D D The fireworks flew

and it wasn't the ones that one expects on July 4th.

I'll try to set the scene up for you.

Jill and myself worked out arses off ....her up at the shop from 8-12 prepping and cooking all the foods, except the hotdogs,burgers and steak tips.

Gathered all the paper supplies, tables, hot/cold containers, huge grille,paper products, you name it.
Everything but the kitchen sink.   I shit you not!
Loaded everything into the work van and then unloaded and set everything up in the front yard.
Her new friend George was at the shop to help her carry, load and unload the heavy items. Did the same once back here.
It was an undertaking like none I could have done by myself.................meanwhile I was cleaning the house.

It was hot, humid and downright miserable weather to work in. I never turned the A/C on as there was too much in and out all day.

Made my Sangria in one of my deep cooking pans right before company started to come and went back to ladle more into my cup ........often.
My Anchor Hocking royal ruby punch bowl and cups have been packed away up in the attic someplace for 10 years.  sigh!
Noticed Jill was sipping her booze of choice ( rum and coke ) as she rushed around outside.
 She never found the time to take a shower and stayed in the clothes she wore to work in for the first three hours at least. Stood at the grille cooking the  dogs, burger, steak tips and chicken.
     George............how can I best describe him?
Outside of him having bad legs and feet from ??????? and wearing orthopedic shoes; recovering from phlebitis that he sought attention for in the ER this past week and looking nothing like anyone she has dated in the past........so much so that one would think he was another VFW regular like the few others that she invited yesterday and not the man she was dating.
He did not want to come to this cookout and had told her and I it was too soon to meet her kids.
We both poo pooed him.....
Jill's son Ryan and his wife Sarah were at a lake in NH the day before and spent the night there.
Drove home to come to this cookout and arrived, maybe close as I can remember ...6ish
So he missed seeing how much work his mother had put into this day to make it a success.
During the latter part of the afternoon Jill went inside and showered.  Put casual clothing on.
The way I heard things was this way:  George had asked her if they could get away an hour or so and relax in some A/C. His feet and legs were killing him. Heard  by Tracie and Sarah and told to moi.
She put on a sundress and left saying she would be back in an hour , hour and a half. They drove off in his truck.
An hour later dusk was setting and Logan was anxious to light his fireworks.
Ryan was going to supervise him.
It is here that I get lost because I was inside the house when Ryan asked me for my car keys.
Me thinking he needed to move my car out of the way told him where my keys were.
Heard commotion outside and still do not know what it was about ( Logan had a meltdown over ?) and Ryan was telling him to get in my car.
Of course I asked what was going on and he said he called his mom and she told him to take Logan to the hospital. What for I'm frantically asking. I could not see a thing wrong with Logan.
Caught the words ...drunk #1 and drunk# 2 as he drove off.
Within minutes they are back............just like nothing had happened and proceeded to light the sky.
Next thing I know, Jill comes in the house and makes herself a drink.
Caught Sarah alone and asked what was going on.
Ryan had lit into her and George when they came back. Told them he was B/S at them both that he had to take her to a bar for A/C and have her leave our cookout.   Was told he said the F word more than once.   Unlike Ryan, but he has Zero Tolerance for drunks.    George left abruptly, she said.
So now I go out to where Jill is and she is saying  "Poor George". He did nothing to deserve what Ryan said to him." He worked his ass off all day helping me, drank 2 beers and his legs and feet were killing him.
He wanted to relax awhile in A/C. He's not young.blah,blah.
So I says to her, " why not tell Ryan this instead of me."
"Everything is black and white with Ryan...he wouldn't listen."
Told her that Ryan is hurt . You are not the same mother he knew. His dad and step mom are alcoholics and drunks disgust him.
Told her she is not going hardly a day without a drink in her, which she denied over and over.
I let it drop......for then.  sigh!
Ryan had friends  and their small kids here with him....Jill made them popcorn, poured them milk and played Candlyland with them until midnight.
She was not cocked....wasn't slurring her words...who knows how more time at the VFW would have changed that.      Soon ...another talk to get her to go to AA.
   Tracie came back from Maine  5ish . She went there to celebrate her great neices first birthday.
We ( Jill and I ) had invited her over for food and the company when she got back..
She stayed until 11 when hubby said he was turning our tv off as he was dead tired.
    Had given an invite to my neighbors next door. Jane is 75, Art is 77
.Lived there over 50 years now.  He was watching the Red Sox game so Jane came over to visit awhile and we sat in the shade of the trees in the front yard.  She took Art a plate of food home at my insistance.
Had enough food to feed a small Army and still do.
Thankfully my kids were gone when this all went down as well as my neighbor Jane.
I sensed some of them had questions about this new person.
Tracie heard whatever I heard, so I'm sure she will repeat it somewhere.
Oh welllllllllllllllllllllllll....It is, what it is!
Kid#9 Michelle brought leftover food containers in for moi to empty into smaller containers and make room in the fridge for. Tracie helped some.
Those things are heavy!  Michelle is probably all of a hundred pounds and during this economy has had to work lifting and loading these heavy things to save on paying an employee wages.
Her position was doing the payroll for the most part and raising her  2 kids and running her household.
Her husband Joe catered another cookout yesterday. He and a male helper came after that cookout was over and they BOTH ATE and then RELAXED at the one.  : 0 ) .

First 3 containers, tossed salad, mac salad, potato salad. the watermellon is on the other table. All are on ice in these brown keepers.
Dogs and burgers , kielbasa in a yummy sauce, barbaque chicken, spareribs, steak tips, baked beans, marinated chicken wings, meatballs and cabbage mixture, corn on the cob,steamers are all kept warm with sterno burners. They are in deep heavy metal pans with covers.   Desserts were in the house. 

Joe and Michelle's oldest. Granddaughter Jessica the RN and her papa.Ryan and SarahKid#8Michael

Frank is in blue shirt. George drinking water.Frank from the VFW and George ( from the VFW)Kid#2 Larry and SombayKid#9Michelle and her daddaughter in law Kim,Ryan, Larry, SombayKim and Dianne, grandson Derek's fiance

great granddaughter AvaGrandson Derek and his baby Ava. Another great is behind them.Kids, grandkids and greats all over. : : 0 )Logan and his friend Kenny taking a break.

Didn't take as many pictures as I would have liked to. Plain pooped out just trying to socialize and mingle.

Took a break.  Well a break from the computer, but not the kitchen sink.

Scouring catering pans and the likes.  Many industrial metal tongs, serving spoons, etc.

Am ever so appreciative that my son in law provides me the use of all these items.

Jill drove over a few streets to pick up a VFW friend to help her clean up outside.

Haven't talked to her about the fiasco last night and how George is feeling both physically and mentally.

Heard plenty of George is so hurt's last night.

After everyone was gone Logan had something he needed to tell his mother.

Ryan don't like Gilby because he looks just like my dad, he said to her.

Which is not true.. Far from it....they have a great relationship and always have.

Guess where this must have come from.......HIS DAD.

Trying to drive a wedge in between Logan and Ryan.

Ryan has the same mother, BUT not the same father. His father paid child support and the few times he was late with it....he was called a dead beat dad by Logan's dad.  yeah, you read it right. Him who pays none once called Ryan's father a dead beat dad.

Logan idolizes both Ryan and Gilby.

Recently I put a thing he wrote for school into his memory box. On it he wrote that Gilby would take a speeding bullet for him.

Now she needs to disfuse this blatant lie in a manner that she possesses well.

Never has spanked her children...just talking sensibly has always worked with them.

I was the screamer...sad to say.  : 0 (

He fears his dad's temper, he has said...she does not think kids should fear their parents.

Now the funny part of this; if there is a funny part. She has always thought Gilby looked more like her.

Since he was born we all called him Gilby to differenciate him from her ex Gil,Jr.  He is Gil III

This we may need to change, but then again;one of my sons was named after his dad and is a III .

We called him Sonny from birth on and to family he is still Sonny.

Butchie just called asking to speak to Jill. He sounded like hell.

When I asked what he said, she said " the usual."

Can't sleep, can't eat, feel like I did when my mother died, will do anything to have you back in my life.

sighhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh !!!

Here are some pic's of these catering items. Front loads, bottom loads, end loads ???? Can't remember the names for them. LOLI know what this is. A grille. : 0 )The van that brought everything here and will take it away.

The Rose of Sharon in full sun is blooming. Have different varieties in more shaded areas.Again the heavy laden hydrangea.

Hubby needs his wheelchair. He is going to push himself around and vacuum the pool.

Which means, I need to be the gopher, this that and everything else he needs before he can begin.

Charlie stayed in the shed past his mealtime, so I placed his food in there. Ate all but two morsels.

The skunks gor all the shriveled up dogs, burgers and chicken parts people didn't eat.

Think they must have thought they were in Skunk Heaven. Empty pans this morning.

3 hours later ( with help ) the van is almost packed and ready to roll out. It's 1 p.m.

Logan is still asleep...hubby has come inside to lie on the bed in the A/C.  Drank Gatorade.

At the shop there will be plenty more for Jill to do, unloading and storing away the items where they belong.

Probably right now she is saying to herself, " never again."

I would be.   I shit you not!

That's All Folks!