i was up for a total of three hours last night, but at least i completed that banner.

today, although feeling like a zombie, i managed to bake 20 dozen cookies for dad’s celebration.

plus i made a few dozen splenda oatmeal cookies for kevin, who has been so supportive even though i’m either a weepy mess or snarking at him about something like getting the deer repellent spray to work.  the damn deer ate the flower buds off each and every spectacular lilies we have down by the water.  maybe they’re tiger lilies?  i’m not sure.  actually, there are a couple little ones that they missed, so i sprayed the hell outta them yesterday…and then, of course, it rained a lot, because that’s what it does here.

kevin bought a huge new bottle of repellent spray and said that it would repel any animals, but i looked at the big bottle and it clearly said it would repel just three – rabbits, maybe squirrels, and something else like hedgehogs or possums or something.  but NOT deer, so he went back and got a big bottle of the wretched-smelling stuff that works, except i couldn’t figure out how to get the top off yesterday, and that was one of the many things racing through my head in the middle of the night.

i just want to save those two little flowers.

so this morning kevin got the mister top from the old bottle of deer spray, because for some reason the new bottle didn’t come with one.

and even though i really really just want to nap now, i’m gonna go and spray some more.

after working like crazy in the yard yesterday, plus doing a lot of the stinky spraying, i could totally smell the putrid stuff on myself.  i will attempt to be more careful now, but i’ll probably have to shower again soon.

here is dad’s obituary, which is on the vancil funeral home website.

Vancil – Murphy Funeral Home


Clyde Donald Clyde Donald “CD” Smith
(May 3, 1937 – May 18, 2013)

Clyde Donald “C.D.” Smith was born in Chicago in 1937. He died May 18th in Springfield after a short illness.

Survivors are his wife Bette Jo “B.J.”, son, David; daughter, Grace Hughes (Kevin); daughter Amy Agnew (Jim); sister, Sandy of Chicago; and brother Jim, (Sherry) of Crown Point, Indiana. He has one granddaughter, Mercedes Smith. Preceding him in death were his two beloved Pekinese dogs, Shortie and Gizmo.

C.D. was raised in suburban Elmhurst and graduated from York Community High School in 1955. He graduated from the University of Illinois with a B.F.A. in Painting in 1959 and later that year married Bette Jo Winans, a Springfield native, in Brooklyn, NY.

Don began his career as an art teacher at Jefferson Middle School. He then worked at Illinois Bell/AT &T, where he was a Communications Consultant. Prior to his retirement, for many years he owned the Ruby Sled Antique Shop.

He received the prestigious Pauleen Potter Palmer Prize at the Art Institute of Chicago for one of his paintings. He had a two-man show at the H.D. Smith Gallery at the Hoogland Center for the Arts, and he and Bette Jo participated in the Springfield Art Fair for many years. He also made jewelry and did print-making. His paintings are in several private collections around the country.

C.D. played featured and leading roles in many local theater productions, including George M, Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Morning’s at Seven, Most Happy Fella, Kismet, Promises, Promises, and A Christmas Carol. He also had a prominent role in his daughter Grace’s feature film Hope’s Happy Birthday.

A Celebration of Life gathering will be held on Saturday, June 8th from 2:00 to 6:00 p.m. at the home of Grace and Kevin Hughes, 12 Villa Grove, Springfield.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Animal Protective eague or any animal shelter of the donor’s choice.

here is the website, if you want to read it there.

vancil funeral home obituary for dad