Oh, Tony.  What a story.  Poor you!  But persistent you!!!  I'm so glad to hear you all survived (except the Marlboros, may they rest in peace).  LOL  Too much!!!  I'm sure I have friends who have had their trucks stuck in a river, even in metroNJ, but they can't quite tell the story the way a Frozen Okie can.

Ann, we did not own a rowboat, we had to borrow one.  I was small, so it wasn't a big deal.  Most of the floods my parents could get by wearing hipboots and they dragged me along in a small boat, but the big one of '84 evacuated us all by some kind stranger's bigger boat. 

Yes, I'm in the middle between the city and the sticks. LOL  It's a perfect balance!  Although our neighborhood seems like the country, we are still 5 minutes from literally everything (even the midtown direct). And yes, we have tons of animals!  We have a family of groundhogs and a family of rabbits that live with us, deer pass through about weekly, and every year about this time the wild turkeys start passing through-it's so awesome to watch the babies grow up from fuzzy little nothings to these huge prehistoric looking giants.  We've had two bears in the 7 years we've lived in this house-both babies, which utterly freaks me out, since we never did see the mama.  Eeek!

I'm traveling to IL this weekend, to meet up with friends from all over the country (WI, MN, CA, AK, IN...) I'll be thinking of you all as we chuckle over each other's accents and phrases!  Too bad our girlfriend who is a Canadian living in MI won't be there-she's worth a million dollars in laughs when she "busts oat with a y'all."

Hey Anne  Marie,

I was reading a post in a different thread this morning (and I can't for the life of me, remember where it was) but you mentioned you have family still on Long Island in Mineola and Massapequa.  I grew up in Massapequa all my life, but now live in Farmingdale.  So, you must have been to "All American", the best fast food restuarant run by 2 brothers, who slice the potatoes and make their own french fries.  Best fries on earth.  Also, Brian Kilmeade from Fox and Friends on Fox Cable grew up in Massapequa and still lives there with his family.

Anyway, I want to wish you, and all the Mom's on this site a "HAPPY MOTHER's DAY".  Below is a quote from Henry Word Beecher--

"WHEN GOD THOUGHT OF MOTHER, HE MUST HAVE LAUGHED WITH SATISFACTION AND FRAMED IT QUICKLY SO RICH, SO DEEP, SO DIVINE, SO FULL OF SOUL, POWER AND BEAUTY, WAS THE CONCEPTION"

Mimi