat a box of chocolates that had been left open on a table. the dogs soon got ill and crapped all over Frank's house. Dad must've gotten a huge laugh out of that escapade.
Anyway, in the above pictures, I do not know me from Joan. We both seem to have same style shoes, so I can't just say I am the one in the orthopedic shoes. But I may be the one on the left because it seems the twin on the left has her left leg sticking out funny like it is just an outrigger for balance, and that is always a good clue to find myself.
Now... you all gotta admit these photos are CUTE, right??? They should NOT bring hysterical laughter.
more later.

Hair-do hell

Joan on left, Jayne on right. our natural hair in 1951.

This was 1953 probably, with John, and Dad is shown in the background.

Then in 1954 we got perms. Jim truly thought we looked lovely as you can tell by his face.



Jayne on left, (pissed off evidently)at Christmas 1955 (i think.) HORRIBLE perms!






The 1950's brought all kinds of hairdos, and home or professional perms were all the rage at times. There was a home perm brand called "Toni". The commercial featured a pair of twins and the refrain was "which twin has the Toni?" You might imagine the teasing this brought about when Mom began to get us perm brillo-pad-heads. I was so upset after one perm that I recall going into Mom's bathroom for an hour and wetting my bangs down to plaster them against my forehead so they would not be curly. I hated having poodle-head but we did what we had to do to fit the times.
Oh, the price of beauty!

We planted sunflowers in April with Braden. Sunflowers are cool to watch grow. Some days you'd think they grew a whole foot more when the sun shines. Even in our recent June gloom days, they have been growing. Braden is amazed each time he comes over at how "giant" they are getting. Some times he doesn't see them for 2 weeks. The first part of this video was taken May 6 on a sunny day when Grandpa picked him up from preschool and brought him over for a few hours. The rest of the video is from yesterday; a June gloom day, but the amazement at the sunflower growth continues.
Sorry for the beet crop failure, Mikey. I will take the blame for not reading the directions and soaking the seeds overnight before you almost killed yerself planting the seeds. (OY! Ira! Are you killing yourself??) live and learn!

More old car stuff

As you can see, I found a few more views of Jim's tank he had in 1960. Dad had a truck, Mom had a station wagon, Jim had his tank, and Dad also brought home a Corvette on occasion that he and Frank owned together. And that would be Joan clowning around in the photos. (I never clowned around.)
Then I found this picture:

The photo is dated May 1961. It is an old junker sitting in the weeds out in our back acre, between the barn and the brick incinerator.
Jim, tell us the story of this old antique. How did you sneak in this hunk of junk, and how long was it there before dad blew a gasket and had it hauled away? just askin.
I don't recall anything about it. But I am sure it would make a good story. Tim wants to know. (Don't you, Tim?)

happy B'day to Sister-twin-friend

Joan said she'd buy me lunch ifn I put my 7th grade ugly picture on my blog instead of just showing ugly pictures of everyone else. I insist I have no ugly pictures of anyone else! I just have this one of me... November 1959.... The summer after 6th grade, we got ducktail haircuts, got our long hair cut off to have a "cool" summer. The only way to tame the hair was to use Butch Wax. Butch Wax was cool in 1959. The connotation is NOT so cool in 2009.

Anyways...
it has been a good journey with a twin. She has been there for me in many ways... helping me to roller skate, ride a 2wheeler, decking a kid on the playground at school once when he made fun of my limping.
We had fun confusing people who could not tell us apart at times.
Here's us in 1948:
and again with Big Brother:

Here we are in 1986, heading into our 40's:
and, how did this happen so fast... here we are banging on the door of our 60's. I was recovering from yet again another surgery while she helped me recover nicely, (and helped Mike as well...)

We still scratch our heads simultaneously, pick up a cup to drink at the same time, blurt out the same thing at the same time unrehearsed. it is a twin thing; can't explain it, it just is.
So Happy Birthday tomorrow, Girla; here is to many more good times.