Saturday, January 24, 2009

Something odd

Okay, I've stewed about this for a day or so and wasn't certain that I even wanted to mention it, but I find it a bit unsettling and figure that if I put it in writing I may be able to let it go.

Yesterday, or maybe it was Thursday, an old friend from high school that I've made a friend on FaceBook wrote on my wall (FaceBook term) wanting to know why I'd told her husband what was on her profile and did I want him!!!!! Well, this feels like grade school! and, putting it in writing just magnifies that feeling! Anyway, I responded that I'd not had any contact with him at all and that no, I did not want him. She responded to just forget it. Well, I don't find that enough of an answer. Something like that is not easy to forget! I mean for heaven's sake, we are both in our 60's!!!! So, I took her off of my FaceBook contacts, but now I'm worried about just how unstable she must be. So let it be said here and now that if anything unforeseen happens to me I'd suspect a girl that I was a majorette with in high school who is separated from her husband and lives in Tallahassee!

There, I got that off my chest.

Finally our weather is quite bearable! It's 69 degrees right now and I've been able to have the back door open for the animals to go in and out as they please. Nice. I had to close the door a while ago as it started raining and Jazzy loves to frolic in it. She gets so muddy and stinky when she does that!

I've been fighting a really awful cold for the past few days. Yesterday it settled in my chest. It's what I call an office cold as everyone there has one too and seem to be passing it around. Sick folks should stay home!!!!!

Thursday, January 22, 2009

Global Warming?

Here I am in sunny Florida and it is 19 degrees this morning! Where's that global warming I keep hearing about? I think it's bosh and hog wash! Weather, along with everything else, is cyclical and this too shall pass.

The 2 little space heaters are valiantly trying to keep the house from freezing. They certainly are not keeping the house warm, but it's not freezing inside. I'm so bundled up that I'm unrecognizable...I surprise myself when I catch sight of me in a mirror! Knit cap, scarf, 2 pairs of socks with wool slippers and double layers of everything in between! Not a pretty sight, but warmish. The animals stay together in heaps and are doing okay. This too shall pass!

My sister had surgery yesterday. They found lesions in her bladder that they removed and sent off to pathology. I guess it'll be next week before the report comes in.

This is the start of my weekend...I look so forward to it! Nothing planned, but much I should do. The garden still needs to be turned, my work room looks like a hurricane hit it (as does the rest of the house). The only rooms that stay pretty good are the kitchen and both bathrooms. When the clutter/mess gets too oppressive I go to one of those rooms!

I wonder about Maggie, but I really no longer miss her!

Friday, January 16, 2009

Store closings around town

Went out this morning to pay some bills and do a little shopping. The Radio Shack here in town was one place you could go to pay bills. Well, imagine my surprise when I got there and found that it has closed! I knew they were seldom busy when I'd go there, but I never thought they'd close!

The owner of one of the two drug stores in town is talking about maybe having to close, too. The other drug store is CVS and they have taken so much business from this mom and pop store that's been around as long as I can remember. Plus taxes and government regulations are making it much harder for the small businesses. In this day and age you'd think it would be beneficial to have the small business...maybe not. Who am I to say? Anyway, that's where I ended up to pay my bills. If they close, where will I go?

It's cold. Cold in the house. With both space heaters going full blast it's 62 in the house. Bearable, but just barely. Of course, I'm wearing a gazillion layers and lap robes, etc. and I pile on the animals whether I'm sitting in my chair or in bed. But walking around or working in the kitchen is really shiver time! The bathroom's a challenge. I can't justify leaving the heater on in there. I turned it on about 1/2 an hour before my shower this morning and it got up to 60...it was 61 when I got out. It's amazing how fast one can dry off and dress!

Tonight's Dinner with the Ladies. There will only be 4 of us. Often we have 8 or more. We've got a broken foot, a bad back and some general babies who think it's too cold! Should still be fun.

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Things are slow

As the economy spirals downward it's effecting everyone. The price of gas is once more rising, food costs have gone through the roof (though I fear this is only the beginning) and thousands and thousands of folks have lost their homes and their very livelihoods. I don't know about you, but here the grocery shelves are sparser with fewer choices and in some cases no choices at all. It's frightening to walk through a grocery store and see bare spots in areas that once were overflowing with supplies. Where is this all heading? How much worse will it get and will it get better anytime soon? Stock up people. Buy canned goods and dried beans and rice and any shelf stable items that you know you will use. Forgo the sweets (though have a bag or two of sugar in your pantry and honey) and think protein when you shop. We are really in for a rough ride and the home that's even partially ready will have an easier go of it.

Pet food is soaring in cost, too. It's hard to stock up on that. I don't know how long it'll keep. Toilet paper and other paper goods don't seem to be rising in price so rapidly yet, but from what I'm reading it may just not be available at some point. I've off set the cost of paper towels with 100% cotton flour sack dish towels. Of course they have to be washed and detergent is getting costlier. What are the answers?

Those of us on city water need to be aware that at some point it may not be available or may not be treated. I wish for a well. Of course, ground water may not be the purest thing around what with all of the agriculture run off and general pollution. Stock up on bleach.

At work we have a freeze on hiring. No layoffs, but who knows what will come? I'm barely eking by with my 15 hours of work a week (it just pays for health insurance) and under $700 a month in Social Security. I really pray I keep these hours, though I usually only actually have work for an hour or two a day. I make busy the rest of the time.

I still haven't turned the furnace on. Can't afford the propane. The space heaters make it bearable, but this week will be the true test. We'll be in the teens for several days starting tomorrow or Friday.

My friend Norma (one of my Friday night Dinner with the Ladies ladies) who is 84 or 85 years old had a freak accident on Monday and broke a bone in her foot. I think she'll be okay, but at that age a broken bone is mighty slow to heal. At least it's her foot and not her ankle. She's getting around, slowly of course, with one of those heavy boots. I'm afraid she has a long road ahead of her!

Things are sure different around here with Maggie gone. It's much calmer (she is part Jack Russel) and no more random pooping and peeing! We all miss her, Shirley and Jazzy are still looking for her, but I'm finding the sense of relief is much greater than the missing! Actually, I'm just sorry it didn't happen sooner. The bedroom carpet is ruined. I'm thinking of tearing it out and painting the plywood. But I don't have to decide today!

I got off work at noon on Monday and went to Tallahassee to see Mother. When I got there she was in the dining room! asleep in her wheel chair at the table. I woke her and wheeled her to the common area where we had a rather good visit for about an hour. She was rather snappy and bossy at first. She would make demands of me (to cover her legs or turn her chair around, etc.) in a really awful tone. Finally I started adding "please" or whatever was appropriate to her demands. She suddenly got this funny look on her face and said "I've really gotten bad haven't I?", when I said yes she thought for a minute and even though she didn't respond to my answer she totally changed her tune! Maybe it'll last. That would be nice.

Gotta get ready for work, thank God I can still say that!

Saturday, January 10, 2009

Maggie's gone

Around 5:30 yesterday afternoon the young fellow who adopted Maggie came to get her. I knew it was going to be hard, but didn't realize just how hard! I put Maggie in the back yard a little after 5 so I wouldn't have to drag Jazzy into the house and paced and waited until he got here. Maggie seemed to remember him and was delighted to see him. That pleased me! He said that all the children could talk about on the cruise was getting home and getting Maggie. That also pleased me! She went with him without a fuss, though he did have to carry her as she isn't leash trained, and sat in the front seat of the car just like she knew what she was doing.

When I got back in the house both Shirley and Jazzy were inconsolable! They howled and cried and ran inside and outside and hunted Maggie. She'd been with us for close to 9 months and of course was an important factor in our little family.

I left early for Dinner with the Ladies just because I couldn't stay here. I actually had to touch up my make up before I left, crying had made a mess of it! Before I left I gave Shirley and Jazzy the toys that Santa had brought for them. I sent Maggie's with her along with some dog treats, dog wipes, pee-pee pads, a leash, a new dog chew and her favorite old dog chew. I also sent some pictures of her when she was younger and 4 pages of words and phrases she knows and important dates, etc.

When I got home the first thing Shirley and Jazzy wanted to do was go outside to look for Maggie. It was rather sad. We did have quite a bit more room in bed last night! First thing this morning they were outside once more looking for Maggie. I know this will all ease up, but right now it sure is hard on Jazzy...they were best friends, joined at the hip!

I only have one more antibiotic to take for my bladder infection and I don't think it's much better. I'll go by the doctor's office on Wednesday and let them see if it's cleared up. It's really funny, one of the women I met last Saturday at the dog trial practice also was diagnosed with a bladder infection this week and one of the Ladies also has one...what's going on? My first thought was the water supply, but each of us has a different source for water. I can't think of anything else we may have in common. The air we breath? Dinner was awful. The Ladies, as always, delightful!

I'm thinking I may not even get dressed today. Maybe there will be some good movies on tv.

Thursday, January 08, 2009

I'm Back!!!!

It seems like months since my computer died, but in actuality it's a day short of a week. Funny how very important the computer is and how very out of sorts I became without it! I felt totally isolated even with a phone and tv and a car, etc. It sure is good to have it back!

I started feeling puny last week and by Monday I felt down right sick. Called my doctor's office and begged an appointment. I was fortunate that an 11:15 appointment had cancelled and they saw me then. Turns out I have a bladder infection (or as my Dr. said "Miss Jane, you sure have a bunch of nasty bugs!"). Have been on an antibiotic and an anti-spasm medication since Monday and think I'm better now, however, am still running a fever off and on.

Tomorrow is the day Maggie's new family is supposed to pick her up. I've packed a little box with her Christmas gifts, dog treats, raw hide chew, ball and a fly swatter. I've included a couple of pages with her vets name, when she was spayed and when she's due her next shots along with a list of phrases she knows. This is really going to be a good move for her. She needs to have children and be an only dog. It's not going to be so easy for me.

I went to garden circle today. We made dish gardens. Someone gave us all asparagus starts and someone else gave us succulents. It was only an hour, but it wore me out.

Tomorrow night is Dinner with the Ladies. I'm looking forward to it.

Monday, January 05, 2009

Unplugged

Thursday my computer monitor died. So Friday I went to Office Depot in Thomasville and got a new one. Took me a while to install it, but once I did everything worked perfectly. Then Saturday my computer died. I can't run get a new one, so today I brought it in to work and the fellow who works on ours here will pick it up this afternoon and see what he can do with it. Keep your fingers crossed that he can fix it! I'm so lost at home without it!

Friday night was Dinner with the Ladies.

Saturday I took Shirley to a practice for Jack Russells for a field trial they have coming up in two weeks. This was the first time Shirley or I had seen anything like this and it was great fun. Well, at least I had fun, Shirley was crated most of the time and she wasn't too crazy about that, but all of the dogs were crated and she was side by side with others. She learned to throw her head back and howl!!!!! They let Shirley race three times, but she wouldn't run unless I ran with her. Whew! Three was all I could do! Then she got to hunt the rat (yes, rat, a live one in a cage under the brush). She saw no point in that. Then we went home and collapsed!

I spent Sunday catching up on things I didn't get done on Saturday or Friday. It's nice to have clean clothes!

Friday is the day Maggie/Maxie is to go to her new family. I'm soooo looking forward to that!

Friday, January 02, 2009

Yet another party!

Last night I went to an intimate cocktail party at Edgewood Plantation. This was the first time I've been there and it was truly awe inspiring! The main drive up to the mansion has 100+ year old live oaks on either side that intertwine their canopies over the drive. This creates such a tunnel of transition that by the time you enter the huge, ornate metal gates you feel as if you're in another world. The 20' ceilings and gigantic rooms that are beautifully decorated just further the feeling of another era. Scarlett could have swept into the main room and I wouldn't have been surprised! It was a really good way to start the New Year!

Thursday, January 01, 2009

Happy New Year!

Well, I made it through! Fell asleep in my chair watching the Food Network around 9 o'clock last night, woke up about 2 mins. to 12! Told the animals Happy New Year and ate some collards!

I dozed off and on in my chair until around 3 this morning and finally went to bed. The animals let me sleep until about 7!!!!

I found a recipe for cooking dried black-eyed peas in a crock pot, so I put about 1/2 a pound of dried peas, a smoked ham hock, chopped onions, Cajun seasoning and dried, chopped jalapeno peppers in the crock pot covered with water and let it sit on low until this morning. Really good! So for the New Year I have a nice pot of collards that I cooked last night, the black-eyed peas, consume rice and a pretty little steak. I bet I eat all day!

Yesterday I took a vat of potato salad to work and found out after I got there that I had been elected to cook the country ham and the baked beans also! So I spent most of the morning in the kitchen there at work. It's a much larger kitchen than this one I have at home, but my layout here is much better and so it the color! Everything was ready about 12:30 and gone by about 1:00! I really don't remember anyone saying thank you. I was told the potato salad was good. It was! Just your basic potato salad with 10 pounds of potatoes, a dozen eggs, onion, celery, sweet pickles, mayo and mustard and a little salt...it actually needed more salt, but with the salty country ham it was just right.

Cousin Patricia's visitation is scheduled for 9am Saturday and the service for 10am Saturday. I can't go. That would mean boarding the dogs Friday through Monday. If it were during the week I could have boarded them for one night only. Oh well. I sent flowers yesterday.