I AM STILL ALIVE...WHAT IS GOING ON??

Yes indeed...I am still ALIVE.. I just lost my password to this blog and took a little time off to find it again. Like everything else ...LIFE kept on moving day to day and all of the sudden TWO MONTHS went by .. SCANDALOUS!!! NO way.. I kept saying to myself.. NO WAY... but YES it did. 

                                                    SUNSET IN LUDINGTON


So what's been going on?? Ohh not much..day to day grind doing what chores need to be done to get ready for winter. I finally got my air conditioner cover. Was a real job finding a real small one. Warm weather is still here so I will put off covering my  unit for awhile. Been watching critters around the property lately. Squirrels are gathering nuts off the walnut tree like crazy. Bad winter I guess, we will see.

Sad news that a neighbor of mine fell  twice in her apt. She is 86 and not too well.
Paramedics took her to the hospital and now she is in a rehab place. She has lived in this building for 25 years or more. Uncertain if she will return. 
                                       

                                                   Pumpkin patch

Good news that my niece is going to have her second child in the spring. We are all so surprised and excited. A part time job..two children under 6, 3 cats and a big german shepherd..I think my niece will need a vacation after the baby comes, I know I sure would.                

  

Well I sure will try to keep this blog updated, until then

                                                     TO YOU ALL

 

     

                                   

GRACE

There are really no words to describe the generosity of my friend ANITA.
In the past she has been beside me through thick and thin, bad and good times and started me on my way with a old desktop computer called RUPERT. Rupert was named after a man named RUPERT BONHAM. He was quite a guy and was a player on the game SURVIVOR.  RUPERT, the computer, was a survivor. He went through many changes and is how I learned computers and how to communicate through something called BLOGGING back over 10 years ago. I have had at least 5 computers of this kind and that since then. 

                                         

 In July I celebrated my entry into being a "senior citizen". Anita gifted me with a new laptop. I was overwhelmed with joy. I named it GRACE after her (the definition of her name is "full of grace".) Sounded great to me. 
WHY name it? Like cars and all my computers, I name them.. always have.
It become a part of your life so why not? 

So now I am learning all about the new WINDOWS 10 everyone is talking about. Something new almost every day. I cannot believe the speed and the ease of use. Big difference from Vista and Windows 7 for sure. It's a whole new world and it's full of GRACE...   

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY...

 I have been so bad at blogging lately. Where did all that enthusiasm go that I had for writing? I can hardly believe I entered every day of the week or  even several times a week. Shocking to me. I have spent less time on line and more time in the real world I guess. I have been struggling with tons of paperwork for Social Security. I don't know how it all works yet but I am learning. 
 I have had major laptop troubles but they will fade soon when I get a most wonderful present from my angel best friend soon. A NEW ONE! I cannot wait. I have no idea how I will deal with the speed of it. (Doing the happy dance!) ;-)


Here it is the FOURTH OF JULY!! Hope you all have some great weather and some fun things scheduled. My Sis came over and we went to our annual "CRUISE-IN".. Old cars gather in town and they compete for prizes and run up and down the streets. It is quite a sight. Of course..I took some photos.. until the battery died..Isn't that the way it goes?  These old cars looked so neat ridin' along.I love the 50's cars. The thunder from some engines added to the excitement. Folks lined the streets last night to watch them.

STUNNING T BIRD!!

It was followed after dark with lots of fireworks..It rained a little so they were not banned here in town. It will be a wonderful 4th here.. weather is great and lots of activities to see and do. 

               HOPE YOU ALL HAVE A SAFE AND HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY! 

     

SPRING? NO FOOLIN'

They said it was going to be an early spring.  The farmer's almanac, the groundhog, the woolly worm.. all wrong!!  We had 70 degrees and the birds and critters were happy and then.. it got rainy and then COLD.. really cold. We woke up to 29 degrees after a low of 17 and snow covering everything that had been bursting forth with buds and flowers. Nice for people with allergies, non existent right now. If we have a long hot summer then I am just fine with a colder spring. Bring it on..just not the snow. By the end of our week it will be back off the roller coaster and into warmer weather. Maybe this is the last blast.. (yeah I said that the last time.) It's weather in Michigan and it sure can change in a hurry. We have to deal with it. Next week they test the tornado sirens. Weird indeed..

At least 3 inches here overnight.

Yes, they put out the lawn chairs...

 

YES it  sure looks beautiful..

Yes they put out the hoses already and some planted flowers. 

 

 

 

THAT OLD HOUSE AGAIN...?

Good Grief...So shocking to see an article written about our OLD HOUSE in the 
local papers. WHY? 
That old home is now filled with a new family and a 2 year old who has a big problem
with levels of lead in her blood. Not from water, but from all the improvements they did 
with our old home. We had a family and raised 2 grandkids in that home and no one had high 
lead levels. The new owners, removed wall paper, sanded and painted the walls and removed
all the old windows (all 10) which had been painted shut. They spread the dust all over the
house. They cleaned the furnace and the pipes and the levels are better but not gone. The couple are now expecting their second child and have taken a second mortgage out to make more improvements. They cannot afford to move.

Our old living room..I like how they repainted it. Sorry there is so much trouble.

Her name is Alexsis.

 This is the backyard now.  The new owner says that lead is in the ground and grass will not grow
there. She failed to mention that they kept old cars and trash and a large dog back there. I will have to see it in document form to believe that the ground is that contaminated. The neighbors KNOW the real story.  They were not asked to give their comments about the situation. Lead is very much in the news in Michigan and I sure hope they find some kind of state help to solve their problem. Selling the old 
place will be really hard to do now that all this is public knowledge.  

(Sorry I tried to fix the font.. it won't enlarge.) 




 

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY

The month of February is sure going by fast.  The groundhog predicts spring will be here very soon. I saw the winter geese flying the other morning and saw a pair of doves a couple of weeks ago. The ground outside is green and what snow we had is gone for now. I have the door open and the temps will be in the 40's today. I would say that is about all I need to convince me. We may have one more storm coming in the future but it won't be a bad one. This week I made a batch of cookies to give away. I enjoyed making them but flashed back to the good times I had baking them for Mom and how she loved them. Has it truly been 5 years since she passed. SO much has happened since then.

I have to focus on the good things because all those days that she was sick are just too painful. I moved away from that town as soon as I could.  A fresh start sure did help. A change of scenery always improves your life. Sure is strange how the smell and the taste or sound of something can bring your memories flooding back. I miss mom every day but know she is with me all the time. Hope your Valentine's Day is a great one.. 

 

~~~HAPPY NEW YEAR 2016~~

I have written on this blog site since 2009. A lot of New Year's have passed since then. Some good and some very bad. Last winter was horrible it was so cold and snowy it seemed like it would take forever to get to spring. New Year's day signifies to me the day my dad passed away back in 1994. It also reminds me to be grateful for every year I am here on this old planet. 

 Putting the Christmas things away helps me know it is time to clean up the closets.This past week I have been re-organizing my tiny closet and getting rid of things that I no longer have any use for. I have such limited space now..why keep things you don't use? Makes sense to me..I'll do it again in Spring. Speaking of which..it's only 78 days until official Spring. I think it will come early this year, we can only hope.
Whatever your plans are for 2016, I do hope you have a happy, healthy,successful year. Thanks for visiting and reading my blog.

~~~MERRY CHRISTMAS~~

It's coming soon. SOON.. Hope you all have your plans set and shopping done. I have been baking with my 4 year old "helper". He had a really fun time and yes the more icing the better. He was really good about NOT eating the cookies after he iced them. I told him that the ELF on the shelf would report back to Santa that he was doing a great job. This is his first Christmas with the ELF and it seems he likes looking for him and being GOOD. Bless the person who thought this idea up it really helps. I had to reflect back when his mother was his age and decorated cookies at this same table. It was a tradition to visit Grandma's house and decorate cookies with her cousin every Christmas.       

Seeing a third generation following along made my heart happy. I know his Grandma in heaven was watching and smiling. In the years to come he will find that making them and giving them away will bring him a great feeling of joy. 

I hope this Christmas, that whatever gives you the greatest JOY and blessings find you and your family. 

 

 

WHAT'S GOING ON????

Looking at the courtyard.

 OH MY..what is going on..???

Heard in the hallway when a woman left a large dog inside an upstairs apt.
IT started BARKING at everything that moved. NO DOGS allowed in this building so it was bound to bring people out of their apartments and into the hall. Is it any surprise that the lady left it in the place ABOVE ME??? NO not to me.. it sounded like an elephant running around up there. THIS was NO little dog. I have put up with people keeping me up all night and loud children running up and down but nothing like this. So I called the manager and reported it. The lady came back almost 2 hours later and I was so relieved when she left with TWO LARGE LAB dogs, I think everyone else was too. 

In APT 101 an elderly woman named Margaret lives and she has been in it for at least 25 years! I was startled to hear this. I also was surprised to hear that the management has NEVER replaced the carpet or painted since she moved there. She does not smoke but keeps her apartment hot summer and winter. I learned from her to put some sort of rugs over the top of the areas that are the busiest pathways. I asked her if they wanted to clean the carpet for her and she said.."Oh honey, I cannot move all this furniture around..so NO they have ever cleaned it." I made a mental note to not let my place get so cluttered that the carpet could not be cleaned somehow. Margaret and Barbara were good friends. Barbara lived in my apt for over 20 years too. Barbara was in her late 80's when she got too ill to stay here. Her daughter moved her to a facility out of town and Margaret could not visit her. They said their goodbyes when she left this place and Margaret never saw Barbara again. Two months later Barbara died from pneumonia at the facility. I had been on a waiting list for years and finally I got the call I had been waiting for.  The day I got keys to my apartment was a hot hot July day and the smell of new paint and new carpet was overwhelming. I talked to the maintenance man Aaron and he told me that almost everything in my place had been replaced. The only thing that wasn't was the tub and the refrigerator. He told me that Barbara was an immaculate housekeeper in her day but the place really needed so much replaced. The carpets had not been cleaned in years, again, because she had so much furniture they could not clean it. 

So I had to wait to move into my place because the smells were so strong it made my Asthma go crazy. I moved some things into the apartment but  I  really moved into my apartment a whole month later.
More later.....

GRATEFUL THANKSGIVING

SITTING in my nice apartment I am so grateful this year that the ground is green and we have no ice or snow to deal with. We had 9 inches earlier in the week and it was 14 degrees one morning. This morning it is 55 and it is all melted. We had our preview of winter. I decided to put up my tree this week and enjoy looking at it. Gets me in the holiday spirit.                                        

Yesterday I prepared several dishes to carry to my Niece's home for dinner today. I am so grateful they moved to my town and we can visit and see each other more. I am so used to preparing dishes to pass for so many years that THIS year I can actually share them instead of eating them alone. She has a 4 year old and that is always fun being around kids for the holidays. Traditions come and go and since Mom passed in 2011 life has been all over the place for me. I am grateful this year we are all together and celebrating the holidays together again. I hope whatever you do and wherever you are this holiday you stay safe and enjoy the blessings of the holiday with family and friends. 

 

STAND BY PARIS...

Sitting at the computer and the news came on my Facebook page that Paris had been attacked. I turned on CNN and was saddened and horrified as to how easily these attackers destroyed lives all over the "City of Lights". It took me back immediately to the attacks on New York City. I remembered how we felt having some terrorists wreak havoc on our country that day. I am so glad that all the world is supporting France and praying for the victims and that we are UNITED in stopping those who want to do us harm. GOD BLESS FRANCE and GOD BLESS THE USA.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN..

Boy am I behind... time was long ago I would make many blog entries every week. Now I make one once a month. I still get out in the world but not very often. Depending on the bus now days to get me around is fine but sometimes not in the budget. I managed to get a few photos on my last trip out. The fall is slowing coming to a close here. Trees turned slow and mostly yellow. I did manage to find some color here and there though.These were taken at a local apple orchard near town. Never have I seen a person deliver gallons of cider on the back of a 4 wheeler though. This place had a whole little house where you could go and pick what apples you want. Kids love it..temperature controlled most of the time. Fresh donuts being made were mouth watering. Nothing like them in the fall. Here are some recent photos

Delivering Cider 

     

APPLE HOUSE

I ventured into our downtown and found it celebrating a scarecrow contest. I began to see a theme start. I am not sure what the one above was supposed to be.

This was the spa.

  

A nurse at the health dept.

On the bus for a country ride.

GOLD tree in the park.

                 HAPPY HALLOWEEN !

WHERE DID SUMMER GO??

Wow I have not updated here in months. I sure am slipping. Blog entry what is that?? I have to remind myself to even look at it when it used to be a daily routine. Life happens.. now I am more settled in my place and enjoying my freedom and have things to keep me busy. Things are still green pretty much here but I expect them to start turning very soon. I am keeping an eye out for the woolly worm to see what he predicts for our winter this year. Last year he was 100% correct for my area anyway.Here are some photos I have taken over the summer..odds and ends.The sky was so orange when a local fire hit. Reminded me of how bad it was in Ca. where fires were eating up so much of their land.Sure was an eerie sight. I took this at a local Walmart made entirely out of their stock. It was very creative and boy it screamed  F A L L !

Haven't been able to get around a whole lot because of the heat this summer. I wait for the cooler days. It is so much easier to breathe.

It was a summer of firsts for my niece's boy Theo.. he had his first real birthday party and his first trip to the local county fair.

Watching him grow up reminds me how short life is and we must enjoy every minute of it.

HAVE A GREAT SEPTEMBER...

THAT OLD HOUSE...

HAD to update here on the progress for our old house. MY my..seems the neighbors that lived around there were pretty sore about looking at it.

  The new owner had really let the place be trashy and unkempt and it needed help badly.They started painting it and the color was well .. not great...It proved to be a real pain to finish the job. When the spring and summer arrived things changed. They picked up the yard and removed the trash and PAINTED THE HOUSE.They hired someone to paint it.. It was a big deal because this old house NEVER had a COLOR before. It's probably 140 years old now and was ALWAYS white. Now it is fresh and clean and looks like this..

There is still plenty to finish up but this latest photo is so very nice to see. I am very happy for the old place to look good again. I love the color and it is such an improvement. AS FOR HELL HOUSE next door.. it is still standing and up for public auction and everyone is wondering if they will get any buyers for it. As a refresher.. Hell House was a home that had three or four apartments and left for the critters to inhabit. It had seen drug dealers and numerous arrests and fights and police visits in its past. The whole neighborhood would rather it be razed to the ground than bought and fixed up. It was gutted after the last tenant left the water connected in the winter and the whole place flooded and then black mold grew inside. It is nasty. Just glad our OLD HOUSE...looks good again.. Mom and Dad surely would approve!

WHEN DID THIS HAPPEN????

When in the world did this happen?? I am asking myself.. when did you get to be "that old woman"?

I overheard some gals talking in the store and they were talking about some old woman. I looked around and saw no one there but me. Well darn, when did this happen? I don't feel that old inside. My gray hair and age showing now, I guess it was bound to happen some day but I am not ready.

 I well remember when a young carry out boy at the grocery store called me "Ma'am" the first time. I was crushed. I was in my late twenties.I guess every age has it's limit.  People live to be 90 and 100 now and that to me is old. Some people look their age and some people don't. It might be time to reconsider coloring my hair and changing my wardrobe. It won't change my age but it might help some. I was reminded lately that I was the OLDEST person at a relatives birthday party. What?? Yes, I looked around and I was.. I was the one complaining about the heat outside and what I could eat and what I could not. Typical talk of one who is older than anyone else there. 

Where did the time go? I think about all the years and all my adventures and the wisdom I have acquired along the way I feel pretty good about it. Getting older is going to happen sooner or later to everyone. My time is now I guess. Time to accept it and move on with life. Watch your health, get better in shape, eat right and be happy with each day you rise up and enjoy another day.

                            JUST HAVE FUN BEING THE YOUNG PERSON...

RANTS WORKED...

Well after my last blog rant here, it seemed to have worked. I contacted the manager who contacted the window company. YES... she called and said she lit a "FIRE" under them because I had been waiting so long. {It did not help that I have been through two managers and so I think the ball got dropped and or lost regarding the window.} So Friday he came and it only took him 20 minutes TOP to replace that window. GOOD!!

While he was replacing it I scraped the old duct tape off the other window and cleaned it up. I picked up my cell and called the office about having my air conditioner put in the window ASAP because the weekend was coming up. I sure did not want to put the AC back in and make a mess of it. So the maintenance man came and WHAM in about 45 minutes...

You have no idea how happy I was to finally get it installed correctly. It had been leaking with all the rain we have been having. No more complaining. Wish I could keep it in the window all year round.. NOPE.. not even with a cover. NEW policy.. they all have to be REMOVED in the fall when the heat is turned on.They pay for heat so I am happy to oblige them. So I hope I can take it out myself..if not I will put my name on a list and hope the guy can come back and take it out.Sliding windows sure are a pain. This AC had to be silicone sealed with plexiglass, so it is not an easy removal. Ordeal over with.. FINALLY.. WHEW what a relief.