AND SO IT GOES ON .......

TAKING A BREAK..

2012-01-08T19:55:00.000-05:00

I will be taking a break from blogging, as I am feeling somewhat under the weather and will be back soon. Until then.., stay warm and take care of yourselves. Blessings to you all.

CHANGES

2012-01-03T16:27:00.000-05:00

There are a lot of changes going on right now, both for me and for the blogs and at Facebook. Some I would rather do without since change is not my favorite thing.
Starting a new year I decided I was done trying to manuever the blog theme and jump in with everyone else on some custom backgrounds. It was a lot easier than I thought it would be. So I changed and I like it so far. Blogger is so much easier than Wordpress to change. I think those in power should really think about making things better for us bloggers.. since it seems that a whole of people have jumped over to Facebook and maybe the art of blogging is dwindling now. Facebook has new changes too, some like it a lot, others not so much. I managed to re arrange things on my page to suit me. I still have a long way to go to be at ease with it though. I remember awhile back when Windows Live Spaces thought it was nice to keep constantly upgrading and changing things and that led to their total disruption. People can only take so much and then they are DONE.

Other changes are that I am on the move again soon. I mentioned before that I had moved farther north in Michigan looking for work. Applying everywhere I could and waiting. Looking and asking and searching. Hours and hours and days and days and nothing so far. How could this be? How can it be? I really have no answers. It's exhausting and very frustrating. So... now I am going back south again. Yes, packing up again, only this time taking very little, donating and getting rid of as much as I can.
It's a roller coaster that is for sure. I will be leaving the north soon and headed to the unknown again. I will miss this place and these wonderful times and views but have them close at hand to look at and remember.

If posts here become very scarce you will know I am busy trying to get things settled and move on. The library will once again be my connection to the outside world. I cannot tell you how grateful I am to have that wonderful place to help me get by. Support your public and district libraries if you can, they really are important.
2012 just has to be better..it just has to be.

HAPPY NEW YEAR

2011-12-26T17:22:00.000-05:00

This year has not been so good for our family as mom died in February and I had to move out of our old home in May. It has been a roller coaster ride ever since. I look forward to 2012 being a better year for me. Hoping that 2012 finds you and your family having a healthy and prosperous one too.

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU ALL!!

2011-12-21T20:04:00.000-05:00

glitter-graphics.com

GREEN CHRISTMAS!?

2011-12-20T10:41:00.001-05:00

DID you see the news last night? Most of the country will be considered in an area for a GREEN CHRISTMAS this year, weatherwise. Should that be a bad thing? Well for retailers selling winter gear or for ski resorts YES! The rest of us..well it could be worse.. I do remember some Christmas mornings digging out of a foot of snow, so GREEN is okay by me, just fine!

GREEN..can mean other things too..like buying products that are environmentally safe. Every little bit helps. Those LED lights are really neat..never get hot and last for years. I really like them. They are easy to care for and make the trees and homes just glow because you can use so many of them. Green can mean so many things including MONEY..Yes the almighty dollar and what people are spending could really make an impact this year too. If the weather is not bad then more people can shop.

More shopping means, more economy for the country. Me.. I wait until the sales AFTER the holidays. One can really make your GREEN go far. I am on the bandwagon this year to spend your GREEN on all AMERICAN made products. I have been following those reports from ABC about putting American companies and workers back in business. I think it is a wonderful plan and hope it really takes off in 2012.

Keeping the GREEN in our own communities sure will help us all in the long run.

Hope you all have a great day today..make it a GREEN one!!

TWO ANGELS FLEW

2011-12-16T12:07:00.002-05:00

Two very dear bloggers are suffering today over the loss of their dear furry companions. Some cannot understand the loss that it is to have a companion who
only is there to love and be with them.. leave them. Having experienced it myself I know all too well the empty and heartache it is.

So to MO and Carole I place this poem I found here and hope you know that all of us here in blogger family feel your loss too.

God Asked the Feline Spirit

And God asked the feline spirit

"Are you ready to come home?"

"Oh, yes, quite so," replied the precious soul.

"And as a cat, you know I am most able

To decide anything for myself."

"Are you coming then?" asked God

"Soon," replied the whiskered angel.

"But I must come slowly

My human friends are troubled

For You see, they need me, quite certainly."

"But don't they understand?" asked God,

"That you will never leave them?

That your souls are intertwined, for all eternity,

That nothing is created or destroyed,

It just is... forever and ever and ever?"

"Eventually they will understand," replied the cat,

"For I will whisper in their hearts - that I am always with them

I just am... forever and ever and ever."

— Author Unknown

LITTLE TREE

2011-12-14T18:37:00.000-05:00

My little tree this year. I used some of our old ornaments from our tree we had last year,talk about recycling. The angel has been on every tree we ever had..it's been re-wired so that the lights will glow. They didn't work for years. Oh the power of

a Christmas tree. Memories last a lifetime,if you take their picture.

NEXT BLOG PLEASE!

2011-12-08T11:55:00.004-05:00

Blogger has had this feature on the top of it's page for as long as I can remember. I never had time to bother clicking it though. WHAT a surprise I got. I clicked it over and over last night traveling throughout the world to other people's blogs. RANDOM blogs of all kinds. I found the number one thing was that people are NOT blogging like they used to. Some had not been updated since 2009. Some only had ONE entry, some were about families and some were only about photos. Some were about the universe, politics or crafts and cooking. I liked this kind of BLOG surfing, just to see "what's out there." Sad though that not many kept up the good writing, poems and thoughts that they should have. LIFE got in the way. I understand that all too well. We just don't take the time we used to to talk to one another using the blog format like we did in the past.

http://collageoflife-henrqs.blogspot.com/

Photo courtesy of this blog

Facebook has kind of taken away a whole lot of that. It is a quicker way to keep up. I think that helped the downfall of blogs. I ran across some nice blogs that are pretty interesting. I wish that some of them had the translator embedded in them also. Some you have to look at the photos and figure out what it is all about.
Here is the link to one from Hungary that clearly is creative and the work is very nice.
Not sure what this country is.. but the jewelry they make is really nice HERE too..

I haven't run across one person that I know by hitting the NEXT BLOG button. There are thousands and thousands of blogs out there and the chances are pretty slim.
IF I DID I sure would be surprised. There is one I miss though most. It's HERE and well worth reading again.. When you get a minute try NEXT BLOG..you might just be surprised like I was and when you comment they might visit you and check your blog out too.

CHANGES!

2011-12-06T11:25:00.000-05:00

WELL bear with me I am making changes here and have tried to get things back to normal some. In the past when I changed the theme here my music playlist went with me. This time I have had a lot of trouble getting it just the way I want it. I can't seem to delete the playlist that is displayed on there and hope the songs don't offend anyone. I deleted it completely and started one over again hoping it would reset itself.. for the record..
it supposed to be playing CHRISTMAS SONGS.. LOL

Reminds me some of putting up a Christmas tree and then moving all the ornaments around on it until it is just right. I have been known to change them for weeks after the darn thing is up. This year the tree we used is in storage, and I have a tiny one I brought with me. Not much changing I can do with that. Thought I would put up my tree here on the ole blog though.. it's a real nice one from last year. I can still see mom sitting in her chair just staring at it. How she loved a tree and all the lights at Christmas time. I must say the one we had looked great for it's size.
No snow here yet but they say some is coming..all I am hoping for is that it isn't the kind that piles up and makes moving around miserable.
Hope where you are things are all decorated up in holiday style!

LIFE IN HER YET!!

2011-12-02T11:51:00.000-05:00

There is life in the old house again. Seems someone moved into our old home before the first snowflakes fell. Neighbors reported that curtains went up and the mailbox

was being used again. Seems weird after 56 years to have another person or family roaming around our old house. She's a real handful I must say. Sis and I both thought we should leave notes for any new owner. We told the realtor about the quirky way
the furnace works and how the oven is so old there are no longer parts for it.
Guess they will just find out on their own. Gave the old neighborhood joy to see
the walks shoveled after this past weeks storm. The new owner is keeping it up
well. I hope it serves them as long and as well as it did our family.

Here, a Christmas Cactus that Dad bought mom years ago. It is still surviving despite being moved, and even trying to bloom. It may not make it for Christmas itself, but might get a bloom soon. There's a story about that cactus. Seems Dad never was one for giving flowers or plants much. He went to visit someone and saw one in their house with so many blooms on it. So the checked out the local florist and they only had a few. None of them had a lot of blooms on it, but they offered to give him a discount if he bought one. Well Dad, loving the discount, bought the cactus and brought it home. Mom loved the surprise and fed it and cared for it and it eventually bloomed lovely dark pink blossoms. Over the years it got damaged and almost died. Mom repotted it at least 2 times and was nursing it still, right up until the time she passed. The plant was then passed to me to keep it going. I carried it to my apartment and it started to get a bloom in March. The bloom promptly fell off when I moved it one day. I was crushed. I was sure that moving it in the car would shock it, but apparently not. It seems to like where it is now. Guess where I go maybe the plant will follow me. I can always try to keep it alive as long as possible.

HOPE YOU ALL HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!!

WINTER UPDATE

2011-11-28T11:52:00.000-05:00

Updating here as winter rears it's head a little bit and says hello..I'm back..

Just a dusting, less than an inch and melted right away as the sun came out. I love that. Kinda like a preview of coming attractions. I have been through some rough Thanksgiving holidays before where we could not even get out of our driveway so this was just nothing but pretty. I am trying to keep up in the blogosphere with both of my blogs. Had some trouble with the wordpress one posting to Facebook. They finally sent me a message telling me it was a Facebook problem not a Wordpress one. I seem to like Blogger a whole lot more now that it has not had the difficulty that Wordpress has. I am not cancelling it though as there is over 5 years worth of entries there.

I have been really busy here trying to get things in some kind of order so I can put my hands on things when I need it. Since the many moves I have made in the last 6 months things are just so hard to track down. I think a full inventory is called for, just haven't gotten around to it. I'm no Martha Stewart who labels things and has a place for everything, but sometimes I wish I did. Did turn up some items I thought were totally lost though and that gave me some joy over the Thanksgiving break. These were mom's she bought them in a dollar store awhile back.. I liked them and put them in storage, I thought. Guess not.. they ended up on my table for myThanksgiving dinner.

Guess I better keep track of them from now on! ;-)

Hope you all have a great week!!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

2011-11-21T13:47:00.000-05:00

HOPE YOU ALL HAVE A SAFE AND HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

SIGNS

2011-11-03T16:26:00.000-04:00

Having moved to another place recently I keep looking for signs ofthe season changing. Back at home I looked for the wooly worm or the behavior of the wildlife I knew so well. Here..it's all new. There are seagulls and I still don't know their habits. They seem to congregate on the ground in all sorts of parking lots and open spaces.
I ask around about how long they stick around. The people here tell me they are sometimes here all winter long sticking close to the places where they know they can get food. If it is a really bad winter they will leave and go farther south and sometimes inland. YIKES... if I see them all leaving I think we are in for big trouble.

We are pretty much done with fall leaves turning here now..trees are somewhat bare in places. I noticed a lot of people remove leaves and can be fined if they leave them in the street. Snowplows cannot plow with leaves stuck to the curbs. BIG NO NO! With the amount of snow they get here, I guess it would be quite a problem in the dead of winter.

Being pretty much a city girl I sure am getting a taste of how it is out in the wild. Not a very far ride from where I am is the middle of a state forest for miles and miles. It amazed me that some people were actually living in homes in the middle of the forest. The land was sold years ago and so they got it at a great price.

Little did they know that years later, their would be a big road in the middle of it and traffic night and day. Talk about snowed in. I bet they keep an ample supply of wood and food in the winter, because some of the little side roads are not paved and are wayyyy back in the woods. Hope they have a plow handy. Up here, the local lodges like ELKS and MOOSE really do look like lodges. I see I have a lot to learn yet.

"DOWNSTATERS" is a word I heard I had never even thought of before. Imagine that we "downstaters" had a nickname. Going to be a lot of getting used to living differently. YES, the stores here have much more winter clothing than "downstate", who knew?

HALLOWEEN FUN!

2011-10-28T15:31:00.000-04:00

If you haven't seen this photo it is quite something.. I had to look twice as I thought it was a baby but it wasn't. It was a mom having one! So creative and from what I see it must have been done in a hospital by some ingenius workers there. Cute!!
The next one, well what a waste of good candy..LOL..you decide.. it is different

for sure and must have taken a long time to do. This one is pretty elaborate in the carving but neat design. MEOW!! Well whatever you do this halloween, I hope you have fun doing it. Here there are parties and trick or treats by going to the local shops downtown and it all starts on Saturday and runs all the way until Monday. Three days of fun. Kids love it! I am sure I will have some neat pictures to include here by Tuesday, weather permitting.

FALL PLEASURE

2011-10-23T13:14:00.000-04:00

On my walk I passed a giant oak tree surrounded by a white picket fence. Inside the yard was a garden oasis and a swing waiting for it's next passenger. The tree was so large it took up one whole area in the backyard.

Tall and strong grows the mighty oak

TWO MORE

2011-10-11T10:17:00.001-04:00

Two more photos worth posting.. I sure take tons right now as around every corner is a more stunning shot. Hope you all are enjoying some warm days too!
Click to enlarge..

ASSORTED PHOTOS

2011-10-07T20:42:00.000-04:00

I have been taking tons of fall photos lately.. the colors here in Michigan have been

very brilliant this year. Lake Michigan has had some calm and warm days too. Beaches are pretty much deserted by now. Ships are coming in every day and the car ferry is almost coming to an end. Fall is here and the tourist season is over. Sun setting over the lake. We appreciate so the warm breezes and dread the winter cold coming.

HOPE YOU ALL HAVE A WONDERFUL FALL WEEKEND!

I AM ON A LEASH!!!

2011-09-26T15:28:00.001-04:00

Most of you blog readers know that when I use a product and find it works well,
I love to endorse it and tell you all about it so today I tell you that...

YES I am on a leash!! I got this new tech thing called a ZOMM from my Sis. It works great..
it connects your cell phone to your keyring by bluetooth technology. When you get too far from your cell

or vise versa it will go off. Now sometimes it is annoying because it is sensitve and wants not to be separated from it's partner, but it can be turned off. If you go on line you can also program it to your specific needs. I can push the button on the key ring and talk on my phone hands free. It works really great when you are driving.
I can hold the button down and an piercing sound will start and warn others that
I am in danger or there is a problem. If you hold down the button long enough it will
even call help for you. I cannot tell you the relief it is to always KNOW where your
cell phone or keys are all the time! It can be charged by cord like a cell phone and will beep and tell you it needs charging. You can read more about it here .

Now for the reason I needed a leash.. I am always leaving my cell in the car or my keys some place and having to take time finding them. If I have one and get separated from the other I just wait for the alarm to go off. Sure helps tons at night when you can't see where you dropped your cell in the car. I get teased a lot by others that my purse is beeping, but it is worth it for sure. I am moving soon and so it is hard to keep track of everything, this makes life much more simple. Well that's my new helper...hope you
are able to check out the technology.
HOPE YOU ALL HAVE A GREAT WEEK!!!

LAUNDROMAT LESSONS

2011-08-18T11:35:00.001-04:00

Our laundromat is not fancy, half the washers don't work, and there is no tv, radio or internet to entertain us.It's very old and the only one in town.The change machine works on occasion and is very picky on what dollar bills it will change.God forbid you get a bill that has too many creases or has anything written or stamped on the face of the bill. There is an attendant present some of the time,when you need him, he is no where to be found. Typical of a small town,some patrons, however, do leave their newspapers and magazines behind for others to read.

Some things you take for granted. You just know other people already KNOW this thing or that. You figure they have taught their children over their young years how things work in this world.Recently on my visit to do my weekly chore I came across a young mother and her little boy. I asked the boy how old he was and he held up three fingers. Oh, I love that age. They are so cute and are into everything. I sat waiting for my rinse cycle,when the 3 year old asked me "where the plug goes" on

the magazine I was reading, I just had to shake my head. Had he never seen a magazine before? I smiled and told him there wasn't a plug because it was a magazine. He looked puzzled so I showed him the pages. He looked so shocked when looking at it. This purely was a child who had never been acquainted with magazine reading materials, only the computer type displays. I gave him the book and let him flip through the pages. This magazine was nothing he had ever seen before. I asked him if he had some books at home. I was almost afraid to hear the answer.

In his little world there were no magazines yet, but a computer or game box, yes he

knew what those were. He knew that the big big machines at the laundromat were for big big loads of clothes and you had to put "tons of money" in them to run them. He

knew that his mom would not let him go outside the door of the place unless she was with him and no matter how hot it got in there he was NOT to play with the big fan that was on wheels. Getting back to the books, he told me he had some small books but nothing as big as that magazine was. I asked him if he had ever been to the library?

Did he know what a library was? No, his mom had not taken him to the library. My heart just sank. He was missing so much and would be so behind other kids when starting school. I sat and told him all about the library and all the things the library had to offer him. His mother came and sat beside me staring at her blackberry phone. I wanted so badly to be able to tell her what the boy and I had been talking about. Turns out, I didn't have to because in a minute or two the boy came back from his "walk" around the inside of the building and asked his mom about the magazine. I took the opportunity to tell her I had showed him the book. I told her there were all types of magazines and books for kids at the library for him to look at. She told me that she was new in town and had no idea where the library was. I told her where it was,and that I was sure her boy would love to visit there.

The mother of the boy thanked me and as she gathered up her baskets, piled high,

smiled back at me as they left. As she strapped the boy into his car seat I heard him

tell her he wanted to go to the library. The seed had been planted. I can only wonder if the boy will ever really get to visit the library. I can only hope so.

The more that you read, the more you will know.

The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.

Dr. Seuss

RECENT PHOTOS

2011-07-22T20:43:00.000-04:00

I haven't been taking a lot of photos lately. The recent heat wave has kept me pretty much in cool places. Today the air was less humid and a lot cooler. I snapped this

picture of some guys working in the heat of the day. Sure was glad I wasn't doing their job. It looks hazy and it really was. They were working frantically to get that side of the roof done while it was still in the shade. Takes talent to walk on a roof..I sure wouldn't do it for a living. The next photo was taken today..two BLOCKS from my apartment.

We are three blocks from downtown. A very busy wide street runs right in front of

the home where this deer keeps showing up.She takes big chances crossing it, and always seems to be alone. The yard is lush with bushes and I think they may just be feeding that doe something really tasty to keep it coming back over and over again. This is the third time I have seen it there in the last two weeks. The neighbors watch for it and the kids have to be so quiet when it shows up to eat. This summer has been a bad one for food and water for critters. Just glad it is NOT a skunk!!

HOPE YOU ALL HAVE A GREAT COOL WEEKEND!!!

LOST

2011-07-22T08:23:00.000-04:00

Again..in what seems like only a short time, I have lost another “parent”. He sort of adopted me and included me in his family outings and daily life.I gained so much including another sister and brother. It seems like he was always there. He had been ill for a while now, but I always had hope that he would again beat it and rise to good health. He will be missed in more ways than I can count.

REST IN PEACE "DAD"

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

2011-07-13T18:06:00.001-04:00

Well after a long 9 months wait..my niece's baby finally arrived today. He was really "ready" according to the doctor to arrive. I guess they had the due date pretty much correct when they tried to figure it all out. THEODORE was born at 11:15 AM and is 19 inches long.. 8 lbs and 5 oz. Mom and baby are doing well. The family are hovering as usual, and spending many hours ooohing and ahhhhing over him. We've taken about 300 pictures between us all and at least 3 hours total of video. This kid will have a video picture diary of his whole first day of life, well doesn't every newborn nowdays with all this new technology?? So..that's about it from our little neck of the woods. Tomorrow the new Grandma and I will head home and take all the photos with us to tide us over until the next little visit.
HOPE YOU ALL HAVE A GREAT DAY!!

SUMMER DAYS!!!

2011-07-11T09:04:00.000-04:00

Imagine my surprise when I went to take out the trash. I came around the corner and saw this "creature" hanging out of the top of the bin. YIKES.. I was glad it was not dark out or I think I would have yelled! I ran back inside to get the camera as the shot was just so funny. Now why in the world would someone throw out a perfectly good pool toy that still held air?? Well upon lifting the lid I saw that the other end of said "creature" was missing it's tail. Seems "creature" got into a fight with a mean little dog and well, the rest is history!!

It's been quite hot around here and yesterday the local swimming park was sure full of eager kids ready to get cooled off.It used to be an ice skating rink but now it was re-made into and pond or swimming hole for the enjoyment of the community. They even added a beach area. There are plenty of trees for shade too. Locals are wondering why this wasn't done years before? Winters have not been near cold enough here, long enough, to use it as a skating rink. The ice never got thick enough. Kids sure are happy it is here now, because this summer sure has been a scorcher so far.

I hear the rumble of thunder again..storms are not far behind. Hope you all have a great day today!!! STAY COOL!!

WHAT IS IT???

2011-07-05T11:48:00.000-04:00

I certainly have learned a few things from all my years of blogging. If I cannot find the answer on google because I really have no idea what to look up..then I can ask the family of bloggers I know to help me out. Recently on one of my walks I found this huge tree with huge leaves. I thought it was a castor bean tree, but when I googled it the pictures just did not match. So I am kind of stumped. I really think this tree is amazing. I can see it from my apt window and when a storm comes it stands its ground wonderfully. The leaves are huge, the size of my hand. Some fall off but they remain green when they do.

It appears to have some kind of pods or something on the branches too. So if anyone out there knows what it is..let me know..the suspense i killing me. I don't see that kind of tree very often around these parts. Most of our trees are elm,oak,maple,chestnut or birch. Will be interested in what you have to say about it.

My feeble attempt to take pictures over the holiday with a camera WITH a setting for fireworks ( yes it does), went horribly wrong.. I think I just could not hold the camera still enough. All the excitement you know.. Oh well at least it was colorful. Hope your holiday was a good one at least the week will be a lot shorter!

HAVE A GREAT DAY!!

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY

2011-07-01T20:16:00.000-04:00

It's a bittersweet holiday here,we had hoped that Mom would be with us to await the birth of her third great grandchild. My niece is due any time now with her first child, so we are playing the waiting game. Mom was just so adamant that my niece would have twins, a boy and a girl. She may have been talking out of her head, but she said it in such a way, that we just believed her. She even made us promise not to tell her because it was a big secret. Well after 6 sonograms, it is definitely NOT twins! Only one baby in there and I will leave the gender as a surprise later on. I know my niece is more than ready for this to be over. Summertime is hard time, but I think winter is worse. Traveling in the snow is not my favorite thing at all. We will be traveling when the time comes. I just hope it is not in the middle of the night.

No real plans for the holiday here. The town has a fireworks celebration that is awesome to view from inside your vehicle. Near and over looking the local river, one has to be really ready to fight off those large mosquitos that could practically take you away. Think I will view from afar. We might have rain but we certainly will have heat..90's and more. It truly is summertime now!
Well...I HOPE YOU ALL HAVE A SAFE AND

ODDS AND ENDS

2011-06-29T15:23:00.001-04:00

Thought I would post some odd and ends pics that are in the camera. Some are new some aren't. These are of the old church. Most of the stained glass was removed, but these remain. Reminds me some of a castle. The lights still work and all that is wrought iron work. Very old church but haven't found the age yet. Next few are photos before the whopper storm we had.

He sat there a long time before the storm, but didn't catch a thing. The kids were having a great time. After the storm the banks were up to the top..hard rain at least three inches. Lots of tree damage too. Leave you with two more...

FAREWELL MY FRIEND!!

2011-06-24T16:27:00.002-04:00

BOB BOWERS..OUR OLD MSN SPACES "RUSERIOUS" FAMILY MEMBER
PASSED AWAY AND THE WHOLE BLOG AND FACEBOOK FAMILY HAS LOST A TRUE FRIEND.

Many prayers are sent to BECKY and all the Bower family. He truly was a special person. Here is a link to his memorial page.
http://obits.dignitymemorial.com/dignity-memorial/obituary.aspx?n=Robert-Bowers&lc=0427&pid=152310383&mid=4729223

HAVE A NICE DAY!!

2011-06-18T18:56:00.001-04:00

So I am minding my own business, when Sis drops by and she has this new fangled "THINGaMaGig" on the dashboard of her car. It waves itself up and down and bobs to and fro and I instantly smile. How cute that is and boy the guy who invented it must have made a fortune on it. It is so hard to resist. She goes on to tell me they can't keep them on the shelves where she works and they come in all kinds of colors and have neat sayings on them. NOW I am intrigued. What do they say, cost, and how do they work??? Maybe you have seen them already. We are a small town..seems we get things way after everyone else. These little things are a real eye catcher because they MOVE. The leaves bounce up and down and the flower bobs ever so slightly.

So it works on solar power, no batteries and only when it is in the sun. If you are of the generation that I am, that saying and that smiley face is a neat memory for you. Some of the other sayings..well I heard that they are not so, shall we say, nice!! LOL.. not repeating them here. Look for these things in your area in convenience stores and gas stations and maybe even dollar stores. They will put a smile on your face or make you laugh one. This one is mine and it keeps me company on my dashboard. WISH I HAD INVENTED IT!!!! Retails here for a whopping $3.99 No..I didn't buy mine it was a present.

HAVE A NICE DAY!!!!

THE SAGA CONTINUES

2011-06-12T13:14:00.000-04:00

They couldn't fix it.. left at least 10 inches of pipe sticking out of the ground. Took about 6 guys working on and off through the day to get it to that point. The next day it rained almost all day long. I took this picture on Friday and guess they won't be back until tomorrow to try to finish it up. Something about old pipes and fixtures fittings etc. NO KIDDING..the house is over 130 years old..it's never had replacements. This was not going to be an easy job by any means!! Glad we are not footing the bill that is for certain. Quite a topic in the neighborhood. They are wondering what comes next???
Mom and Dad are just chuckling over this one I am sure!!!

WATER WORKS!!

2011-06-06T16:06:00.002-04:00

You won't believe what happened! All the hub-bub surrounding getting things closed up on the house, Sis and I stood waiting for the city water dept guys to come turn off the water. We called them quite awhile back but decided to wait until we finally had the house empty to finish the job. GOOD thing we did.. one day it was like an oven in that house with no air. I stood under a COLD shower and boy did it feel good. LOL at least we could cool off. SO....

Anyway, today the guy finally came to shut things down and he tried and tried to shut the water off at the curb. City crews do this almost on a daily basis so it is no biggie.. but this time.. well he ran into a problem. NOTHING budged..he hit it with a hammer and used a large turning wrench and it still would not move. I know you all know that picture of guys standing around ONE guy working..THREE guys later.. they broke the darn water valve. Seems it had been so long since the water had been shut off the valve was "frozen". I laughed and told the guys that probably was about 50 years worth! They will have to replace the whole thing! Glad we don't have to pay for it.. then one guy comes inside the house and into the basement and again.. he has trouble with the meter he is supposed to remove. It won't budge! (I think MOM may have had something to do with this. She was sooooo stubborn!) The number two guy says he will step in and "help" it come loose. Can you guess what happened? YEP..it broke into two pieces.. but they got it off. The city will have to replace it with a new one anyway when and if a new owner comes along. One guy asked me.."did the gas company have any trouble here?". I told him .."no, the meter was no problem.. he laughed and said."poor electric guy is next, I hope he doesn't electrocute himself trying to disconnect it here!" Gremlins..spirits..MOM..whatever it is..seems the old house just won't give up. The electric connection is way up the pole, between a tree and a fence and hard for a ladder to get to. I sure hope I am no where NEAR when the guy does it. If I hear an ambulance I will surely stop and see what's going on though.
Who knew there was such a real life in the old house..a sort of will not to give up.
Sis and I left the house with echos of laughter over the antics of those fellows. Nice to hear it there one last time.

HOME SWEET HOME!

2011-06-04T14:12:00.000-04:00

Thought I should at least update once a month when I get time.. I truly miss my blogging time a lot. Journaling time has been cut too and that is just not good for me

as I tend to forget a whole lot these days with so much going on. Here is the picture of the house we used to own. NOW that I don't LIVE there any more I can finally show you it and all it's glory. Three floors including the basement! Sixty years of STUFF!
It is finally empty! Took a lot of time to do and lots of sweat and black and blue spots to prove it. Looks a lot better from a distance but I assure you up close you would see
all it's problems. To the side is a large double driveway in dire need of sealcoating and a two car garage. YES, it was full of STUFF too. NO, I didn't call it junk, because it had some very useful things in it. Imagine trying to get all that stuff into a small house or apt.. no way!! So many sales and donating had to occur to help out. Don't ask me where things are right now.. I have NO IDEA.. put all urgent stuff in a shoe box and pray I don't lose it.
I find myself very tired these days and want to sleep a lot. WONDER WHY??? I think it will take weeks to be able to walk through my small apt and not stumble upon some thing that is in my path. This too shall pass, they say, and sometime soon I will feel settled in a new place.. can't come fast enough for me!!

MAY DAY!!

2011-05-17T12:18:00.000-04:00

The end of the month is fast approaching. I feel like the fire is under my feet to move quickly to get things done. Deadlines are good, I keep repeating to myself, trying to be convincing at the same time. I came across this yard filled with tiny violets, it was soothing in a way, mother nature is waking up from such a long winter's sleep.

So many flowers blooming and standing tall after the snows we had just weeks ago. It amazes me. The work continues here and the new temporary place takes shape slowly. Not wanting to unpack a whole lot because the future is kinda cloudy, I can say my new kitchen is looking better and better.

Some of the old things from the old place are there and some new things too. It's a work in progress, not sure how l will be there so sure don't want to unpack a whole lot. I still have to get used to a way smaller space again. I loved the small place I had in Ca. years ago..I don't think it will take too long. This kitchen was built probably nearly 80 years ago. My place was the servants quarters, compact and useful and not over the top. The kitchen was redone in the 40's and is very much like the kitchen that mom and dad had in their house before it was re done in the 60's. Love the light over the sink and the little shelves. The larger shelves go all the way to the ceiling. Not using those much as it would take tall ladder to access them, but it's nice to have that storage space anyway. Time is wasting..got to get moving.

HOPE YOU ALL HAVE A GREAT DAY!!

OK UPDATE TIME...

2011-05-09T08:51:00.000-04:00

Thanks for your patience with me.. I heard you Seth..it was wayyy past time....

I have so much on my plate my blogging time has really suffered. I miss it so much. I went from blogging every day to several times a week, to once in a while.. that really is just not me. I have so much in my head running around that I want to say. What's happening isn't the easiest to hear, it's the same old thing. Losing mom was harder than on me than when I lost my dad.The whole having to deal with the estate and what to do with things and moving. I am juggling about 5 things all at once and it is certainly overwhelming. I find time to just get away and not think about stuff and make myself enjoy some down time when I can, but it sure doesn't happen as often as I would like it to. Writing always helped me out with any problem I had..journaling has been private thoughts for awhile and that is why you haven't seen me here. I assure you I have been keeping track of things though. Laptop..you have been a lifesaver, as the old desktop is packed away..the storage has been a challenge..trying to get things not to topple as it is piled in there over my head. Trying to put your whole lifetime in a 10x10 storage has been scary. It makes you really look at things a new way and know what is the most important to you.

I had the best friend in the world come and help me pack up stuff and move things and she was such a joy and help to me. She knew just what to say and was there when I needed support and that was so important, especially this holiday weekend. What in the world would we do without our friends? I have had such encouragement from all mine in person and here in my blog family. I appreciate that so very much, you will never know.

YES I still have been taking pictures,
almost daily of things, don't think I will ever stop that. On my travels I captured this tree that obviously had been grafted..it was quite the site to see..two colors and types of tree in one.

Well, that's about it from here.. same old same old.. packing and re packing and moving on to what will be..whatever that is, is what GOD wants it to be. I may not be ready for it, but will be confident that it is supposed to be that way.

Until next time...Hope you all have a wonderful SPRING!!

BREATHING...

2011-04-08T16:05:00.001-04:00

LIFE moves on.. we all know that.Sometimes it moves in mysterious ways and we wonder why. I learned not to wonder..just to accept the fact that God is in control and he doesn't make mistakes EVER. I went to a Senior health fair to connect with others and seek out information and network for job opportunities in our area. I drove through the fog in the early morning on the road I took so many times with my mother. I noticed the country-side trying to come back to life after this long, long winter. Several deer were chomping on the remnants of cut fields of corn, trees were beginning to turn greener with some buds here and there. I arrived to find many people gathering eating donuts and coffee and chatting about how gas prices were unbearable, and the checks just don't cover increases in living any more.

Long rows of tables lined the cafeteria from many different area companies. I walked and talked with so many about how life is hard for those who cannot deal
with their disabilities and need help sometimes. They all agreed with me. The volume level of so many speaking at once made me think of a giant party without the music.
I turned a corner and ran smack into two people from the care home where mom stayed. I took a deep breath and hugged the man who spoke at my mother's funeral. The nurse standing beside him was on duty the night mom died. She gave me a hug and asked how I was doing. Do you lie and say fine or speak up and tell the truth? I spoke the truth.. I told her how hard it has been to try to deal with 60 years of life and giving and selling it to strangers. How quiet the house is without "the boss" around and how I try to cope and do the best I can. He spoke up and said to me.. "your mom was a life-force that is hard to miss..you must give yourself time."..I had to agree with him, she was bossy and stubborn and opinionated that was a fact. Her words still echo in my ears about this or that. All I have to do is listen.

I came down the aisle of tables and another smiling face came up to me. A worker from the local nurses home care hugged my neck. I was very glad to see her again and thanked her for all she did those many months. I had not thought about how many people I would see there I really DID know. Two hours later, I left after having a great conversation with our local librarian. New changes there sound very exciting. I recieved a call later stating that I had won a door prize after I left. All of the prizes were donated of course, but the one that I got will last me a whole year. A membership to the local senior center and all it's services. Technically, I am barely a senior, but I am sure some of the services will really be helpful. What a nice surprise..I rarely win anything. Will let you know later how it goes.

HOPE YOU ALL HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!

LIFE IN JAPAN AFTERWARDS..

2011-03-17T19:02:00.001-04:00

I came across this link and address at Facebook from a person who is really in Japan reporting in English from there. The videos and reporting tell the real story there.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MR7u8xSr-8
It is so hard to watch from afar and wonder what will happen next and what, if anything, one can do to help. They need everything, much like those people who survived after Katrina happened here in America. Most people are sending the Red Cross
their donations. It's a start, but they will need much more. So much of the gulf states area is still standing exactly like it was 10 years after that horrible hurricane, you have to wonder will Japan ever recover from this all? Time will tell, the Japanese are a strong and honorable people, if anyone can do the work to recover they can. May God Bless Them
and keep them all safe from harm in the coming days and months.

SIGN OF THE TIMES

2011-03-10T18:34:00.000-05:00

I ran across this sign in my travels and whether or not it was against the law to change the slogan of this company, the message came across loud and clear....

I hope no one says or does anything, and it remains as a reminder to the youth

of the town.

THE MOON

2011-03-02T14:41:00.000-05:00

WE went on a hunt through the house for certain pictures to be included
in Mom's service. One picture she loved we could not find was the "moon
picture". It was taken back in 1944 at a county
fair. There were several ones taken that day and one of both of my parents. We
haven't found them yet. I search through so many things daily looking for certain
items. TODAY I came across one of the smaller "moon" pictures. How cool
it looks to see your parent in a different light. What was happening the day
it was taken is not known to me, but Mom told me that Dad loved to go to fairs and
ride the rides. We took him to visit the fair even into his elder years while in a wheelchair. Going through the multitude of boxes there is something new every day to see.

I did find a nice tea pot and sugar and creamer set of Blue Willow that mom saved. What happened to the rest of the dishes is a mystery, I wish I had them too. Along with the treasures, an old hat and a coat mom wore in the 40's. Who knew
that they would be back in style someday. They were preserved well and could be used as a costume in a play so may be donated. Each day I travel back in time
wondering what new thing I will find in the next box.

ICE!!

2011-02-20T21:11:00.002-05:00

IT is everywhere...heavy and cold and sidewalks and roads are slushy and slippery. Tomorrow is another day and the daylight will reveal the wonders of it all..

A.M.

The trees and bushes are crackling..more snow on

the way. Hurry Up Spring!!

RESTING

2011-02-13T16:05:00.000-05:00

MOM is finally at rest. She struggled so in her last days that we are so glad she no longer has to endure. My brother died twenty years ago this April and my mother spoke about being reunited with him and my father. I know she is happy where she is but her presence has left a large space in my heart. I had left the center for only a few minutes when my Sis called me back and I raced as fast as I could to get there. When I
ran into the room they told me she had just passed away a moment before. We sat with her for a good long time.

Upon hearing that mom had passed away, staff came from all over the center where mom was. The room was filled with people coming and going and praying with us. We truly had no idea what kind of affect she had on the staff there. Some staff called employees who were at home and broke the news to them. There were many tears and many hugs and many stories passed in the hours we sat and talked while arrangements were made. We truly did have mom in the right place for her passing. The next days will be stressful but we know mom is in a better place now and resting with loved ones and very happy. That is truly a comfort to us.

Please KNOW I really appreciate the thoughts and prayers from all of you at this time. It what helps me get through my days. My cyber family is THE BEST!!!

WINTERS FURY

2011-02-02T14:41:00.000-05:00

Wow a blizzard! We got one and it lasted all night long. Sometimes the snow was coming sideways and sometimes one to two inches an hour. When all was said and done..about 10 inches or more. The drifts were more like 14 inches in my driveway.

It wasn't a silent night that is for sure. Usually when we get a snow storm everything is pretty quiet except for the snow plows. This storm was noisy.. wind blowing and knocking around everything not nailed down. That is the view last night out my front door. Scary looking and not any vehicles on the road either.

After the snowplow guy came and moved all my snow out of my driveway you could hardly see the neighbors who walked by next door. They are standing up behind that pile.

The porch wasn't too bad itself but my steps were completely snowed in. Took me quite awhile to dig them out. Snowblowers are working overtime this afternoon now that the sun is shining. The groundhog did NOT see his shadow.. SPRING cannot come fast enough for me.

QUICK UPDATE..

2011-01-20T14:27:00.000-05:00

THINGS are happening sometimes here at lightning speed, at other times at a snails
pace. Hard to tell what will go on from one day to the next. Have had little on line time to catch up with everyone. This I truly miss a whole lot. I miss all my blogging family.
Mom's condition has deteriorated lately and we are continuing to speak to counselors and doctors,. therapists and Hospice workers. The whole process is mind boggling. What will be paid for and what isn't covered is sometimes shocking. I have years of experience under my belt with elderly care and their concerns and tribulations. I sure am glad now, because it is really coming in handy.I would hate to be traveling down this road without some prior knowledge of how things work. The things that happen daily could be written in a book...in fact... I have been documenting Mom's whole

journey from the beginning. No wonder I completely wore out one computer and one camera. They sure did the job admirably. Above is the long hallway to the end of the building. Many times I have found mom rolling down that hallway to look for deer out the doorway windows. The handrails on either side of the hall help the patients by them reaching and pulling themselves along. Probably the one of the most germy places in the building as they rarely are cleaned. The floors and walls and bathrooms etc are always done but the railings not. I avoid them like the plague.
Well just wanted to catch you all up on what is going on.. lack of time, energy or wifi at home make it extremely hard to get computer time. January is grinding down and
February is at hand..Spring can't come soon enough for me.

TO EAT OR NOT TO EAT...

2011-01-09T14:29:00.001-05:00

THAT is the question! We continue to struggle every day to get Mom to eat more. I have asked just about everyone I know for help and advice. The recent health problems that Mom had caused her tongue and taste buds to be so bad that she doesn't have much desire to eat anything. Mom always loved her coffee but doesn't even drink one cup now. Yesterday we did the happy dance because she actually ate

a cup of pudding. I said "What does it taste like Mom?" and she said "White!" I guess there just was no flavor at all. She has the desire..she asked for a cheeseburger without the seeds on the bun. When she got the burger, she took one bite.. that was all. We were crushed. Best I can do is keep trying everything I can. If it were not for those high protein supplement drinks like ensure etc., I just don't know what we would do.
We did find out that some medications do cause things to not have the greatest taste for her so maybe that was the problem..time will tell. The latest thing is, that a side effect of the antibiotic was that she broke out all over.. now her skin is peeling like
a sunburn. It is the talk of the center.. no one has ever seen anything quite like it. The doctor and the surgeon were really surprised. Leave it to Mom to be different from
anyone else in the place.

WINTER VIEW

2011-01-04T11:04:00.001-05:00

Took a pic the other day of this snowman.. it's the only kind we have here now and
he is pretty lonely. There is a promise of some light snow over the next few days,
but nothing that would make a nice partner for him.

Those greens are real. The city provides real garland every year. It's the city that has our county buildings so they have money there to use for decoration. This cold weather will make the garland stick around for quite awhile. It takes them a long time to get the whole city decorated no wonder they wait until middle of January to take them all down.

HEARTBROKEN...REALITY

2011-01-01T21:55:00.002-05:00

Sobbing, I walked into the cold, windy afternoon air. I looked into the blue sky and wanted to scream that it is just not fair.. moments before, I watched my mother settle down for a nap. Her words echoed in my ears..

"You get old and then you die a long, hard, slow death."

It was not like anything I had heard her say before to me. I think that in a lucid moment she just could see the reality of what she was going through all these months.

I sat in the car a good long time, trying to clear the frustration out of my system. I have to be able to see to drive my way back home the two miles to my
house. I started the car and slowly drove out of the long driveway, when something
caught my eye in a sudden motion.

Bounding across the road at least 10 deer running at full gallop.

I was so glad I had stopped for a few minutes and not traveled that

road or something bad could have happened.

2011 came in here with blue skies, green grassy fields and

many thoughts of what the year will bring.

My father died on New Years Day

seventeen years ago.

WE MISS YOU DAD!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2010-12-30T14:22:00.000-05:00

HERE'S HOPING YOU ALL HAVE A HAPPY,HEALTHYAND PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR!!

OUR TREE 2010

2010-12-14T23:06:00.000-05:00

Last year we didn't have a tree here at home because Mom was at the Tendercare rehab center during the holidays. This year I dug out our four ft tree and Mom helped me decorate it. Mom loves the holidays, even though there are so few of us around.

HOPE YOU ALL HAVE YOUR TREES DECORATED FOR THE HOLIDAYS!!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!

2010-12-07T19:39:00.000-05:00

I will be updating here again soon..until then..

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL FROM
OUR HOUSE TO YOURS!! MAY GOD BLESS YOU!.

ISN'T THAT THE WAY??

2010-11-30T15:01:00.001-05:00

YOU are minding your own business driving down the road when all of the sudden you see those red and blue lights behind you. That sick to the stomach feeling comes over you and you think.. "what the heck did I do?".. You slow down only to see the public safety car pass you by. (They don't call them police or cop cars around here
anymore.) What a RELIEF!! You speed back up and in no time here comes another one moving fast. Now you get curious as to the reason. My mind really goes to car-deer accidents first in pretty good weather. I was wrong on that one though. Coming over the hill into the flatter part of the freeway, I see a long line of taillights shining and know that this cannot be good. No way out. No roads to turn off of and go another way. Mom panics right away because she will MISS her time to go on for her treatment. I tell her that "this is why I take the back road..more ways to go." We move ever so slowly..
it seems like it takes hours to go only a mile down the road. The clock says only 10 minutes have passed. By the time we reach the accident, state police and sheriff cars are they helping assist. One car is headed toward us in the median strip, the other in the ditch on the other side. Someone had really made a bad mistake at trying to enter the freeway and have no place to go. We get to where we can leave the freeway and I do it gladly. We cannot miss treatment..it just cannot be done. I dread the winter, with life sustaining treatment, that has to be given, you cannot get stuck anywhere, you get there "any way" you can. There is a saying by John Lennon. "Life is what happens to you when you are busy making other plans." We make plans now around what is most important and everything else can just go on the back burner. The back roads will get you there eventually..Mom laughed..slow going but safe.

UPDATE...

2010-11-29T21:29:00.000-05:00

Will start this by posting that we still haven’t seen anything but a few light flurries here and I am surely grateful for that. I don’t look forward to shoveling this year at all. The wind is sure cold though and anytime it gets up to 40 I rejoice! Our Thanksgiving here was quiet. I baked and cooked for two days so that we would have tons of leftovers. I went shopping for new boots and found several I liked. Got mom a pair too. She hasn’t worn boots in probably 10 years now. This year if she is living here at home she will be out in the cold and snow so they are really a must. I used that word “IF” in the sentence because starting next month she will undergo another surgery if all goes well, and hopefully it won’t be as hard on her as the last one was. One person can only do so much with the help of nurses, aides and such who visit for a short time 2 or three times a week here at home. Mom hates all the running back and forth to doctor’s appointments, especially in the winter time. They have to be done though, so we grit our teeth and get through them. I hope to be able to take care of her at home, because that is where she wants to be. She thrives here, and does not do well anywhere else. Will let you know how it all goes.

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On the washing machine subject..ours went out and we are still without because it has been a real chore getting to a place out-of-town to order a replacement. The warranty we had was GREAT. They replace, remove the old one.. with no charge at all. The amount they gave us will more than cover a top of the line machine. I have done the homework on-line and decided that the type we had before is no longer an option and we are going to go MAYTAG this time. Hopefully they will hold up to their promise and that old repairman will never see our door! They came today and replaced the old washer…however some of the fixtures were leaking and it needed a longer drain hose.. so it STILL doesn’t work. When they took the old washer out, some water was still inside the lines that did not drain out…you guessed it.. water all over the basement floor… : ( Will be trying to get someone to fix this mess this week when they can arrange to come. I just have the feeling, another trip to the laundromat will be called for. Hate that thought with a perfectly good NEW machine in my basement. Not a happy customer..but it is NOT the job of the delivery person to fix my old plumbing. The saga goes on…..

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Update on the computer problem. The company is covering all charges, once again, because I bought an additional warranty on it. After being on the phone for almost an hour, the technician said he would FED EX me an adapter and I should try that first and they will Call Me to see if it worked. He swears there is nothing wrong with the computer, it is just a faulty power adapter and it was not charging the laptop.He is not living in my house, but he assures me HE IS RIGHT! Will be sure to let you all know what happens. I hate this slow dial-up but at least it is better than nothing! My access is extremely limited though. I spend more time waiting than visiting or commenting or anything else.. and to THINK we all started out that SLOW!

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I send out my sincere prayers and thoughts to Chip Allen and his family at the loss of their beloved furry family member SAM. Greater love have no man that the love of his devoted, faithful, dog. Hugs to you all, I know you will all be reunited one day.

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Will wrap this up.. Hope you all have a great week!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

2010-11-24T09:14:00.000-05:00

IF you haven’t heard from my Facebook page, I am having computer issues so posting here will be limited for awhile. My laptop crashed and with no power source available on it, it will have to be sent back to the company where I have the warranty on it. This will take time..precious time for me to say the least. I at least hope for them to resolve the problem or replace the whole thing. I have had issues once before with this same laptop, so maybe it was just time. Given the holidays and such, I expect it will be some time before they can get it back to me. I will be doing the best I can to keep up at least at Facebook with all of you.

HOPE YOU ALL HAVE A GREAT AND SAFE THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY!

p.s. KATE AND MAGGIE will return.. they are still on the road and having a ball!

KATE AND MAGGIE Part Two

2010-11-22T13:37:00.001-05:00

Kate, being a person who did over the road work most of her life, knew all too well that this trip would be expensive. Gas, lodging, and Maggie's newer vehicle would be a major road block in the whole trip idea. They agreed to meet the next day though and look at used vehicles. Kate was sure that Maggie would balk at seeing how costly a newer vehicle would be. Little did Kate know that Maggie was already aware and had plenty of resources for the trip. Sure enough, before the sun went down, Maggie had a newer used van all insured and ready for a road trip. Kate helped by letting the dealer know that she was very knowledgeable about used vehicles. They agreed to pack up and leave as soon as Maggie could get things together. In two days time they were headed down the major highway bound for all the excitement a trip could be. Kate knew the roads like the back of her hand. She knew the speed traps, the great places to eat and stay over. It was an exciting time for Maggie who hadn't been out of her hometown in at least 25 years.

They got about 700 miles down the road when the van began to make noises that Kate didn't like. Perhaps it was a hidden thing that she just didn't catch when looking the vehicle over. Kate pulled into a major truck stop and proceeded to check the van out herself. An 18 wheeler pulling into the stop topped off his air horn and made Kate and Maggie both jump. Behind the wheel was a scruffy guy wearing a Detroit Tigers baseball hat, with a cigar stuck in his cheek. He parked his rigged and jumped down and sauntered over to the gals standing over the disabled van. Kate knew this fella, his name was Tom, but all the truckers called him "Detroit" because of his love of the Tigers baseball team.He was divorced three times, had three children with each wife. Maggie was surprised when he opened his mouth and a southern accent came out. "Howdy young ladies..what's up with this van?" Kate introduced Maggie and she and Detroit checked out the van. "Well, Detroit said..looks like a crack in the distributor cap.. easily fixed, but it will take some time to get to it".Kate knew they were going to have to stay at least overnight to find a mechanic. Maggie was excited,, to her, the whole thing was a new adventure. Kate, on the other hand, would rather be on the road driving to their first destination. Kate had never spent this much time with a person over 70 years old before. She had no idea how talkative and repetitive Maggie could be. She began to wonder if she really had taken on more than she had planned on.

If this was such an adventure for Maggie why was she sleeping so much of the time on the road?

KATE AND MAGGIE

2010-11-14T10:08:00.003-05:00

KATE AND MAGGIE

Maggie sat at the kitchen table, drinking her morning coffee, looking out at the clear blue sky. She picked up the local easy shopper paper and looked to see what garage sales were listed. Most of her Saturday mornings had started the same way for over 40 years.She was proud of the fact that she looked and felt great for 76 years old and didn't look a day over 65. Her kids were grown and had kids of their own and lives that were stretched across the country away from her. Maggie's husband of 45 years had passed in his sleep several years before, leaving her with a comfortable life, but a very lonely one. Turning the pages, and sipping her coffee her eye caught a very small ad at the bottom of a page.

"Kate,retired, 35 years long haul trucker,will drive you anywhere you want in any kind of vehicle, you pay expenses." Maggie chuckled to herself and thought that would be quite an adventure. She moved on to the garage sale section and decided today she would pass up the sales and do the laundry that had been waiting over a week. There was just something about that ad in the shopper that kept nagging at her though. What did she have to do all day long? She would love to go cross country and visit her kids and grand kids. She didn't think her old car would make a trip that long though. She would have to get a newer one. The more she thought about it the more she want to call that woman Kate and ask questions. Laundry done, she went through the paper again and found the ad. She dialed the number and a woman answered. Kate told her that she placed the ad because she was bored not being on the road but didn't want to drive semi-trucks anymore. She would be glad to get together with her and talk over a trip and just what it would take to make one across country. They talked on the phone for a while when Maggie told her to just hang up and come on over to her place. She could not wait to see Kate and talk to her in person.

Maggie was excited to see Kate at her door.She was a small woman with big blue eyes wearing a jean jacket and a cowboy hat. Kate laughed at Maggie's expression. Maggie immediately wondered how in the world she could handle a semi-truck. All that power and her being a slight 5 foot 2 inches tall. Kate explained that she used to sit in her father's lap as he drove a big rig and was clearly in love with trucks from an early age. She adapted well and when she got her license to drive she could not wait to try out the big rigs. She had some close calls in her years on the road, but nothing that she couldn't handle. The more the two women talked the more Maggie was convinced this was exactly what she wanted to do.The next decision was how much it would cost for such a trip and what kind of a vehicle she would get to make it all work.

This was the beginning of something that would change both of their lives forever.

CLEAR BLUE

2010-11-09T14:45:00.000-05:00

EVEN our weatherman is amazed at how clear the skies have been and how wonderfully warm the past few days are here. High 60's in November, well that is just amazing. One last chance to go and do all the things that need be done. I sure know how that is. Busy boxing stuff for the Goodwill ..took a whole car load in
the past two days. Feels so good to get rid of the stuff no longer needed. I never went into the store though. I don't know about you, but ME.. I won't go NEAR any used clothing or anything now days that might have the dreaded bugs on it. The local TV stations here did an undercover thing and well the news wasn't good. Now I just get the creeps going into a store with used items like that in it. All my donations were NOT CLOTHING. Talk about scary..
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Our washer is on the fritz. We have a replacement agreement on it so if it can't be fixed.. YIPPIE we get a new one.. course this old Kenmore mom got probably 20 years ago so it's time is up I believe. The last time they did maintenance on it the man shook his head and told us that they just don't make washers to LAST anymore. I sure believe that.. what DO they MAKE to last now days? Not much! When I called for service appointment they told me there would be a WEEK wait! Yikes laundromat here I come...now to gather up the quarters. Mom looked at me in amazement when I told her that each load costs at least $2.00, she remembered when we could do a whole load for clothes... wash and dry for $1.00. Ahhhh for the good old days.
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Watched some of the last 5 dancing on DWTS.. I must say I thought Brandi and
Jennifer were tops!! Gonna be hard to tell who wins this year. Think it will be a woman though. Have seen Blue Bloods with Tom Selleck and so far really enjoy it. I really can't get into the new Hawaii five-0 show though. I miss 24 so I watch NCIS instead and CSI (the original one). Still love Survivor but hate the new night. It is so hard to get used to it being on mid-week. Watching a lot of the shows that Oprah does with all the celeb interviews. Quite interesting.
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Well must wrap this up, time to get busy with the laundry detail..
glitter-graphics.com

RIGHT PLACE..RIGHT TIME...

2010-11-04T14:30:00.000-04:00

EVER find yourself in the right place and the right time? Sometimes you wish you were anyplace else..sometimes not. While shopping for supplies at the K store I spied some teens looking at watches and jewelry. Wouldn't have thought anything about it , EXCEPT the clerk was really staring them down. I guess if you work there long enough you tend to be skeptical about things. Anyway, the girl said to the other girl, that watch on sale looked like hers. YES, she had a watch on, I saw it on her. The clerk did NOT. I moved on to see what gloves and such were on sale. All of the sudden a big commotion made me look to their direction. The young girl was in tears and the clerk was talking loudly to them both. I moved some closer and heard the clerk accusing the girl of stealing a watch. Now most times I would STAY OUT OF IT..but this time I decided NO.. the girl DID have a watch on when she was standing there, I saw it.

I stepped over to the counter and told the clerk that I saw the watch on the girls wrist way before she stepped to that side of the counter. I told her I believed that the watch WAS HERS. The manager stepped behind the counter and was told what the clerk suspected. I just stood there waiting to see what would happen next. Low and behold the clerk saw that this watch the girl had on her wrist had the correct time and that the band looked used and not brand new. Talk about jumping to conclusions. Well if I was a young person and was accused like that, I think I would be very leery of shopping there again. The young girl looked very relieved and thanked me profusely for stepping forward to help her out. You know what I told her....
PASS IT ON.. when you KNOW something is wrong and you can help another person out.. please pass it on and help someone out. She just smiled and nodded and I went on my way. If there is ANYTHING in this world I HATE is being accused of something I did not do. It just sits wrong with me to the core. Talk about being in the right place and the right time.. it sure was for me today.

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HOPE YOU ALL HAVE A GREAT DAY!!

HECTIC DAYS

2010-11-02T15:35:00.002-04:00

Our days are sure hectic here now. Mom’s schedule change has us both wondering what day and what time it is all of a sudden. Funny how you get into your routine and are so comfortable with it and then a shift will make you so out of it. This morning it is 27 here and it’s like November decided to say HI..I’mmmm Bacccck!I am wondering whatever possessed me to wait so late to get a hair cut. Yikes now I have to wear a hat to keep warm, I feel absolutely hairless. Guess it will take time to get used to.

Spent hours Sunday going through the clutter and stuff that we don’t need any more. Packing things to sell or give away. Downsizing is needed here, so it is a necessary thing, but not a fun thing. Mom wants to keep everything she has collected over 60 years and I am the bad girl who has to try to convince her we really don’t need it. Change is hard for the elderly that is for sure. Good thing I have a lot of time to go through things, if I had to do it in a hurry I am sure treasures would probably be lost. I found some old things that Dad had that even Mom had never seen before. Some we wondered about and some Mom had a story to go with. One that intrigued me is a metal pin that was clearly a chauffeur’s license.I guess it was worn on a hat or a coat, I have never seen this and Mom had no idea where it came from. Best guess is that Dad wore it doing a job when he was young living in Tennessee.

I am headed out early today as we have many appointments and I am not one to be late..

HOPE YOU ALL HAVE A GREAT DAY!!!

RUN TO THE LIGHT!!

2010-10-29T12:04:00.001-04:00

Having the name CAROL ANN this movie scared the beeejeez out of
me....This scene was soooo good! ENJOY!!

WHAT'S GOING ON?? OPRAH???

2010-10-28T18:06:00.000-04:00

Oprah.. that's NOT NEW.. but her last season on public television is. She is determined to have so much entertainment and so many new things to send off her last year.
Reviewing people she met and topics that she covered over the years is proving to be interesting to the viewer. Today her show was dedicated to the movie Sound of Music. All cast members were present and hearing their stories and memories of making the movie was enjoyable.
Tomorrow she and her best friend Gayle will be making a road trip to Yosemite to go camping. If you saw any of her road trip across the USA you will really like this series of shows. I cannot wait as it was really eye-opening the last time. Oprah had no idea how to put gas in a car or what the inside of a motel or convenience store looked like. Checking into a room in any town along the way HAD to have the right linens and pillows, and when they didn't she stopped into a store and bought all brand new for her next nights stay. So you can bet the equipment she will get will probably be the BEST there is to buy. Not all people can afford this kind of camping. Too bad she didn't use things that others could afford to use as an example. Regardless of her accommodations, I will be watching Gayle and Oprah inside a tent , treading water in a river and fishing, putting up a tent and making a fire. It has me chuckling thinking about it.

(photo by google images)
WHAT started this whole thing in the first place?? WHY camping?
It was to bring to attention of all black families that they need to check out our national parks and go camping. Someone, not sure who, told her that not enough black families went camping in this country. Wonder if this will influence anyone in the future? If they see what fun she has, it might work. I do NOT have the extra cable channels, and will miss seeing Oprah in the future. I guess I will just have to catch up with things over the web site. It won't be the same as sitting and watching with Mom and Sis and discussing the whole program as it is going on. I will miss those moments. I am looking forward to the whole month of November as it will reveal a lot of Oprah's favorite things and interesting interviews and topics. I think in 25 years she truly has changed the way America and the world thinks about things. She talks about an AH HAH moment on some of her shows. A moment in your life where the light bulb went off and you it just changed your way of thinking or living. I heard Oprah talk about how she journaled every day and I had done the same thing in my life. Oprah changed the way I did my journaling. To try and find the positive thoughts in every day and not dwell on the negative. I decided to try that out. Sometimes I back slide but mostly I try to stick with it.

THANKS OPRAH.. for the Americans who can't type or use a computer or have access to your website.. we appreciate what you have done for us all.

AFTER THE STORM..

2010-10-26T19:29:00.000-04:00

After the storm the sun came out just as it was beginning to go down. It looked like someone had turned on a giant spotlight. The wind was fierce today and we had many warnings and watches. Odd for October in Michigan. They are calling it the second most powerful storm ever to hit this part of the country.My head hurt as I got up this morning with such pressure I had never felt before. I turned on the tv news and they reported that the barometric pressure was lower than it had ever been. WOW! The winds so high it was breaking records all across the country.. here in Michigan with

all the lakeshore we have it was quite spectacular.

Hmmm 26 foot waves.. now that I gotta see! Here is a picture posted on the weather blog I visit.. I guess bigger ones will be posted tomorrow.

As the sun sets, clouds are racing across the evening sky. Tomorrow it may not rain, but we will remember the wind that brought down the leaves from the trees and the crisp autumn air that followed it.Fall in Michigan changes minute by minute, you never know what you are going to get. You have to keep track of things to know what kind of coat to wear and if you will need an umbrella or shovel by the end of the day. It was a good thing that yesterday I went and pulled all my leaves the front of our yard. Now they are just blowing down the street to parts unknown and I won't have to worry about the city picking them up. Well I guess it was going to happen sooner or later.. the token picture of leaves from me...and the last(?) picture of the bare trees 2010.

HOPE YOU ALL HAVE A GREAT WEEK!!

SCENES ALONG THE WAY..

2010-10-20T10:33:00.001-04:00

Seems the countryside is changing so fast, you blink and all the trees are bare. We had some wind here that helped them out a lot. As Beth Marie spoke the other day..harvesting is going on like crazy now.

The local ethanol plant has semi’s lined up way down the road waiting to get in.

As we drove to treatment the other day we passed a tour of antique cars. Mom said it really took her back to old times seeing them. Pays to have your camera at the ready for anything that may come along. See that smaller roof..that is a tornado shelter, the door was on the other side. I can’t blame them for having one as their property set in the middle of some very flat farm land. Here is some local color and the bottom 2 pics are of our one and only maple tree in our backyard. It sure was glorious this year.. started out slow and then everything just popped!

Well that is the tour of around here this fall. Now all the displays are coming out for Halloween, some are pretty neat. People have such incredible talent! I will just have to get busy and take some views of those too.

HOPE YOU ALL HAVE A GREAT DAY!!

CHASING WIFI

2010-10-19T11:30:00.001-04:00

For two days now I have been chasing the Wifi.. both at home and on the road. Believe it or not I have just entered into my third spot. I settled into my little desk area at the library and all of a sudden UH OH.. their system went on the blink. Good thing they announced it or I would have thought my laptop on the fritz.

They had the same problem last Friday.. boy that place sure clears out in a hurry once NO ONE can get on line. So I moved on to another spot and no longer is their service FREE, you have to make a purchase to get the code. So I settled for another spot at the local Hospital parking lot. Here I pick up limited connection, but at least I can get someplace.
Today is sunny here and in the 50′s.. had a very cool morning. I noticed that the price of gas had come down over the weekend to 2.82..big relief as it was nearly 3.00 last week. Visited the post office and bought stamps.. this old gal will never buy anything but the “FOREVER” stamps.. let me tell ya that was a genius idea. Why pay more just because you had some left over..

We had an appt to meet with the social worker in mom’s case and she has promised to try to move mom’s schedule so that we can get home before dark. I sure hope it is soon. Then I met with the clinical nurse in charge to go over all mom’s meds. GOOD NEWS..she can now stop two more of her meds. This means that she is well enough to not need them in her system at all. I questioned whether that would be okay with her DOCTOR in charge and she said she would make it SO. Hmm makes you wonder just who the heck is really running the ship! When one says one thing and another something else I QUESTION it!! I feel for those who don’t understand things it must be very very confusing to them. I see my laptop battery is getting low again.. will have to invest in an adapter soon so I can charge it in the car. I just hope I don’t have to do much more chasing wifi in the future, gas what it is.. well.. makes a person make hard decisions. Just glad the weather is okay and it is warm inside the car.

HOPE YOU ALL HAVE A GREAT WEEK!!

P.S. We sure are having a great time with our Facebook group page. Remember you can’t find the group, if you have been invited, UNLESS your are on the HOME page ..not your profile page.

FACEBOOK UPDATE

2010-10-16T12:57:00.000-04:00

Quick update here on a new group made at Facebook.. if you are a member there and were on Windows Live Spaces you might be interested in this group. We are keeping track of everyone's NEW blog addresses there so everyone can find each other. The group is private and so you are invited by your E MAIL address. I added as many as I could there. We have nearly 50 people added. If you received an invite on your Facebook page or in your mail box from SPACE FRIENDS that is the group I am talking about. They have a PRIVATE chat there where we all can chat with each other regardless of the time zone etc. ALL you need is to ACCEPT the invite and join in. The chat last night lasted until 2 AM and we had a great time. If you do not have a FACEBOOK account or prefer NOT to join that is up to you. YOU MUST BE a member of Facebook though to join this group. BIG THANKS to SHERRY of BURRWOOD for making this group up.. we are growing by the hour..

HOPE YOU ALL WILL JOIN IN THE FUN>> if you need more info contact my e mail address or visit my FACEBOOK page..

HAVE A GREAT SATURDAY!!

FRIDAY UPDATE

2010-10-15T11:01:00.001-04:00

SO it’s Friday again.. what a week.. we helped get 33 miners up out of their dark place and into the light of day and real life again. The news reported today that more than one of those miners had more than one mistress up in the real world. Whoops… I bet those guys NEVER thought of the consequences of their actions. Talk about reality TV.. uh huh…
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Update on the flu shots.. got mine a couple of weeks back. No problems, but ever since then I have heard of a lot of people who are sick with some kind of something. Fevers, sore throat, etc. Several of the workers at mom’s treatment center have been out sick and even had to get antibiotics to help get over it. Does not bode well for the winter season around here. I have been using those wipes and hand santizers like crazy. Got our furnace cleaned and heated up the house yesterday. I have been using those infrared heaters you see advertised for at least a month. Sure saves on the gas bill. They are well worth the investment for sure. Eggs went on sale at the store for 99 cents a dozen so I stocked up and decided to make a custard impossible pie. It was yummy. Placed the recipe at my recipe blog.. is so fast and easy…was a pleasure to make it. Use the search box and find the recipe by name.
Gas went up here to nearly $2.95..wow..you really have to watch when to buy it or you will get really ripped off. I noticed that prices of fruit are back up in stores except for apples which are plentiful here in Michigan right now. Being aware sure helps with cost right now.
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SCHOOL PRIDE is being launched tonight on TV on NBC at 8 PM est. Ever since I saw the commercial I thought this was a great idea. Schools in this country are in such bad condition.. a show that goes in and restores them back to new brings so much back to the youth who go there. With pride in their surroundings they can’t help themselves but be more excited in learning. I think the photos of how bad they look will surely shock a lot of people. WORTH WATCHING this..such a good good idea. Well that’s all from here…
glitter-graphics.com

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HOPE YOU ALL HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!!

TESTING THIS OUT

2010-10-13T17:30:00.001-04:00

So this is live writer and it is on a trial run. If it doesn’t work out..
it is soo out of here. So far I like how the pictures are put inside
the blog content. Nice size for the blog..that is a plus in my eyes. I tried to add my Wordpress Blog to this and it would not add for some reason. I may have forgotten the original settings or something. This one will have to do until I figure it all out. It’s raining today and most of the gorgeous leaves are falling rapidly. I am afraid that by our weekend the whole countryside will look completely different.
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Watched the live coverage of the miners coming up from their dark place in the world. What kind of mark this has left on their lives is really yet to be seen. I know NO ONE has ever been underground that long of a time before, so I am sure they will get all kinds of counseling. Have been very impressed at how they all look..so healthy. Bravo to all the workers who are standing by helping them escape.
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Well enough of this .. will hit send and see what happens.. keeping fingers crossed… HERE GOES….

FRIDAY ALREADY!!

2010-10-08T16:14:00.000-04:00

It's Friday already. This week has been extremely busy and full of changes. I am just grateful when Saturday comes and I don't have to go anywhere. Wellll, not exactly. The weather is glorious! Who would NOT want to go out and enjoy it? I will have to mow the lawn and do outdoor chores. I sure would rather do them in the warmth than a cold October day anytime!!
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.Here is a pic of my famous DOLLAR watch. My watch, I wore forever, just would not keep time any way I tried. I never thought of a bracelet type watch before. I kind of like the whole put one on in a hurry type thing. So I was browsing the display at the BIG K because I had to have a new one in a hurry, and didn't want to spend a lot of money on it. I saw this one sitting there with a clearance tag on it. $19.99! Well I was sold, it looked nice enough to me. When I got the front check out she scanned the watch box and low and behold it was a returned item and she said it was on clearance for ONE DOLLAR..did I want it anyway? Well , shoot.. it was running.. maybe all it needed was a battery. She said the battery had been replaced. OH BOY.. I said YES.. when I got to the parking lot and took the watch out of the box I noticed that there were TWO diamond chips one at 12 and one at 6. LUCKY me!! The maker is not listed on it, but who cares the darn thing works great. Sis really liked it. She collects watches, so when her birthday rolled around, I went back to the store looking for any that might be
returned. No such luck. I sure will be looking from now on though. A nice time piece that works for a buck is just my type of deal. I love it when I get a bargain!!
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Well not much more from here..

HOPE YOU ALL HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!!

RANT DAY??

2010-10-06T17:11:00.000-04:00

Pardon me. but do we still have a rant day that is a carry over from Spaces? Well don’t know the answer to that, but have gotten peeved about a few things lately that surely apply. First off.. why doesn’t anyone read road signs any more? I mean I am old school about things but really.. if the sign says YIELD.. DO IT!! If the sign says STOP.. do that too. Don’t roll on into the intersection waiting for the on coming traffic to stop for you. Twice I saw this and I must say it was NOT a teen driver doing it either. Here they call them a “Michigan roll.” Roll on out there and get smacked is what they should call them. Geez.. get some education!. I hate people who just go along and think they make the rules of the road. There is NEVER anyone around to give them a ticket to tell them that THEY ARE WRONG.. about what they are doing. Maybe if they got a ticket and had to pay money they wouldn’t do it again.

Mom and I nearly got broadsided with a man, (he was not a kid either) who just drove on through that very large sign that said YIELD. There is a lot of construction out there they are trying to finish before the bad weather comes, and I have seen people driving WAY too fast for the speed that is posted too. Too bad there is not an ”eye in the sky” camera around to film those drivers too. Another thing I truly don’t like is people who try to get out into the intersection before you have even cleared it. We have had some close calls lately and that always makes your heart race faster. There are some crazy drivers out there, who really should be given a lesson on how to OBEY the rules and road signs!

WHEW… now I feel better.. thanks!! (I miss the smilies from spaces)

Gas prices shot back up around here to 2.85! Never did find out why but that was at least a 25 cent jump.Went shopping for some fresh new apples and found that some stores had them as high as 3.99 a bag as where some others 1.99. Pays to shop around I guess. Michigan’s apple crop isn’t too great this year because of the freeze we had and so they are yielding a lot less than last year. The ones that are coming in are smaller apples and with less flavor. I find myself looking for the Washington varieties, they always are delicious.

Those of you on facebook know that Sis is trying out an e-reader. I am trying hers too. It is a fun little gadget that gets e mails and books and will go out on the web. Small and convenient and that is a good thing. Never thought I would use such a thing as I am addicted to my laptop now. It is a lot slower and harder to keep the wifi signal in tact but the battery life is great. You can make a picture viewer out of it with your SD card etc, so it proves to be a real multi-purpose item. I am quite impressed with it so far. So far I give it three stars. You can’t print anything out and maybe they will improve that in the future.

WELL it’s been quite a week here the last few days. Mom has made another trip to the ER and had a small surgery at another hospital. It never ends around here. I sure will be ready to get to the weekend!

LOCAL COLOR IS REALLY POPPING THIS WEEK.

HOPE YOU ALL HAVE A GREAT WEEK!

GLAD GLAD GLAD..

2010-10-01T17:16:00.000-04:00

Glad that I was able to get the feed working so now many of you can get my updates here . I know many people don't care for the Wordpress set up and how things went with WLS but I have to give them credit for getting so many spaces over to them with all the content intact. AMAZING what technology can do. I would never have clicked that button in a million years if I had not had SO MANY other spaces that I could experiment on. Yep, like BethMarie, I had at least 5 so I could use any one and do a trial run. I moved my recipes and my spacewalk space over to wordpress too. REMEMBER that is a review of the finest bunch of people on the planet. The links should lead to their new homes and if they don't I personally will FIX it! What was I to do.. lose all that or copy it and just enjoy for myself? No way!! So I will also be GLAD if the feeds work for those sites too.

SO for those of you catching up here....(sorry guys).. I had a fiasco with a purse recently. I wrote about how horrible it is to get one covered in liquid makeup. YIKES! Anyway I went on a hunt for a new purse in a hurry. Didn't think I would find one I liked either. The one I found was on sale and neat though because it had a place for my cell phone and a pocket that I now love because it fit my camera perfectly.
That unzipped pocket is just the right size. It is padded enough to keep it safe too. It is smaller than I would have liked but is working out swell so far. I have another purse I love to use that is leather but maybe later in the winter months. So, I am GLAD that I found something I could really use when I really needed it, and a bargain at that! How often does that happen..NEVER..at least for me it doesn't. Must have been my lucky day! Glad, glad, glad...
On to other topics.. hope to get some pics tomorrow of the harvest festival in town. The weather will be downright cold as FROST is predicted. I was hoping it would be warmer, but maybe it will be sunny anyway. ..

HOPE YOU ALL HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND...

WHAT IS TO BECOME...

2010-09-26T12:22:00.003-04:00

I decided that not many visit here so I will not worry about what I post here. The future is very uncertain for us here and I am not sure how much time I will be able to spend
on line or keep up with things. More important things are ahead of us. Winter is coming faster than we want it to. I dread it. I do not have the energy to keep this old house up anymore. I want to move to another place closer to mom's treatment center but convincing her to leave is proving impossible. In her present state of mind she

only wants to stay in her house for the rest of her life. Last winter she was taken to treatment in a nice van because she was in the rehab center. This year, being at home, it won't be as easy. It will be very hard on us both. I just don't think she realizes it. I have tried having other people talk to her about what we need to do, but it hasn't worked so far. so it will be a long autumn season. In a perfect world we could stay home and live here and she would happy, but with our monetary status we just cannot do that. When things begin to happen..it will be like a light snowfall becoming a raging blizzard.

WHAT A MESS!!

2010-09-17T16:27:00.005-04:00

If I truly could, I would show you the mess.. it was unbelievable and never have I had such a one in all the days of my life. I have carried a purse or handbag of all kinds since I was a young girl of about 12. What happened you ask? Well ever carry a bottle of liquid makeup in your purse? (Ughhhh don't remind me.)
It was the second or third season I carried that bag, and in my rush to get mom out the door and to her treatment, I threw things into the bag that I would need later on. IMAGINE my shock when I unzipped the purse and, as they say,LORDIE PETE.. I almost lost it! There was makeup on my credit card holder and my wallet change purse, sunglasses, keys, you name it! WHAT A MESS!!!!

I could not bring myself to take a picture of that whole nightmare. I was grateful that my camera was NOT in my bag. So off today and more this weekend in search of a new bag for the winter. The summer one is KAPUT.. I want it out of my sight!
The old winter bag I carried.. well MOM took charge of it and it is now hers. She
decided it was better than hers. More fun for me.. finding a new one!! I am off now to start my quest.. and NO I LEARNED MY LESSON..... NEVER EVER
put a bottle of LIQUID makeup in your bag.. it just isn't worth it!!!
P.S. No..Sis... it wasn't my neat Tiganello mom took over.. no way she gonna get that one!!

2010-09-14T16:11:00.009-04:00

This time of year..we take baths at least once a day

if someone will give us the place and the water to do

that! It doesn't hurt if we have a snack after we bathe.

These grapes are just yummy and we have a great

time eating. The big leaves cover us and keep us cool.

Ahhh Fall it's a great time of year!

TGIF.. WHEW!

2010-09-10T16:45:00.002-04:00

First we get a call to go to the treatment center at 8:00 A.m.... mom declined! I mean she can decline and go at her normal time and just not so early. We get into town and then the car started ( for lack of another word) bucking or jumping a little. Not severe, but enough to alarm a person. It has never done that before. When the check engine light came on.. I parked it right away. I seized an engine up once long ago by driving one anyway with the light on. So I call the AAAtow and call for a rental and all being done in two towns because you are NOT in your own city. UGhhhh I hate that.. never know who to trust..mechanic-wise.So we get that all straightened out and then the mechanic says to me.."well it will be Monday or Tuesday before we can get to it".. uhhhh OKAY.. since we have a RENTAL CAR we are paying for.. and they know it.. the guy gives me a look like.. WELL YOU HAVE A CAR ya know!! Talk about ticked off.

Someone is making bucks off us.. the AAA charged us 3.50 a mile extra for the miles into our town. YEP. mom's NOT got the
"PLUS" coverage. Cars get complicated I sure do know that.. but I sure hate when they break down out of town and when it is close to the weekend. So the guy on the phone from AAA says "well I can't send a tow out unless the person on the card gives the okay. WEll that is Mom's card and she is hooked up to a machine at the moment. NO exceptions he says.. Ughhh.. so I have to call the center and have the okay given..(between you and me).. the nurse at the center gave it.. not mom. They
didn't want her to get upset..which she would and there would go her blood pressure! Geeeez what we have to go through. Gotta say the tow truck arrived earlier than they said and it was all clean and nice and shiny and the guy did know what he was doing. Sometimes a tow guy knows about as much as I do about hooking them up. I have seen some whacked out things in my time. Enough to make you leery for sure. So Friday is not over yet.. DO rentals breakdown too? I sure hope NO COP stops me on my way any where, as there is NO paper in the car like a registration at all.. only a proof of insurance. WHERE is the proof? .. ahhhh it's with the receipt that my SIS got, not with me. The place of business is closed for the weekend so fat chance getting them on the phone for anything. DO I sound stressed.. yep.. I am at level 6 about now.. earlier it was 10!

If I was a drinking person I would be on my second beer by now.. will be so glad when the day is over and I can sleep through the weekend. This surely has been a rocky week.My back feels better so far, but I haven't lifted anything heavy , but the yard needs a mow. Don't want to even think about what that might feel like. Guess I will put that off for now. TGIF!!!!!

LABOR DAY THOUGHTS

2010-09-03T15:06:00.003-04:00

Labor day instills all kinds of thoughts in us. Workers who labor and those we salute proudly. I almost always found myself working over labor day weekend. Rarely did I get a three day off unless it was a scheduled vacation. It was a good thing for me to be working because of the notorious "VIBES" I would get over this one particular weekend every single year. It seemed that something bad or serious or terrible or just plain tragic always happened then. I would alert everyone close to me to be cautious if the vibes were strong enough. One year we had a tornado come near us in my town. One year Princess Diana died, One year Steve Irwin died, One year my mother fell down a flight of stairs and broke her leg. One year there was a car accident involving one of my best friends who died.One year, right after labor day, we all experienced 9-11. It goes on and on, so I just can't help feeling a little bit freaked out about this holiday time of the year. NOW..I do everything I can to think of the positive things and keep my mind off the negative ones. I will get a phone call and they will ask "ARE YOU VIBING?"

and I will say.."NO not yet!" and hope that everything stays that way.

HOW HEAVY ARE YOU??

2010-08-20T16:28:00.004-04:00

It never came to mind until I saw Dr. Oz talking about how women had back and shoulder problems due to their PURSE or handbags. Yeah.. those bags have gotten

heavier and larger the past few years. Some look like tote bags and or suitcases.

At the treatment center where mom goes they have a scale in the floor and weigh

every patient as they come in and out of the building. It is accurate to the kilogram. I decided to weigh my current purse and see if I was "over the limit".

What is the limit?.. According to him and his research 14 lbs! FOURTEEN pounds!

I hope to NEVER have one weigh that much. So I weighed my purse and it came

out to 6.5 pounds. I was thrilled. I started thinking about how much MORE I could

take out and make it weigh a lot less. A summer purse of mine weighs a lot less than the winter one made of leather. Why not trim the junk NOW and get it over with. I have had shoulder and back trouble for years and KNOW it is bad for you to carry too much. Bags that have zippers on the front have more pockets to carry more stuff. Just makes it harder to drag it around. I don't mind one small one

but all over it NO.. So I passed my test with flying colors.. mine won't break

my back or give me troubles.. Hope if you carry a purse or bag this will help

remind you to try and beat the limit!!

(P.S. this purse is now gone due to an unfortunate incident!)

CRAVINGS...

2010-08-15T21:42:00.006-04:00

DEFINITION CRAVINGS.." An intense desire for some particular thing."

We all have them from time to time. Smoking , drinking,
sweets, drugs, eating.. you name it we have them. What makes it hard is how to kick the habit or the pull they have on us. Walking into a bakery or even by one will set me off big time.The smell of Fresh Bread is one of my biggest craves.. I can hardly resist a piece of hot steamy, soft, fresh baked bread. Loaves or rolls.. they both will make me crave them.I love to bake but haven't done that in awhile. If you can't eat it .. don't bake it is my motto now. I do bake and take a bite and give the rest away especially at Christmas time. Every once in a while I will get the craving for a certain candy or fruit I haven't had in a long time. I usually just get it and then the craving goes away. Not so easy with some things though.

Back in the 60's and 70's I could not function without my daily caffeine rush. I craved Pepsi and still prefer it to this day. I don't drink it unless it is diet and caffeine free though.I tried to cut back as soda is just not good for you. ( yeah I still drink it now and then.) It wasn't easy and I did it gradually, but I got used to NOT having the headaches and shakes from the caffeine and I liked
it. Doctor's then told me that a little caffeine was good for my asthma. GOOD?I couldn't believe it. Oh yes.. people could drink a cup of coffee and it help their breathing. Well, so glad I didn't like the taste of coffee.( Yes, I blogged before about how I love the smell of the coffee..but don't like the taste.)

It is true that what we can't or are not suppose to have will make us crave it more. What got me to thinking about this topic was I had a craving for salty foods. Mom can't have salt, very little of it, so we don't have it here in the house. I was craving Potatoe chips. Something I hadn't had in a long time. It had been so long. I bought the smallest snack bag I could find and ate the whole thing. The craving ended right there, so I know now that if I deprive myself of something it will just make me crazy until I break it and get it out of my system.

DO YOU HAVE PARTICULAR CRAVINGS? How do or did you get rid of yours?

SUMMER'S SPLENDOR...

2010-08-07T19:38:00.004-04:00

I hate to see it end.. summer that is.. I really enjoy the warm temperatures and

the ease in which I can get things done OUTSIDE my home. I love the flowers and the sound of the birds in the morning as they call to each other.I love the smell after a summer rain storm. The summer sunsets are so brilliant with color

OUT OF THE MOUTHS OF BABES..

2010-08-02T16:05:00.003-04:00

Out of the mouths of babes is an old saying, but so true .. you never know what they are going to come up with next. Recently, while standing on the bridge watching the oil flow down the river, a little girl who looked about 4 years old, held her mother's hand and asked her a question. "Mommy..how do the ducks survive in that black stuff?". The mother stood there silent watching the water flow. She finally said " There are people here who are taking good care of them and cleaning them all up." The little girl, without a pause said, " Well I guess those are the ducks guardian angels." I had to smile to myself, those animals really did need a lot of angels to get through what they are dealing with now, as do so many animals in the gulf states. Seeing the oil or crude

first hand and smelling it personally puts a whole new light on the whole problem of pollution in our country. What it takes to clean it and how long a process it is?

How many people are involved and how many are displaced and affected by it?

One of the towns affected here has over 50 families put up in a hotel, for how long, we don't really know. Long term affects on their property we don't know either.

It's a sad thing that is for sure. They will call for more investigating to know why things happened and what they can do to stop it in the future.

LIFE will go on, rivers will flow and sooner or later it will be

"yesterday's news". People will say..remember when..hopefully by then all the

"guardian angels" will have cleaned up the messes and our environment will be

a semblance of what it used to be.

~~And so it goes on~~~

SAD SITUATION

2010-07-29T07:25:00.002-04:00

OIL runs as fast as it

can to our Lake Michigan..it's a

tragedy. So much will be damaged for so long a time now. It's a sad day in

Michigan.

TEN AND TWO...

2010-07-27T09:54:00.004-04:00

I don't know about you, but I had a pretty strict driver's training instructor. He was a retired sheriff deputy. He believed in the ten and two hands on the steering wheel plan. "You will always have control over the wheel when you do this." Okay.. that lasted only as long as the class and the driver's test. I think if both hands are on the wheel then you have it under control.Heck, even one that is in the right spot and tightly holding it can work. I keep my hands mostly at 9 and 3. I see a lot of men with one hand at 12 and the other on the back of the seat or around the gal of his choice. Sometimes the guy rests one hand on the gear shift if the car is not an automatic drive. What about the people who use their cell phones? Those people use one hand and it could be anywhere on the wheel. Do they really have control of the wheel?

Sis drives mostly with her hands at 9 and 5. A friend I know drives with their hands at 7 and 5..having your hands so high on the wheel..does that really matter?
My dad used to drive with his right hand at 3 and his arm out the window, except for wintertime. People who use their speed controls, well they can steer their cars pretty easily with one hand almost anywhere on the steering wheel. So people can drive whatever way they want to, but do they really have control? I always worry about the deer here in Michigan jumping out in front of you. You have no control over what they do, but you need to have control over your vehicle. SO where are
your hands on the wheel?

Well, it was just something I was pondering the other day while watching a guy eat, drive and talk on the phone at the same time. Would I do that? HECK NO...I have driven and eaten at the same time on occasion, but nothng like a meal or
anything. My car is NOT in a no cell phone zone, I do use it in the car, mostly while NOT driving though. Texting costs me a lot so I don't do that sort of thing, but my hands are on the wheel when the car is moving.

I WISH US ALL SAFE HOURS BEHIND THE WHEEL....

AHHHH A SUNSET...

2010-07-24T07:57:00.002-04:00

See more in my facebook album..after so many storms rolled through we finally got to see

a beautiful sunset.

BRRRRR IT's HOT OUTSIDE....

2010-07-23T16:26:00.002-04:00

Isn't that cool looking! Ahhh right now I could
just jump in that snowpile. We had over a foot
in this picture. In honor of my "sister" in who
lives UPNORTH..HAPPY BIRTHDAY CINDY!!
*********************************************************************
Last night we had two tornado warnings that lasted until
past 1 AM in the morning. It was a pretty tricky night
watching and waiting for the next report. Our great
station here went on live on the internet so people could
follow if they weren't close to a tv. It was great hearing
their live comments to each other and the latest information
BEFORE they went on air with it. The storms we have had
seem to be following the same track across our state over
and over and over. Some cities are just drenched today with
INCHES of rain and more to come. We had the high winds and
hail and rain but the worst went south of us here by about 10
miles or so. I was sure glad. I didn't feel like getting Mom up
at that hour and disturbing her sleep.
So it's a long day today and a hot one. I just couldn't stand it
out there so I decided I would like to look at something COLD.
HOPE YOU DO TOO!!

HOPE YOU ALL HAVE A COOL, SAFE AND GREAT WEEKEND!!

Hawaii Five 0 Intro

2010-07-21T09:28:00.001-04:00

DID you know that CBS is re-making Hawaii Five O? It will be on the fall schedule this year. I loved this theme song and the show a lot. I am old school though. I don't think they should re-do MAGNUM PI or ROCKFORD FILES..those shows just wouldn't be the same. I have seen some commercials about the new series. They are still using the theme song, but of course have changed all the characters. CBS has made ratings with these older shows so I guess they are looking for ratings with this new re-do. Some of my favorites are not coming back this fall season so I guess I will be looking for new shows to watch. I will give this show a watch and see what I think of it. If nothing else I will love seeing the scenery again. I think they should make the show stand for itself though. If I hear the guy say "BOOK'EM DANNO", I think I will just be sad though. Remembering the show the way it was will always be a part of me. I guess I am just not fond of change at all. Do you remember this show??

DISASTER

2010-07-19T16:44:00.005-04:00

DISASTER. It's a good word for it. I have always always treated any computer I am using with respect and pampered them greatly. No using videos or playing games or even listening to CD'S. Nothing but use for writing and e-mails. When problems came up I took care of them right away, or as soon as I could.
Let me start from the beginning..

It was a unsteady night for me.. up and down all night long, too hot, too noisy,too worried over how Mom was doing. I sat straight up in the bed with a jolt. Was that the bell I heard? The one I gave mom in case she needed me. I listened again to see if it was. Then I heard it again, only this time she was calling out for me. My heart racing, I took the stairs on a run.My bare feet touching the rough steps. It seemed like it took forever to get down the 14 steps.Being careful not to fall on the way down was hard as I was shaking like a leaf. As I headed for the bedroom I heard a faint cry again. Turning on the light, I saw her laying on the floor in a heap. I told her to lie still so I could assess her and tell if anything was broken. She said she wasn't
in pain so much as mad at herself for not being more careful. Something I had drilled into her a million times over. Finding that she indeed was not badly injured was a sheer relief. Next I had to figure out how to get her up off the floor.
I looked at the clock and it was 3:35 in the morning. Too early to call a neighbor or my sister for help. No way I could get her up off the floor by myself I decided to
call for help from the paramedic service. Mom told me she was alright so I went back up the stairway to get something to wear before calling the medics.

Still shaking and heart pounding, I dressed quickly and looked around the room for my shoes and I saw my laptop sitting next to the doorway. I probably wouldn't be coming back up the stairs for awhile, so I decided to take it with me
on the trip down. I grabbed the case by the strap and slung it over my shoulder.
I ran for the stairway with portable phone in my hand. As I got to the top of the stairs I heard a thump. In my haste to get back down the stairway, I had not checked the laptop case. I could not reach fast enough, the laptop slid out of the half unzipped case, and fell down the 14 stairs to the bottom. Such a sound I
will NEVER forget as long as I live. I just stared at the remains at the bottom of the stairway in disbelief and shock. I slowly took each step one at a time.

I could hear mom in the other room asking what had happened. I could hear the clock striking 4 AM. When I reached the bottom of the stairway, I reached and picked up the shattered remains of my laptop. Putting them aside, I called the paramedics to come for a "lift-assist". Trying to make Mom comfortable on the floor wasn't too bad. The medics showed up in no time at all and she was all settled back in bed. After they left, I noticed that I was still shaking some, and sat down on the couch.I focused my eyes on the pieces of my laptop on the coffee table. It might be fixable somehow I thought... and then I noticed a big crack in the top of the display monitor. I sighed and was relieved that it wasn't me
that was at the bottom of that stairway. Things could be replaced I guess..people could not. Mom was okay and so was I and that was all that mattered.

THEN I WOKE UP...

I looked around the room and there sat the laptop safe and sound. I listened and there was no call for help. Was it a nightmare?.. YES.. was it a premonition,who knows. I only know because of it, I will be very vigilant and check the case and make sure I zip it closed ALWAYS, because if I don't it could lead to DISASTER.

P.S. This morning (7/20/10) at 1:10 AM Mom woke me ringing the bell. She had
taken her bandages from dialysis off too early and was bleeding on her bed and clothing. Talk about weird. And so it goes on~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A LOOK BACK IN TIME..

2010-07-16T16:50:00.002-04:00

Dad told me that when I was little I went on a plane ride and he could prove it. The nice man he worked for owned several gas stations all over the state. In order to do business he had to get places fast.. so he flew a plane into their small airports, did the business and flew back home . Dad worked in a foundry, but had a part time job in a gas station too. He was saving money to buy a house. So one day dad went with him to the airport and took me with him.Dad had planned to just take pictures of his new plane.

Well now the camera came in handy, next thing I knew dad took this of me and the pilot!He asked dad if he could take me up for a short ride. AS young as I was dad was slightly apprehensive, but said yes... MOM would have said NO!

I remember nothing at all about it. Dad told me

the pilot said I cried when we lifted off the ground. He circled the airport and then came back down. When he got back to where dad was.. dad said I grabbed hold of him with a "death grip". TO THIS DAY.. I hate small planes with a passion. I will NOT fly in one.. no way, no how.. I don't even like the 12 seater commuter planes. I don't mind the large planes, but the smaller ones NO WAY!! I think I was so traumatized that I still have some kind of repressed memory or something. Anyway.. I have been looking for the dress up photo and ran across a whole bunch of old ones that even I laughed at. I was a chubby little baby and a chubby little girl for awhile. {If there is a way to scan more than one photo at a time I sure would like to know...doing one at a time is time consuming} so here is one to laugh at ..

This picture was taken in Tennessee at my grandpa's farm . You can see the cows in the background. I have that look on my face again.. I was terrified to stand out under the trees for fear of the snakes I had seen falling from them.

DO NOT remember it at all.. SO weird it is like looking back on someone else's life. It sure made me laugh..though. As you can see I am not a happy camper.

Well so much for the look back.. take time to look back at

some of your pictures today, you might just discover some

things you did not know about.. a get a good laugh out of it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

MY THOUGHTS ON...

2010-07-14T15:35:00.005-04:00

There are a few thoughts bothering me these days about things that are going on..

ONE is the darn CAP on that well. I just don’t get all the problems they are having I guess and think that they should have already planned on emergency situations and how to solve them LONG LONG ago. Makes a person wonder with so many wells in our waters who ELSE doesn’t have a clue on how to STOP THE FLOW.

TWO is The Montana school system is trying to set into motion teaching 5 and 6 year olds sex education in Kindergarten. Maybe kids are smarter now than they were back in “my day”, but some kids have been protected from all that stuff. If one state passes it then others will surely follow them. Some kids are slower than others and clumping them all together like that and trying to tell them things they are not ready for .. well it just isn’t right and that is just my thought on it.

THREE is All this HoopLa over the darn tapes that have surfaced of Mel Gibson’s ranting. If the guy was DRUNK and or on something he probably doesn’t even remember what he said at all. Physically harming someone is something all together different though. He KNEW what he was doing then. He clearly has a problem that needs to be addressed and everyone should just chill out and let him deal with it, that is IF he is ready to say he has a problem.

FOUR is People can change. I changed bigtime. I HATED laptops. They made my eyes hurt they were so this and that. Then I got my own. I wasn’t using someone else’s and started to see the use of one as a necessity. It literally saved me HOURS on-line time and the convenience of having it with me was and is so useful.I disliked FACEBOOK too. I came around recently to think that maybe it wasn’t so bad after all. Just place what info you want on there and leave out what you want to. New security things have helped too. I won’t place my name and personal info on there, but Ido like keeping in touch with others really fast. The pros outway the CONS here in my way of thinking now.

WELL those are just some of the things that I have been mulling over in my mind lately. Glad I could get them down here and move on.

HOPE YOU ALL HAVE A GREAT DAY!!!

CAMP DAYS!

2010-07-12T16:36:00.004-04:00

Remember those days when you were young and carefree. Boy that was a long time ago for me and maybe you too. Anyway.. today I came out of the store and heard

screaming.. well more like a high pitched squealing. I looked up and saw two large buses sitting in the parking lot. As I got closer I saw the name on the side of the bus.

It was a camp bus. So many kids yelling and most of them were getting off the bus.

Parents meeting the bus and one mother brought a surprise for her daughter. A puppy with a bow and ribbon around it's neck. The young lady couldn't have been more than 12 or 13. She was jumping up and down and just squealing with delight.

The pup looked like a miniature dachshund. Cute as could be. Pretty soon a large semi showed up with all the kids belongings. Back in my day, the kids brought their things in with a sleeping bag roll and that was that.NO semi hauling them. These kids had suitcases on wheels and many duffel's each. It was a real eye opener. Camp must have changed over the years with all the technology and such.I sort of think of camp as a "get away from it all place." A place to enjoy the outdoors and the companionship of

new friends without the computers and Ipods and gaming items. Maybe it is true..

the more you grow up the more things change and then maybe they don't!

DID YOU GO TO CAMP WHEN YOU WERE YOUNG? DID YOU ENJOY IT?

THREE COLORS

2010-07-10T18:45:00.004-04:00

I loved these Hydrangeas and the three colors in one plant.

They are growing in front of an empty home that is for

sale. Sad that a family is missing all that beauty.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME..

2010-07-07T16:57:00.005-04:00

Music blasted from a house nearby late into the night. I could hear it over the top of my air conditioner. What a way to start my birthday. I decided at 1:30 AM that I would sleep in today. I wouldn't get up at 5 AM like I have been with Mom lately. I felt I needed this day to do what I wanted to. At 7:00, a whole
two hours later, I gave Mom her breathing treatment and made sure she had her meds.She decided she would make her own breakfast today. I was pleased because I knew she was getting over her illness.
I found my way back up the 14 stairs to my room where I piled back in the bed for another hours rest. It felt divine!

I decided to check my e mails and low and
behold I found many birthday greetings waiting for me. What a joy.. it sure brought up my spirits. It seems like a year since Mom got sick and our whole world changed. There are not many times when you have much to celebrate about unless you try and find them. Mom only knew what day of the week it was. That is normal for her right now, I didn't feel bad about it..only sad. She remembered last year.. so much has occurred since then.

The center called and we had to leave earlier than usual. We were glad because this meant we could get home before 8 pm. The whole day is lost to us because we don't LIVE in the same town as the treatment center. There is NO leaving town anymore now that mom is unstable during her treatments. Sis had the day off
so she came along too. We spent 3 hours inside the public library reading and
using the laptop. (Without it I surely go insane.)If you don't live in town you can only use their computers for 30 minutes a day. Try doing it all in 30 minutes..
I sure can't do much.
We both nearly fell asleep,it is so quiet in there. The library in this town is so different from our own town. The rules are strictly ENFORCED. You won't hear cell phones or people talking much, even the children are quiet.
Sis and I had dinner at Taco Bell. I am not fond of it, but I didn't have to cook
it so that satisfied me.I had an ice cream cone for dessert that was so good. Hadn't had one in a long time. It literally melted in minutes due to the high temps we
were having. I could hardly lick fast enough.
Picked up mom from treatment and headed home. On the way, Sis informs me
that she thinks she has POISON IVY!
OH LORD..... I hope she kept the oil from coming to our house..
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME

WHAT'S THE DEAL???

2010-07-05T17:11:00.002-04:00

While making my strawberry pie I had to access some cornstarch. Yes it comes in a box. What I want to know is who's brilliant idea that was? I mean when you get so far down into the box your whole arm is covered with the stuff. You can not get a tiny measuring spoon into there and so you have to shake the darn box to get it to come to the opening. When you finally get it to the opening you get it all over the countertop and your body. Well.. at least I did anyway. Sputtering to myself, I thought who the heck puts this stuff in a box anyway? Why? I mean baking powder is in a can..most kinds are. Baking soda is in a small box so you can access it well. Maybe this cornstarch is so cheap to produce you can easily put it in a larger container who knows. I got covered in the stuff and that made me decide enough was enough and I put it all in a lock and lock container. Easy to access and refill. No mess or waste. I do put flour and sugar etc in a different container why not cornstarch? So that dilemma taken care of.. I got to thinking..what else can I box up? UH OH.. find me a container...~~~~~~~~~~

2010-06-30T23:54:00.002-04:00

I can't believe that July is here now. We have had such warm
weather it felt like July the whole month of June. Things have
gotten complicated over the past few days. Mom's arm that she
uses for dialysis has stopped working for her. We are seeing a
surgeon in the morning to see what measures he wants to take
to help her get back on her schedule. In the meantime, she is
recovering from her bout with this illness that hospitalized her
last week. When it rains it pours it seems in her case lately.
Looks like it will be a busy 4th of July here for us trying to get
things straightened out. All your prayers will be appreciated
greatly by Mom and Sis and I. Will update you all when I get
a chance.
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
HOPE YOU ALL HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND AND
SAFE HOLIDAY TOO.

LOVIN IT!!

2010-06-27T09:27:00.002-04:00

So far I am loving being able to add things here on this blog as easy as can be. WhenI finally got the hang of it, that is. So many new things that Spaces
just did not even think of providing for us. The backgrounds and themes are unlimited here in many different ways and I like that. I do love to "change my skin" so to speak and do it a lot. Coming up with new things keeps things fresh
and that makes me more interested in blogging. I have to admit that since things changed over to Spaces I have spent less time checking out the blogs there than I used to do. I make an effort to find those I really like the most and then move on
to other things. When you visit me here from now on, I hope to keep it creative
and interesting.
When you stop by next time please make sure to feed Brandi for me..he
spends so many hours alone here he could use a treat! ; )
###################################################
It's a CRIME!
That is what it feels like to me. Charging so much for one tiny item in the store. I know we used to pay pennies for gum and now a pack of 5 sticks costs 25 cents at the very least. Inflation is the culprit.. oh yeah it has to be. I mean the stick is the same size in some cases and tastes the same, but there must be some new ingredient that makes it cost more. Penny candy is so rare
these days except for some specialty stores. Recently I went to buy some cough expectorant. PLAIN kind no frills. I had to check three stores to find any. When I did, I bought the most generic brand as the real brand was almost twice the price.
I stood waiting to pay behind 4 children and their mother. What were they doing? They were purchasing PENNY CANDY. The counter in this small pharmacy had
a whole display of penny candy. I watched as they tried to decide which kind they wanted as their red-faced mother apologized for them taking so long. I smiled and said I remembered those days..let them have fun. Oh how I wanted to whip out my camera and take their picture. The joy on their faces as the lady behind the counter placed the candies in a small paper sack. When they left all smiles and
giggling I told the clerk it was fun watching them. She told me that was precisely why they do it.
DID I BUY ANY? What do you think?

SNOT

2010-06-25T16:14:00.003-04:00

DEFINITION.. A contemptible child or mucus from ones nose. Okay then.. well
we know what it is. WHY is there so much of it?? I mean is my head completely
empty and there are so many vacant spots in there that the stuff just multiplies

by the minute? Does some gremlin come in the night and place some kind of spell on me while I sleep so that the next day there is more of the stuff? While I have blown my nose for a week now..something must be going on. It can't just keep materilizing, or can it? I must read up because the colors coming from my head and sinus cavities are so varied. One day it looks like I snorted milk through my nose and the next it turns to a nice mellow yellow. Yeah I know that color means some kind of infection. How long can an infection last? Apparently, a long time even with medications. All I know is I have seen more than my share this week, andI won't bore you with what color is coming up from my nether lung areas. THAT might just scare ya!! AHHH the spring-summer cold it is a vicious animal.

VICKS OR NO VICKS

2010-06-23T13:32:00.002-04:00

Should I or shouldn't I? Smear it on and see

what happens. Mom was always attached to

her Vicks VapoRub. She thought it would cure

just about anything. She would put it on our chests

and then cover us up with blankets. One time I was

so sick with a chest cold she made me swallow some

of it! ACkkkk The jar states CLEARLY Do not consume

internally! Well maybe back 45 years ago it didn't

say it that clear. Who knows.. I was small and I only

knew that lovely rub made it easier for me to breathe.

We wore a scarf around our neck with it on it, we put it

in a vaporizer and the aroma filled the whole house.

So yesterday I smeared it on my feet. Specifically the

bottoms near the ball of my foot. I placed some nice

warm socks on and went to bed. Miracle of miracles..

it worked. I could breathe easy and actually slept

for the first night in several days. This simple solution

kept me from having to smell it all night long as a

bonus. IT WORKS! So if you ever wonder.. Vicks or

No Vicks GO with the Vicks!!

I GOTSA DOG!!

2010-06-19T18:32:00.003-04:00

Yep I adopted a puppy and I don't have
no bill for the vet to spay or neuter it. I
don't have to feed, water or walk him.
Alls I gotta do is play play play with
him and that makes him happy.
He is the same color as our old dog
and has the same name. You will find him
down the page a spell.
I gotta tip too. Don't push that
MORE blue button I beg you..heheheh
you will seeee He gets pretty
happy I tell ya..He loves that ball!!
The neighbors
here on this blogger might
get a little annoyed with him and
call the cyber cops on me!! I sure hope not!
LOL
Aawww it's just a little fun.

Blame it on my illness I am outta
my mind from coughing... phfffft!!

ATTACHMENTS..

2010-06-17T08:02:00.007-04:00

I have found that as I get older I am more prone to be attached

to certain not so important objects. Things that others may see

as trivial. The other day I searched the whole house over for

a spatula. Not just any spatula mind you..one I use for

everything. I even have mom using it. On my search I came

across many items that I thought I had lost. Some things

I was glad to see again. Scissors and clippers and placemats

and kitchen towels. I never thought to look outside the kitchen

for the spatula. WHY on earth would it be anyplace else?

So spatula was missing for at least 3 days. I began to fear it

it was thrown out. Heaven Forbid that happen. I loved it's

ease of use and the silicone rubber how it wouldn't burn. Just

when I gave up all hope of finding it. It resurfaced.. none the worse

for wear. Where was it you ask? Well it appears that mom had

used it for something in the BEDROOM of all things and left

it there. I asked her what she used it for and she could not

remember, but we both were happy to see it again.Thanks Sue..

I don't think you ever thought that I would use and get attached to

your gift so much.

HELL HOUSE ADVENTURES

2010-06-14T11:42:00.001-04:00

We have a very old house..over 125 years old..it creaks and snaps
and pops..is still hanging in there despite needing so many repairs.
Mom refuses to use drapes to keep out the cold etc..so we have shades.
She informed me that yesterday morning when she raised the shades
to our new neighbors..you know, the ones I spoke of moving in..
A MAN WAS STANDING ON THE PORCH PEEING ON THE PORCH!!!!
YES, you read that right. He was NOT peeing over the railing of
the porch..he was peeing ON the PORCH!!! EWWWW..
I was shocked..she was appalled and ready to call the cops!!
LOL I told her that there was nothing we could do but call
the landlady (who doesn't live here in town) and let her know what kind
of people she has living there. She doesn't care, I bet..as long as she
gets her money. YES they have a bathroom and YES it is working
no one else PEES on the porch. She said he left the doorway and just let it
fly and then went back in the house. Could he not find a cup or a
bucket inside the house??? I mean so many alternatives to doing
such a thing. I said to her..ARE YOU SURE?? She said YES..I know what
one looks like and I know when it is taking a leak!!! I said did you see
the PEE?..she said YES!! LOL By this time she was getting ticked at me for
questioning her. So I told her to call the landlady and inform her if
she wanted to..I didn't see it and I wasn't going to. If it happens
over and over again.I will but not for one incident.

That is not a good thing to see in the morning before your coffee and
breakfast I agree! Some people just blow my mind on why they
do the things they do. Quit trying to figure it out, I say, it will only
drive you crazy.

WELL HERE I AM....

2010-06-13T19:57:00.000-04:00

It was just sitting here doing nothing..
waiting for me..I thought maybe someday
I will need it for something.. why delete it?
So here I am joining in with so many others
who are leaving MSN Spaces for other venues.

WELCOME....
If you haven't visited me before let me tell you
what I my philosophy is ...
I firmly believe that you are where you are supposed
to be and are who you are supposed to be the minute
you were born. Part of GOD'S PLAN for us all...He doesn't
make mistakes so that is just that. I don't look back and
wonder,I instead look ahead and be grateful to be alive and
wonder what it yet to be.
AND SO IT GOES ON.. WAS BORN IN 2004 FROM A SAYING THAT WAS USED TO ME EVERY DAY WHEN I VISITED AN ELDERLY WOMAN I WORKED FOR.. WHEN I WOULD COME IN THE DOOR EACH DAY.. SHE WOULD SAY .. ” WELL…YOUR BACK!!.. AND SO IT GOES ON” I FOUND, OVER THE YEARS THAT IT DOES GO ON AND ON.. NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS.. THE WORLD WILL GO ON UNTIL THE END OF TIME…

This blog is about my thoughts and my attempts to write what things interest me and my daily life here on planet Earth. I hope it interests you in some way too. I believe that God knows what is going on at all times and ours is not to doubt it, because he makes no mistakes.

ABOUT THE PUBLISHER /AUTHOR.. I live in lower Michigan and I am an over 50, full time caregiver at the moment. I am caring for my elderly mother at home who is in the last stages of kidney failure. I enjoy writing fiction stories and have a written journal for over 35 years of my life. I love photography and making connections with others in the blogging world.

All thoughts on this blog are for informational purposes only. Also, the blog admin, is not responsible for any comments, advice, or any information others should post here. Materials written are BY ME.. the author unless otherwise noted. Crass or off color comments will be immediately deleted.

SEE THIS BLOG

2009-06-15T12:34:00.001-04:00

ALSO GO HERE TO SEE MY BLOG

http://caroldee.wordpress.com/

THANKS FOR VISITING!!!