Busy weekend

I always have so many things on my list that I want to get done. Crossing them off the list is such a joy! I guess part of the pleasure is the fact that I'll always have a list...it'd be a shame to run out of things that needed to be done!

Didn't do Dinner with the Ladies Friday night.

Yesterday I had the house pressure washed. The mildew on the north and east sides of the house had turned it absolutely green with circles the side of fifty cent pieces! Really looked awful...didn't know just how bad until it was clean!

The empty charred shell of a house down the street is drawing such traffic on this little road. Sight-seers at some points this weekend actually created traffic jams! It will be better when the house is taken down and the lot is cleared. As it is, it's a constant reminder of what happened.

The last time I drove my car was last Wednesday. I hope I remember how to this morning.

Gotta go to work. (Should say"Get to go to work today"!)

Tragedy close to home

Between 5:30 and 6:00 this morning a fire broke out in a home just down the street from me. A young couple and their 3 children lived there. The mother (8 months pregnant) and 2 of the children (like 1 & 3 yrs old) died in the fire. The father threw the oldest child out a window and was severely injured trying to rescue the mother and other 2 children. He was life flighted to Shands Hospital and the one little boy was taken to Tallahassee Memorial Hospital. The cause of the fire hasn't been determined yet, but the father said they had gone to bed with a crock pot going in the kitchen. Like so many of the houses here that one was quite old and it's suspected the wiring wasn't in great shape. The arson folks are sifting the ashes still and an arson dog has been brought onto the scene. I'm sure they have to check all aspects.

Earlier this afternoon I walked down to see what it looked like. It's unimaginable. The tin roof was rolled back on itself and just charred walls remain. The Tallahassee Democrat has pictures on their web site.

I didn't know this young couple except for waving as I passed by. Somehow, that doesn't make it any easier.

It is still Spring

With all of the hoopla going on about H1N1 I tend to forget that it is still Spring and the sky is still blue and the grass is still green and basically things are good.

My yard man cut the lawn yesterday and it looks so nice. Right now, the weeds are the main things that grow and they had spiked up a foot or two! When I came home yesterday I drove back to the hay bales and finally unloaded the car of top soil and cow manure. The weeds around the hay bales were as tall as the bales! I'm sure the car will drive better now. It had been feeling heavy and like I was really having to peddle awfully hard to get up hill!

Found out that Mother's twin brother came up for the first time since she had the stroke. He came up Monday and went home Tuesday. Bert arranged everything and didn't even let me know. Shame on him!

Biggest Loser was good last night. I hate that this season is winding down. Besides being very entertaining, the program is quite motivational. Good show.

Today is my Friday. Yesterday there was NO work for me at work. No new sales to file or anything. Scary. I finished the stenciling on the chairs and tables. It ended up being 60+ chairs and 5 tables. I left work at 10:30 due to lack of anything to do! As most of the employees on the nursery are Mexican I'm wondering how this Swine Flu is impacting their families. I don't know if any of them have been home recently or not.

TGIW!

Swine Flu in Florida

I just read on the computer that the first case of Swine Flu has been found in Florida. Guess where? Disney World!!! Ironic, isn't it? Now, just imagine the implications of that...I don't know the numbers, but thousands and thousands of people go through Disney World daily and the probability of infection must be great. Where are all the folks that are visiting there going when they leave? Probably home. Home to South America, Africa, India, Indiana, Mississippi, etc. You get my drift...

Every time I turn the news on more cases are being reported and the first probable death in the US (that we know of) has been reported in California.

This morning while I dressed I had the national news on on one of the networks. They were interviewing the parents of a student that has been confirmed with Swine Flu. The mother was hacking and coughing the entire interview. That didn't seem too bright to me.

Wash your hands, wash your hands, wash your hands! Stay out of crowded situations! Stay home if you're sick. Use common sense. Buy a few canned goods just in case this thing shuts down our supplies for a while. Prepare for the worse and pray for the best.

Be safe.

Is it still Spring?

Our temperature hit 90 degrees yesterday! It's hard to believe it's still Spring! Seems we just jumped to Summer! I turned the air conditioner in the car on for the first time on the way home from Tallahassee yesterday. At first all it did was blow HOT air. Turned it off and on a couple of times to no avail and was beginning to think I needed to have it serviced. Then I noticed a button on the dash...A/C. Punched it and glorious COLD air came out. Amazing what a difference a little button can make! I haven't turned the AC on in the house. Early last night it was pretty warm inside, but I opened both the front door and the French doors and got a lovey cool breeze through, 'course it did blow some dust bunnies around. I was hoping it would blow them outside...no such luck!

Yesterday was Mother's 84th birthday. Except for the fact that she was told it was her birthday she didn't know and didn't care. I'm sure that today she doesn't remember...in fact, I'm sure that shortly after we left she didn't remember. It's hard to believe that just a little over a year ago she was a very young 82...now she's a very old 84!

Wednesday I brought home the cutest old corner desk. It's small, has a drop lid and is on 3 tapered legs. Inside it has 2 small drawers and 5 or 6 cubbies. There are 2 decent sized drawers on the outside as well. Cute, cute, cute! I got it for $2 and for stenciling our nursery's name on some folding chairs and tables. Not a bad deal! Poor desk had been stored in a dirt floored garage for who knows how long and was filthy. After I got it home and got it cleaned and polished it turned out to be a really nice piece. Getting it into my little car and then into the house was really the challenge. I still have bruises on the inside of both arms from wrestling it! I feel I came out ahead on this deal! I still have about 15 chairs and 2 tables to stencil. Should be able to finish that up Monday or Tuesday.

I'm debating as to whether or not I should go the the doctor's office this morning. Mercy scratched my right leg quite badly this morning. She didn't do it with malice, she was just urging me out of bed and into the kitchen for her breakfast. I slept in until 5:45! The place is about 5 inches long and pretty deep in several spots. I had trouble stopping the bleeding and it still hurts. It doesn't need stitches. I cleaned it and put Sulfodene on it...don't think the Doc could or would do much else. There, I just answered my on question. I'll just keep an eye on it.

Okay, tonight is Dinner with the Ladies. I didn't go for 2 weeks and that was nice. Then Ruth called Wednesday night and caught me off guard. She asked me if I wanted to "come back"! I asked her what in the world was she talking about and she had been told (Leah Jane) that I didn't want to do Fridays any more. Told her that I didn't want to do every week any more and that yes, I'd do it this week. That's okay...I figure I'll go once a month on the Friday following getting my SS check! Gee, the joys of a small town! There are folks here that have no idea what friendship means and wouldn't know how to keep their mouths shut if they were sewn shut! There are many perks to small town living, but I stupidily have trusted a couple of folks that I really didn't know anymore. Can't undo it, but can and will guard my every word with these 2 from now on! Snakes! They are just snakes in the grass!!!!!

Shirley jumped off of the foot rest of my recliner Wednesday night and did something to her left shoulder. She hobbled on 2 back legs and the 1 good front one the remainder of the evening. I had to carry her out and back in when she needed to go out and had to lift her up into my lap and onto the bed. I rubbed it for her and it didn't seem to hurt her when I did that, but also didn't seem to help. When she got up yesterday morning she was able to use it, but slowly and quite gingerly. Today she's okay. She'll be 7 May 1st as will Goodness and Mercy. That's not that old, is it?

This is better!

Wow! Two weeks in a row and I didn't do Dinner with the Ladies on Friday night! It's absolutely amazing to me how much better Friday felt not having the obligation of going to something I didn't want to go to felt! Once more, I wasn't completely honest about my reason for not going (cited the Fletcher Family Reunion), but the event I used was true, I'm just not going. I'm guessing that next week I'll just have to say "no".

Thursday was a busy day for me. I planted 2 crape myrtles (pink), a Coral Bell Azalea and 18 daylilies in the back yard around the patio. Yesterday (and again this morning) my lower back is killing me. I guess I'm just getting too old for that sorta stuff. I weeded a very large area, removed grass, too, but there's still lots more I'd like to do. I only had one bag of mulch left over from last year and was able to spread it out pretty well. Doesn't look wonderful, but looks tended.

I worried about Jazzy and the stuff I'd planted, but it seems that since she was out there with me (as were Shirley, Goodness, Mercy, Bandi and Smokey!) and I told her it was mine she's pretty much left it alone. I think she ate one daylily as I can't find it, but so far everything else is in place...sure hope this holds!

Then Thursday night Leah Jane had me over for supper. Soup and pie. Delicious! We visited for a while and I got home right when Survivor started. Boy, those people on that show are so stupid!

I have a pot of stew simmering on the stove now and it smells so good! A couple of months ago I bought 2 pot roasts (buy one get one free). I made pot roast with one and froze the other one (also froze several bags of pot roast and gravy for later). So yesterday I partially thawed the whole frozen roast, cut it in half and refroze half (it still was partially frozen, so I'm not worried about that). Then I cubed the remaining half and seasoned and floured it and put it in the 'fridge. Of course by this morning the cubed meat had pretty much turned the flour into a paste so I added more flour and tossed it around. Browned the meat off really nicely and added some finely chopped onion, garlic, bell pepper and celery. While that was all making merry in the pot I diced an onion and a potato and tossed those into the pot. Added some brown gravy that I made earlier this week with garlic and red wine and added a little more water and a half a cup of black coffee. Wish you could smell this! It's fantastic! Later I'll add some frozen green peas and I may make a pot of rice to serve it over. Yum! I'll take Leah Jane some and freeze some and still have enough to eat on for a couple of days!

I'm really enjoying having things in the freezer that are ready to thaw, heat and eat. Even though I only work 5 hours a day, some days I just don't feel like cooking when I get home, however, I ALWAYS feel like eating. In general I enjoy my cooking much more than anything I can get out and the selection is broader. It's also so much cheaper to eat at home and healthier, too!

I'm trying to figure out how to make a slip cover for one of the chairs in the living room. It seems like it should be a simple thing to do, but for some reason I just can't get my head wrapped around it. Those folks on the home improvement shows make it look so easy. I guess I'll Google it and see what comes up.

Pictures

This is the front porch, the spirea is still blooming and you can see the red nandina berries. I wish I'd had film and had taken some pictures before the storms took all of the azalea bloom! This is my first iris bloom of the year...beautiful! The pink Knock Out rose is just really coming into it's own!

Jazzy. Hasn't she gotten big? When she first arrived she was too tiny to go up the steps, now she takes them in leaps and bounds! You can see the land scaping she's done...all of that used to be grass!

Smokey, Goodness and Jazzy.

Jazzy getting a bath from Goodness.

Bathing just wears one out!

I just looked at the dates on the pictures. Obviously I need to figure out how to change the date, 'cause it's 2009, NOT 1994!

Well, I didn't do Friday Night with the Ladies. I was less than truthful, well, I stretched the truth a bit. When Ruth called I told her that I couldn't go because I had a date. Actually, I was asked out, but I didn't go. I'm just not up for that yet. Guess I'll have to have a date every Friday night!

Thursday I spent hours going through some clothes that Mother and Bert brought over here 2 or 3 years ago. They just drove up and unloaded his van into my living room and left. These were all things from Mother's closet that she couldn't use any more. Well, she knew I couldn't use them as the majority were size 6! So Thursday I finally cleared out the guest room of all of it. Took it up to Wag the Dog (the Humane Society's thrift shop). They were delighted to get it and I was thrilled to have it all out of my house!

I just made some pickled eggs. Haven't done that in years! Used beet juice, cider vinegar, brown sugar, kosher salt, black pepper, thinly sliced onions and sliced garlic. Took a sip of the pickling juice before pouring it over the eggs and it took my breath away! Good stuff, just not to drink! Sure does make pretty red eggs! They'll sit in the 'frige for a couple of days before I eat them.

Weather's rather warm and overcast. Slight chance of rain in the forecast. I'd like a little, but there is flooding all around. The next county over to the east still has major evacuations and road closings! They were talking about closing I-10 earlier this week, but so far they haven't. Our local paper on Wednesday had lots of pictures of roads here in Jefferson County that are flooded and closed. It's really been a wild spring!

What am I supposed to do?

This Friday night thing is really getting old! When our leader, Ruth, called this week I told her that I wasn't going to be able to make it and, to make a very long story short, she insisted and I went! It wasn't fun and even though I got a burger and fries and it was good and cheaper than the regular fare, I resented spending both the money and the time for something I didn't want to do! Why is this so hard to get out of?

Then, yesterday she called and invited me over for wine and cheese tonight with a couple of other folks. I actually lied and told her that an old friend was in town and I'd be seeing her! She is in town, but we don't have any plans to get together, we had a nice phone visit yesterday. I don't like to lie. I should be able to just say no! What's wrong with this picture? I feel sorry for Ruth, she's old and a widow and crippled, but she has around the clock help and a driver and goes constantly. She has plenty of money and doesn't lack for anything she wants or needs. She makes me feel like I'm being used for entertainment and I don't like it! I'm just not going to show up this coming Friday night and I guess I'll just have to stop answering her calls. For some reason she makes me feel guilty if I say no! Cross your fingers that I'll get some gumption!

This is the oddest Spring weather! Both tomorrow night and Tuesday night we are supposed to be below freezing! Guess I'll have to get the space heaters back out and bring in the potted plants that I can lift! And, tonight and tomorrow we are looking for more storms! Weird, huh?

When is this basketball stuff on TV going to end? I'm so tired of basketball knocking stuff I watch off the tube! What's wrong with ESPN? That's a sports channel...can't they have it on there and leave everything else alone? Phooy on them!

This is a cloudy and chilly day...perfect for hot tea and movies!

This year it's April that's a lion!

I've always heard that March comes in like a lion and out like a lamb...well this year's certainly confused! The past 3 days have really been stormy! The wind, lightening and thunder and torrential rain really had my nerves on edge! The animals were quite jumpy, too! We're still under a flash flood watch and we were under tornado watches almost the entire time. Today's supposed to be beautiful and tomorrow cloudy, then it's back to the storms for Sunday and Monday. At least we're almost out of our 10" rain deficit!

When I walked out back this morning it felt like I was in a different world. The SUN is shining! It's a little chilly, but beautiful. The strong winds blew away the majority of blooms that were so beautiful this year, but the greenness of everything makes up for their loss. The last trees to bud out each spring are the pecan trees and they have all budded! That is suppose to mean that the cold weather is over. Yeah!

Went online to check my electric bill and found that it has dropped $107.23 from last month. I sure needed that! It's $88.85. That's pretty good. I had 3 months of the bill being over $200! And I never cut on the furnace! Just think if I'd been using the furnace and paying for propane too!

Gasoline prices are creeping up. Monday it was $2.09 at the local BP and Wednesday it was $2.19. The prices are always a few cents cheaper in both Tallahassee and Thomasville, but, you know, it uses gas to go there and to come back, so unless I have to go for some other reason it'd be rather stupid to go just to get gas!

I got an e-mail from my youngest daughter. Sure was nice to hear from her, it's been a long time! She has a blog: bethsnikpmot.blogspot.com, check it out.

Tonight is Dinner with the Ladies. Not looking forward to it.

Tomorrow I'm taking Shirley in to have her nails trimmed. She sounds like she tap dancing on these hardwood floors!

I think I'll get some bedding plants and top soil tomorrow and get the hay bales planted. I can't put it off forever!

Stormy, stormy weather!

Wow! The weather across the panhandle was just amazing for the last 3 days! We had sustained winds of 20 mph with gusts (and rather prolonged ones at that!) of 65 mph! For once I didn't lose any of the limbs from the pecan trees, I think they all came down a few weeks back when the winds were only 30ish mph! I got over 5 inches of rain here at the house, don't know what the official rain fall was.

The timing of the rain was just perfect for me. Friday morning I had 12 bales of hay delivered and I have to keep them soaked for 3 days! So there you go! This coming weekend I plan to plant tomatoes, peppers, beans and squash in the bales. I'll try to remember to take pictures at various stages in this process so you can see how or if it all works out. Everything I've read about hay bale gardening sounds so good!

Well, Friday night for Dinner with the Ladies we went to another restaurant. I'd made reservations and the table was nice. The food was iffy and the service was terrible and it stormed the entire time (we ate outside). Perhaps I expect too much from this small town? So next week the powers that be have dictated that we go back to the former restaurant we've been going to. I'm going to order a hamburger and see what happens. I'm sick of the seafood that all tastes alike (and is very greasy!) and the steaks that are never cooked the way I want them! I know I keep saying it, but I've just got to stop this weekly thing...it's not working out in my best interest!

This morning I went to Tallahassee. Left home before daylight (7ish) and my sister and I went to breakfast and then on to the nursing home to do Mother's clothes. The things we took out of the closet we just stuffed in the box the new things came in and tossed the box in the dumpster! Sure feels good to have that done. Mother must have been at breakfast as we didn't see her, but we did see her room mate. Then it was back to my sister's house to sort through the stuff we'd taken from Mother's bathroom a month or so ago. Good to get that done too!

I've been having a horrible metallic taste in my mouth for several weeks. Finally really sat down and thought about anything new in my diet or habits. Around the start of flu season I added zinc to my arsenal of vitamins and things that I take daily. So about 5 days ago I stopped taking the zinc and the metallic taste is almost (but not quite) gone. So much for a prophylactic dose of zinc to prevent colds and flu! I was beginning to really think something was terribly wrong!

I have so many things I want to do today. It would be so nice to get something done! I hope I do!

Busy weekend

Wow! I had so many obligations this past weekend that I didn't feel like me!

Friday night, of course, was Dinner with the Ladies. We went to the same old place and the service was just horrid and the food boring! This week I've been charged with getting reservations at another restaurant. Hope I don't have any trouble.

Saturday Leah Jane had a small dinner party and even though it was very nice, I was away from home! You know me....

Sunday was the day that almost did me in. I met my sister, Bert and my step sister and her husband for lunch in Tallahassee. That meant that in order to be there on time I had to leave here at 10 after 11! Then, I was a little after 4 getting back! I was invited to a cocktail party at Edgewood plantation at 5:30 and got back home a little after 7! A full and tiring day. Needless to say, I slept through most of The Amazing Race!

Yesterday at work after doing catch up (that's always what awaits me on Mondays) I got settled into my new office. It's a very nice office, but has been used for storage and has piles of stuff that I don't know what to do with. So, I've just shoved most of it into a corner and that's that!

I hope the phone system has been fixed today. Yesterday the phone didn't ring in my office...makes it rather hard to catch it! Three of us were shuffled around and the extensions are all messed up, and, I have no mouse! Kinda hard to use the computer that way! They say I'll have one today...we'll see.

Tomorrow is the final day of my work week and I'm looking forward to yard work, house work and just being home!

Happy First Day of Spring!

Actually we still have about 37 min. until it's officially Spring, but that close enough! It has looked like Spring here for several weeks, but the last couple of days have felt like early Summer! The temperature is going to slightly cool down for the next few days and that will be welcomed. If only it would rain! We are already in a 10" deficit for the year!

I made a cake last night! Those of you who know me know I don't bake much, I love to cook, but I find baking so intimidating. Well anyway, I really wanted something sweet and only had chocolate available and didn't want chocolate! I drug out my old Bundt pan...can't figure out how old it is, probably around 37 years old, and I made a cake! I toasted chopped pecans and diced 2 Granny Smith apples that I sauteed in a little butter with brown sugar (also added a little cinnamon, salt and black pepper). Made a basic yellow cake and put the apple/pecan mixture in the Bundt pan first added the batter and baked for an hour at 325 degrees. The house smelled wonderful! I let the cake cool for 15 minutes, turned it out and drizzled a little glaze that I made with confectioners sugar, apple cider, cinnamon and cayenne pepper (tasted a lot like Red Hots). It was so good that I ate two pieces! Then while it was still hot I ran a large slice down to Leah Jane. Her back still is giving her fits even after the surgery.

Wednesday right before time to leave work the Big Boss called me and told me to move my stuff to the empty office next to him. I did, but it'll take me a few days to settle in. I have a WINDOW!!!

Tonight is Dinner with the Ladies. We're back to the same ol' place, but we're going to eat outside. That should be nice. We'll all take cushions to sit on. I'm thinking I'll take slices of cake for everyone. That'll save me from eating it all! Monday, if there's any left, I'll take it to work...those guys'll eat anything!

Yesterday I rolled $74.oo worth of coins and still have a bunch of pennies to roll! I'll deposit it today. It's a long stretch from one Social Security check to the next!...and the next one isn't due 'till next week. I manage to keep the bills paid and of course eat, but I need both gas and dog food, hence the coins! Thank goodness I save them!

The source I had for straw bales fell through. The fellow finally called me on Monday and said the bales he picked up over the weekend are heavely sprayed and he knew (and he's right) that I didn't want sprayed bales. His first cutting won't be until June, but he'll call me when he bales and if I haven't found any I'll be among the first on his list. I hope he'll come through for me, even though June is very late to plant here in N. FL.

Well, I left Jazzy in the house today. Not because I wanted to, but because she's gotten rather savvy about my go to work routine. Yesterday I had to shove her out and this morning I couldn't get my hands on her. I hope to go by on my 10am run this morning and get her out then as this is my long day. Before I left this morning she'd already torn up a pee pad all over the living room! I've gotten quite spoiled not having all that mess when I get home.

Yesterday I just told the Big Boss that I couldn't move upstairs. He asked why and I cited my back, which is the main gist of the matter. He said he'd just have to figure something else out. Whew!

Leah Jane walked down to my house yesterday and we sat on the front porch and had wine and visited. It was nice.

If you don't read my daughter's blog (moonmeadowfarm.blogspot.com) you should. She's remarkable and her oldest daughter (the young one, too!) is just unreal! You should read about what ED has done!

Enough for now. Am at work.

I'm not sure what to do...

Yesterday the big boss called me into his office. One his sons and another salesman were in there with him. He said that he wanted me to move upstairs to the son's desk before my week ended on Wednesday. Upstairs is the sales dept. domain and is an area carved out under the eaves of the building (attic). The single flight of stairs is very narrow and very steep. I avoid those stairs whenever possible. I don't know what to do. I can't do this. Everything I do is downstairs and this would mean climbing those stairs several times a day. I don't want to quit this little job...need the insurance...but I can't do those stairs.

Sunday I gave Jazzy her first real bath. I took a bucket of warm water out to the patio and wet her down from it. She was real good and really enjoyed the soaping and scrubbing...then I took the hose to rinse her off. She really freaked out! Pulled out of her collar and dashed into the house through the open back door! Oh, what a mess. Next time I sure hope I remember to close that door!

Well, I've gotta go to work.

Updates

Right before Norma picked me up to go to the farm for garden club I got a call from my sister. Bert had called her in a tizzy to say that Mother was in the hospital having surgery to remove her feeding tube and what did she know about it. Well, this was the first that she had heard about any surgery, so she called the nursing home to find out just what was happening. It seems that Mother was in the hospital having surgery to REPLACE her feeding tube as the old one wasn't functioning well. The nurse that she talked to also implied that she has told Bert all about it. Oh, this whole mess is so difficult! Anyway, I called my sister when I got home and Mother was already back in the nursing home and resting and doing quite well. NEP (sister) did ask the nursing home nurse about the virus that's going around and she said it's still running through the nursing home, so we will not be going there this weekend!

The farm was wonderful. Golden Acres Farm. It was interesting to see first hand the straw bale gardening, but I learned nothing new that I hadn't already read about on the computer. They did give us info on a source for the bales and I'll call either today or tomorrow. It'll come out of Tallahassee and is pesticide and other chemicals free. They also deliver, but I don't have any idea how much it'll cost. There were a gazillion chickens and cats and dogs running around the place, but we didn't see the goats or sheep. I bought some bone in goat stew meat ($6.00 a pound) as that was all I could afford. I really wanted some of the lamb, but it started at $9.00 a pound and went up! Didn't buy any of the eggs, though they were quite nice, but $4.00 a doz. is way out of my price range! We each took a bag lunch and ate at tables out under some very old oak trees with begging chickens under foot. It was so nice and the weather just perfect!

For lunch I made some egg salad that I got a little carried away with. I added chopped green onions, chopped gherkin pickles, minced pickled jalapenos and olives with pimentos and capers...a little salt and black pepper, a dab of mayo and a squirt of yellow mustard. Made a sandwich on 100% whole wheat bread and it was absolutely delicious! Took a bottle of water and some chips. I'll fix that again!

Now it's time for a nap so I can stay up and watch Survivor tonight!

Golly Gee It's Nice Here!

Wow! Spring has sprung fully and it's beautiful! Spirea, azaleas, snow drops, red buds, dogwoods, Japanese magnolias and even the camellias are all blooming and the entire town (and my yard especially) looks like wonder land! Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful!!!!!

I haven't had a heater on (except for the one in the bathroom once) for almost 2 weeks and have been having both the front and back doors opened! Just lovely. Ain't spring grand?

Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday I left Jazzy out in the back yard when I went to work. I don't know how it's working out for her, but it's wonderful for me! When I get home the house is just as I left it and I don't have to spent an hour or so cleaning up before I can sit down. I'd like to build her a dog house before next winter. I think that gives me enough time to figure something out.

Today my garden club is going out to a farm that does hay bale gardening. I'm really excited about learning first hand more about this technique. Hope they'll have hay bales for sale...and that they'll deliver! I'm riding with Norma today and neither of us know exactly where we're going...just very vague directions. Cross your fingers that we find it!

The moving force behind out Friday night Diner with the Ladies called a little while ago. She's not going to be there nor are any of the rest except for Norma and me. So I just talked to Norma and we're going somewhere else! Yeah!

No news on Mother. As of Tuesday Bert was still sick.

Woke up this morning and the two lasered places actually aren't killing me. Got the direction on care out again the other day and it says it will take 6-8 weeks to completely heal. Today is 2 weeks. Can you imagine that folks have their whole faces lasered? I don't know if I could go through that just for beauty!

Oops, I took a spill

I finally got all of the clocks changed in the house...each room has one and some have two...but haven't changed watches yet, I figure I'll change them as I use them. Sounds good to me.

Yesterday I spent four and a half hours sewing up the holes in the sofa. I can't get another one yet (am saving my change) and it was really, really bad! I covered it with a sheet, but Jazzy shredded that, so not only was it a holey sofa, but covered with a shredded sheet it REALLY looked bad. Doesn't look so great now, but much better. My hands hurt from the stitching, but the hard part was threading the darn needle! I really can't see squat, even with my dime store glasses!

After I finished the sewing I went outside to rescue some azaleas that a big oak limb had fallen on. The main part of the limb is about 8 feet long and bigger around than my leg. There were some pieces that had broken off that were pretty big, too. Well, as I was dragging them out to the street somehow my left foot got tangled up and I took a pretty hard fall. I'm okay, but my left hip hurts and my right knee took the brunt of the fall and is bruised and swollen and hurts, as does the heel of my right hand. It all happened so quickly, one minute I was dragging and the next I was on the ground!

My sister talked to Bert yesterday (I did on Saturday) and it seems he has Mother's bug. We both had suggested to him that he not go to the nursing home while this bug was going around, but he's more stubborn than most! He actually went 3 times on Friday!

I'm thinking of leaving Jazzy outside today. It's going to be another beautiful day and I'm just not up to cleaning up another one of her decorating projects! It's amazing to me that a relatively small amount of poly fiber fill can fill up several rooms! It reminds me of the time I was watching a friend's puppy...a Rhodesian Ridgeback...she ate their sofa on my watch...maybe it's the breed.

Gotta run, am running late...slept until the alarm went off!

Why can't "they" just leave the time alone?

Why in the world can't we just run on the same ol' time all of the time? This jumping back and forward stuff is for the birds! People are going to do what ever they need to do no matter what the clock says and I'm just fed up with changing clocks! At least tomorrow the clock in my car will be correct for the first time in what 6 months? I've still managed to make appointments on time and work on time, etc. So why screw around with the clock? I know there are a couple of states that don't do the time change stuff and they seem to function okay, they haven't fallen off the face of the earth or anything like that. This is just plain ol' dumb!

Anyway, reminder, set your clock forward an hour tonight.

My sister called yesterday and said that Bert called her to let her know that Mother is sick. I haven't heard from him, will probably call him today. It seems that there's a virus going around the nursing home and Mother's caught it. Nancy and I had planned on going to see Mother and do her clothes today, but neither of us can afford to catch anything else...we've both been sick several times this winter. So I guess we'll go when we hear that the bug is gone. Seems that it should be gone by next weekend...

Last night was Dinner with the Ladies. There were only 5 of us. We have 2 out with back problems now. The company was nice, the food was the same. Brought home some fried catfish, hush puppies (for the dogs) and 4 fried oysters...am thinking a fried oyster hogie sounds good!

Made an interesting little pasta salad yesterday. Shell macaroni, pinto beans, minced onion and bell pepper, fresh basil, a little lemon zest, a package of dried ranch dressing and a little mayo. I ate some right after mixing it and it was good, but this morning it was even better! I've just boiled 3 eggs and will be making egg and olive salad shortly. Yum!

Once a week I go to my old job and catch them up on filing and sending out statements, etc. I do strange little odd jobs and such. Well, it's sometimes less than an hour that I'm there and sometimes as long as 3 hours, so I only turn in my time card every 6 weeks or so. Turned it in last Wednesday (a week ago this past Wed.) and attached a note asking to have the check this past Monday. Well, HWB lost my card...so no check. I'm angry. This is not the first time he's messed around with my money, and it's such a piddling little bit. Like an idiot, I did not keep a copy of the time. Don't know exactly what to do, but I'm so angry about this that I'm thinking of not working there anymore! I'm worried that this may cause problems where I'm working Mon-Wed, as it's his dad I work for now. Perhaps I should talk to the dad about it...

Next Thursday our garden club is going out to a farm to learn first hand about straw bale gardening. I'm hoping that I can get a lead on buying straw bales there. I hear they will also have goat meat (which I like a lot) and eggs for sale!

Just how long should it take to get a tax return back? I sent mine in a few weeks back...maybe it'll be soon. I sure hope so!

Yesterday was a year...

It was a year ago yesterday that Mother had her stroke. In some ways it feels like much longer and in some, just a moment ago!

I ordered some clothes online for Mother and they arrived on Monday. Got her several sweaters and tops and pants. The staff told us the last time we were there that she needed some, but after going through her closet we found there wasn't much that could just be thrown in the washer...so, Heband got a pretty large order from us...Mother's account paid for them. I made sure to get colorful things, but she really doesn't care. It's sad to see her go from such a clothes horse to a rag-a-muffin!

"They" are saying that today should be out last day starting out below freezing. I certainly hope so!

The laser places are so slow to heal. Tomorrow will be a week since the surgery and I'm just so uncomfortable...can't lay on my back and the one on my thigh is on the side I sleep on, so that's very hard to do. Not getting much sleep. Hope that changes soon.

Work is terribly slow. Scary slow. Walked in yesterday and there was not one piece of paper to file. That's the first time in over a year that's happened. The main thing I file are orders, so that means orders have SLOWED down terribly!

I stayed up on purpose to watch the 2 hour Biggest Loser last night and fell asleep in my chair during the last 10 minutes. So, I have no idea how it ended! That's the pits! If it's so slow again at work today maybe I'll try to find it online and see what happened...or I could call my sister...

I tend to over react!

Yesterday went quite well. It seems that I tend to over react about some things. I got to the dermatologist's office a little early and once more they took me in right away. Dr. Jackson had decided to do laser surgery on both my thigh and back. He did the surgery with me in a seated position which was much better for me, though he had to kneel to do it. I read my book (a biography of Elizabeth Taylor) the entire time and got a whole chapter read before it all was completed. The place on my thigh went from the size of a dime to the size of a quarter. I haven't seen the place on my waist/back yet. I was quite capable of driving myself home, in fact I stopped at Publix and did my shopping!

Before shopping I went by to see Mother as I was only a few blocks away. I didn't stay long as they were starting an activity. She was just sitting in her wheelchair in the hall watching what was going on when I got there. When they came to take her in to her activity I left.

I don't know what to do with Jazzy. She's still chewing furniture. I mean she's really tearing it up. When I see her doing it I spank her and tell her no...that seems to have no real effect. She knows she's doing wrong and if she sees me see her she hides or runs from me. When I get home from work or being out if she's crying at the back door it means she's done something wrong. So I KNOW she knows!

I need to get some straw bales. Not sure where. I'm going to try straw bale gardening this year. I can't have worse results than I did last year and it's supposed to be a real back saver!

The husband of one of my Friday night Dinner with the Ladies died this week. He's been in a nursing home attended by Hospice for the past few months. I went to visitation Wednesday night, but didn't make the funeral yesterday afternoon.

I'm not going to Dinner with the Ladies tonight. I'm having trouble with everything with a waist band rubbing the place on my back. I'm probably just using this as an excuse. I'm afraid I really need to stop going all together. I'm spending almost $14.00 every week on food I'm getting bored with. The menu is very limited, just seafood and steak. I tried the steak 3 times and never got it cook the way I wanted it, in fact I sent it back once. So, that's $56.oo a month I'm spending on food I'm really not enjoying. I could get enough food for several meals at the grocery store for that! I guess that's what it really boils down to, money. There's never enough.