You Named Me After Who?

Un-Friend

2012-01-19T06:59:00.002-05:00

I have a social network account that I use to play several games, post silly little things, comment on things my friends post and read interesting articles. I think I have under 100 friends. I did not acquire 500 friends to play certain games because I didn't want to received feeds from people I just didn't know. As it is right now I only have feeds to maybe 1/4 of the people on my friends list.
This morning I checked my account and was a little miffed to see several posts from a friend of mine that were quite nasty. They were in reference to the on-going recall happenings. There were also a few comments from others telling him to chill and this wasn't the right place to post his slandering.
I've known this guy since I was 17. He is a hot head who will argue just to argue. He can be dead wrong but will go as far as to become physical in his arguments. He has an alcohol and drug problem as well. Been in rehab several times. Been robbed, been in jail, been in accidents-one that almost killed him and is not claiming to be clean. He lost two brothers to alcohol and has another brother that has been in and out of rehab several times as well. He has lost many friends due to his drinking.
The man had a home repair business that he used as a front. He has not held a regular job since he was 21. Has not filed a tax return since then either. For years he claimed to be self employed but never claimed enough to pay taxes. He is now considered legally blind due to having some issues from birth. He's had several surgeries in the past two years and has now regained 60% of his eyesight.
Thomas hates Walker. His main reason-he feels he is going to lose his benefits. Now, I know some people cannot help the issues dealt them and need assistance to live. There are programs in place for that. However, my issue with him is simply-what have you done for the past 30 or so years that you feel you are owed so much. The county has paid for several rehab stays for you, paid for your surgeries, and now pays you monthly which you supplement with drug sales.
He claims to be clean, except for what he calls medicinal pot. Knowing him he is justifying this is needed for his eyesight issues. Don't get me wrong because he does have some very good qualities. I sat and stared at his posts this morning and considered commenting. Then it hit me-he only rants like this when he has fallen off his wagon. I am willing to bet he has once again slipped back. Once again his friends will try to help him, ones closer to him will suffer his verbal abuse, something bad will happen and he'll check in again. Once again it will be someone else's fault that he failed again. This time it sounds like it's Walkers fault. So instead of commenting I clicked the "unfriend" button.

Borrowing

2012-01-17T06:37:00.002-05:00

I detest borrowing things from people, whether it be a dime or a piece of equipment, I have nothing against people who do, I just feel that if the borrowed item is in my possession and it is damaged then it is my responsibility to repair or replace it. Then I may as well purchased what I needed in the first place.
The other day the girls wanted to bake some cupcakes. No problem, so I thought. I went to get the cupcake tins only to find that I now own 1-6 cup tin. After some searching and jogging of my memory I remembered borrowing 2 tins to my sister probably 4 or more months ago. She had to bake a load of cupcakes and only had two tins. So I borrowed them to her. Yesterday I purchased a tin because I am considering the borrowed ones lost forever, along with several DVD's I borrowed her and some other baking items. She is horrible about returning things.
I have a friend that has borrowed from me many times. First off being a tent that was returned with a hole in the floor and a ripped zipper. When mentioned-her and her husband apologized but didn't offer fixing it. She has borrowed numerous items that we've had to go pick up when we've needed them for our own use. This is wrong. When you borrow something, you use it and then your top priority should be to return it in the condition you received it. Take for instance the rug cleaner-I am not going to provide you with the soap as well. You purchase your own soap, clean the unit and return it to me.
I don't know how many oil change wrenches my husband has purchased through out the years due to them not being returned.
There are those I do not mind borrowing to at all. The ones that appreciate the gesture and return things immediately after using it. The ones that will throw in a jug of soup with the return. The ones that I don't have to wonder what happened to my stuff. Maybe a sign out sheet is in order.
My "borrowing" friend loaned me a book a few weeks ago. I am horrible with books and often will return them without reading them because I feel I had them past the alloted time. I asked her about some exercise videos I had borrowed her a few months back. The reply was "yeah I still use them". Well, I would like to use my videos as well. I mentioned returning them as I'd like to use them and got "well let me see if my daughter can copy them for me and then you can have them back". What the hell is that? No, see you return them to me, go to the store like I did and purchase them. About a month ago she returned a dress she had borrowed from me over two years ago. She chuckled when I looked shocked and said she almost took it to the resale shop and had she known I forgot about it she would have.
As I'm typing this I'm trying to think of anything that I would have borrowed and not returned. I can only think of two books.

A Gift

2011-12-22T07:08:00.002-05:00

Yesterday was a day of good news. First off my brother in law who had brain surgery four years ago had to have a surgery to adjust his shunt. It was supposed to be a simple surgery but turned out he needed a valve replaced. He did remarkably well and was released after one day. Keeping our fingers crossed that there will be no after effects of this.
On Monday my mother in law had a CT scan to see how effective the chemo was. We didn't expect the results until the 30th-however the coordinator called yesterday to let her know that there were no signs of cancer. Back in August there was an agreement to stop the chemo after the 3rd round of treatment as her blood pressure couldn't be kept under control and she had been in the hospital several times from the effects of the chemo. This was great news. When I spoke with her last night she was still in awe over the results. She is not out of the woods yet as she is still dealing with effects of the stroke she suffered and the blood pressure can still be tweaked a little, but at least now the doom of the cancer has been lifted. As with any cancer victim I'm sure this could just be remission, but for now I guess we'll take whats been dealt. I know my mother in law very well and I'm sure after Christmas she will begin to worry about when its coming back. I suggested she take this gift she has been given a make good use of it. At any rate hopefully we will see some improvement in her attitude toward life.

Mystery Solved

2011-12-15T06:53:00.002-05:00

I have a thing about dirty laundry. Not the gossip kind. The kind that piles up in the clothes basket by the washer. I cannot stand going to a laundry mat and feel I have paid my dues in that area. Several times throughout my laundry career I have encountered the broken down washing machine. Usually there is some type of warning that it is not functioning properly.
For the past week or so I noticed that after spinning the clothes were not completely spun out. I mentioned it to my husband and then thought it may be overloaded (working on teaching those girls how to properly load the unit). Last night I went down and threw a load in. I returned 47 minutes later (yes I have it timed) to find the lights out in the area. Went to box and flipped the circuit down. I hear a moaning noise coming from the washer, and the breaker tripped again. I tried hard not to panic when looking at the several loads left to do. I lifted the lid and found the washer 1/2 full of water. Summoned my husband as every time I would flip the breaker back it would trip.
I decided to head back upstairs and wait it out. I've learned that standing over him will just annoy him. He does his best work when not being heckled. After a few minutes I was called to the basement to assist in tipping the washer forward. He announced that there may be something stuck in the pump. Whew! We had that issue a while back as well. My work was done and I headed back upstairs. My first thoughts were "Sure, get a Christmas bonus and possibly have to by a washer". A few minutes later he came upstairs with a very torn up sock. The culprit! The washer was now running smoothly. Is this where all the socks go? Bet they're stuck around the inner rim just waiting to work their way into the small drain tube in the pump.

Had an update on the deadbeat dad last night. Seems he lost the house he was renting. Messaged my daughter to ask what size clothes the baby wore. A baby he has never set eyes on-but has seen one picture to date. He has moved in with his mother and has had the past 3 weeks off to empty out his house and has not done so yet. We wondered if he maybe spent 3 weeks in rehab. Is he going to drop off gifts signed "Love Daddy"? Bitter? Yes, just a tad, but if he is truly making an effort to straighten himself out and can stay clean for the sake of his other two children then I will give him some credit. Addiction is a horrible thing and I know we all have a vice somewhere but I think help should have been sought out sooner. Prior to the birth of the baby my daughter was concerned for his other two children and had contacted his ex to voice her concerns. She was blown off and accused of being a trouble maker. About three weeks ago the ex contacted my daughter voicing her concerns about him using and letting her know that she was not allowing the kids to visit unless he sought help. So now the scenario is-lost house-lost kids-no money and close to losing your job. Maybe rock bottom has hit. I can only hope that his next road is on the way up.

My Christmas Letter

2011-12-14T08:25:00.003-05:00

Every year we receive several Christmas letters from distant family members and friends. About 95% of these letters are well written and personal and I enjoy reading them. There is one in particular that I don't even want to open any longer. My husband has a cousin who writes a letter beaming of all her daughters accomplishments. She never mentions the son except to say "Dewey is well". The only mention of her husband is "Chris and I are very proud of Emma (daughter). She speaks mainly of herself and her daughter. Maybe Chris and Dewey opted out?

Receiving the letters makes me wonder of what I would compose in a Christmas letter. I could come up with one mentioning the baby, our camping trips, feeling thankful for our good health and jobs..Then last night I started thinking of writing a very realistic letter reflecting on the past year:

Dear Friends and Family

Packers won the Super Bowl. Ken and Janet threw a great party. Ken got drunk and ripped his jean shirt. Arnie in Ninja form tried to tell Ken some story but Ken was intent on how to explain to his wife that he blew candle wax all over her wall.
Daughter announced her pregnancy. Baby due in September. Says all is going well in her relationship. Girls don't seem happy. I sense something is amiss. Around May
Mother in law diagnosed with ovarian and uterine cancer. Has surgery and does well. Starts Chemo and ends up in the hospital several times with blood pressure issues due to the chemo. Chemo stops-mother in law comes home after rehab for a stroke and does good for a few weeks. Family members decide she is good at home and daughter downstairs can provide care she needs. From the amount of phone calls we are receiving I say she will either be in Assisted Living soon or have in home care.
Get the call in May about daughter moving. We insist she come to our home-figured it was easier than paying her rent when deadbeat dad wouldn't come through. Once the move was made the deadbeat father refused any help until DNA testing.
Made a few camping trips this year. Missed a few due to mother in law in hospital. Watched Dylan play baseball and end up with an excellent season. Football was not so great but still fun to watch.
One of our camping trips was cut short as baby Jake decided to arrive a bit early. Birth went well. He's been a joy but can't seem to get on a schedule yet. He's got a little Thompson in him with his smile after a big poop or crying jag. Just eats at your heart.
Son has been steadily working and has been with his current girlfriend for over a year now. He seems very happy-as I write this I am looking for a piece of wood to knock on.
Arnie is still employed and has been very busy at work kissing some butt. No, seriously-he has been a huge part of the change in ownership and has been busy with moving stores, changing packaging and whatever else makes him so crabby at work.
We bought a shed to store all my daughters belongings-cheaper than paying for storage. I think there is another intent for the shed once she is out. I though about setting up house in there. Nice size-looks homey from the outside.
I am still getting up at the crack of pre-dawn for work. Sometimes my alarm wakes me up-other times I hear the beginning "I'm hungry" cries from Jake.
Deadbeat dad has still not seen his child. It appears his want for drugs has outweighed the gift of a child. Attorney working on revoking any custody rights and I'm convinced he'll sign anything not to pay child support. Guess Jake is better off with that scene for now.
Our house is crowded-trips have been made to the dump and Goodwill to purge out items no longer necessary or that there is no room for.
Mom and Dad are still doing well in Arizona. They came for a visit this summer and were able to spend time with the family. We're still trying to figure out how to convince her to move back. My father wants to be with his kids and grandchildren. Just can't quite figure her out.
Along with the daughter and two girls came Bella the dog and Lilo the cat. The two cats and two dogs seem to get along well. I sometimes feel like Dr. Doolittle in my home-especially at feeding time. I've become used to stepping over two dogs that seem to think that it is a game to seem just how much they can get in the way. Bella keeps our dog Sadie young.
We finally bought an over the range microwave and got rid of the 27 year old one. I miss it! Got a new fridge when ours blew out while camping. Got another new fridge because the first new one we got was to small.
And hell froze over! Our garage is clean! Clean enough for Arnie to park his truck in the garage. The garage door which hasn't worked in years is fixed. I have fear though-I don't know where all the junk that was in the garage went. I'm afraid to open the storage room in the basement.
As I look back I realize that even with all this chaos I feel blessed. At times it seems like everything is getting out of control but we manage to work through it.

From

The Noisey, Bursting at the seams, Crowded but mostly fun Home.

3 Years

2011-12-06T10:17:00.002-05:00

I have been blessed with some great friends in my life. Each one of them special in their own way. To lose a friend over an argument or drift apart is one thing. To lose a friend that you have no control over ever getting back is another. A friend that you truly miss every day. One that you could talk to about anything and would always respect your views and listen rather than preach their own views to you. I miss my friend.
Sadly he was taken away from us three years ago today. There is still a lot of sadness yet I can smile when I think of something funny he said or did. He could always make me laugh just hearing his hearty chuckle. I miss the Packer games we watched together (he was my go to guy when I didn't understand a play). I miss the camping fun "I'm going to eat that little runt for breakfast". I just plain miss hanging out with him. What a fun guy he was. If his purpose in life was to make others see what a true friend is all about then I am at peace knowing he fulfilled his duty. Rest in Peace always Randy. :(

27

2011-11-30T07:10:00.002-05:00

Seven months prior to this day 27 years ago Arnie proposed to me at the Packing House. Or I should say, attempted to propose to me. We were having a quiet dinner and I saw him reach in his suit jacket (yes he wore a suit) pocket and pull out a ring box. Then I noticed the waitress & hostess heading toward our table. He had a plan. I do not like being in a spotlight, so I very softly said "Don't do this here". He never took the ring out and we finished our dinner and left. He drove across the street to the airplane viewing area and then proposed. I felt a little bad for ruining his plan, but figured if he knew me well enough he would have realized that I am not comfortable in public displays. I'm relieved that there has never been anything plastered on a billboard, displayed on the jumbo tron at a sports event, an ad taken out in newspaper or that we've had to drive like crazy to see the banner being pulled behind an airplane. It's a great gesture to someone who is comfortable in those situations-just not for me.
At the proposal time there was no date set. Just a promise that we would marry. We ended up beginning to plan our wedding in October and pulled everything together by the end of November. When I look back I wonder what we were thinking. The week after Thanksgiving and right before Christmas? His busiest season at work.
Waking up on the morning of our wedding I felt like there were a million things we forgot to do. I never felt dread though. The morning of my first wedding I woke up feeling dread. Worried that I was doing the wrong thing. I remember I cried because I didn't want to go through with it. I felt horrible at the thought of my parents losing out of money for deposits and such. Looking back I think they probably would have been relieved.
There are several things that stick out in my head about our wedding day. He stayed at his brothers house the night before. He called me in the morning to tell me how grossed out he was as they had a portable shower in their basement. He said he had the creeps the entire time he was showering. He forgot his tie but luckily his brother had the same one. I forgot to buy nylons and had to make a trip to the store. We were married in the Courthouse on a Friday early afternoon. My sister in law had stayed with me and was to drive herself, I and our daughters there. Her car wouldn't start. Arnie had my car. Nice guy downstairs gave her a jump. My dad was working at the Police Administration at the time and came to the ceremony in his Police uniform, gun and all, and stood right behind my husband. Beside the goof up in what to do between the wedding and dinner (5 hours) the rest of the day went off without to much confusion. My cake was delivered to the wrong place, but was worked out before it was needed.
The next glitch was after the wedding when I had never made plans for what to do with my kids. Thanks Mom & Dad for thinking of that one. We got to the hotel to find out that the suite he booked was double booked. Didn't really want to share a room with another couple so we took the "free" room they offered for their error and the gift certificate for a future date.
So today marks 27 years of wedded bliss. There have been the usual ups and downs of married life, but still to this day I feel no dread and know I did the right thing. Married a man who has been a good friend, a great father and role model for the kids and has never flown a banner over our house or plastered a note of his love for me on a billboard. For that I am thankful.

Thankful

2011-11-23T14:31:00.002-05:00

As I look back on the past year I find once again that I have plenty to be thankful for every day. This day brings the opportunity to step back and really appreciate the little things in life we take for granted.

I'm thankful for the gift of life and for God granting me the parents he did.
I'm thankful for a happy childhood provided by my parents.
I'm thankful for them working hard to provide for their family and urging us to always do the best we could.
I'm thankful they never berated us-but instead instilled good morals and confidence in us.
I'm thankful they didn't take my back talk serious-but instead chalked it up to the teenage years.
I'm thankful for the sperm donor (that's all I got) who along with me gave the gift of life to my children.
I'm thankful for the memories I have of them growing up.
I'm thankful they still keep me busy.
I'm thankful I was able to (with help at times) provide them with a good and safe home.
I'm thankful for my fathers nudge and pep talks about life.
I'm forever thankful for their help when things were low.
I'm thankful for my husband of 27 years. He gets on my nerves at times but I thank God every night for bringing him in to my life.
I'm thankful my husband has been an excellent role model for my children and has raised them as his own.
I'm thankful for 4 beautiful Grandchildren. Each one, in their own little ways have brought joy to my life.
I'm thankful for the smiles, the tears, the long talks, ball games, silliness at Grandmas house, the stories, the tons of laughter, the pictures that hang on my fridge, the cards they make me, and the excitement on their faces when they have a story.
I am thankful that we both get up in the morning and have jobs to go to, a roof over our heads and no creditors banging down our doors.
I'm thankful my mother in law is feisty and strong enough to still be here with us, and for the funny stories she's told me on our long visits.
I'm thankful for my friends. Each and every one of them have brought joy to my life in some way. Every single one of them is special to me.
I'm thankful for my siblings and fortunate enough to share many memories-happy or sad with them. I couldn't have asked for better sibs.
I'm thankful for the memories of have of David. I'm certain that 3 years later not a day goes by that I don't think of him in some way.
I'm thankful for our health and that I still wake up every morning.
I'm thankful that my older brother married the best friend I could ask for and along with her came her wonderful family as well. Really, really thankful.

Oh and the list could go on and on-In general I am a very thankful person for the gift of life.

Grounded

2011-11-17T07:46:00.004-05:00

It's sometimes difficult as a parent to discipline your children and hold to the punishment. I know as a child I thought I had it all figured out on how to drive my parents nuts enough to let me out of a grounding. My dad was a tad bit more stubborn then I, so I tried a different approach. "Never let them see you sweat". I acted like I really didn't care. Sat in my room with a book near by that I could pick up when ever they came to check on me. I wasn't a bad teenager, I just always wanted to have the final say.
As I became a parent I tried to talk sense in to my children. If you lie you will get caught, if you mouth off you will be punished, if you steal anything that doesn't belong to you prepare to sit for a long time, if you come home with bad grades you will spend a lot of time at studying. They were pretty good kids, but there were some groundings along the way. My son would go downstairs and blast his rap music thinking he would drive us crazy and we'd let him out. Fuse boxes are a wonderful thing. I can only think of one time my daughter was grounded, and for good cause. She didn't seem to care (just like me)
As a grandparent it is sometimes difficult to see your grandchildren punished. My parents thought I was to hard on my kids (they softened in their elevated age). In fact if I would yell at my kids in front of my mother she would shush me and give them a cookie or something. She referred to it as their safe haven.
Well, now that we have these 13 going on 18 year old girls living in our home I am getting caught up in the Grandma thing-but still have the instincts of a parent. I was wondering how long it was going to take their father and my daughter to get together and put the brakes on. They were busted out over the weekend for lying and using the old "Mom said it was okay" to their father and vice verse to their mother. But not wise enough to think the parents would talk to each other. This prompted their father to head to the mall and find his girls and take them home. Grounded from phone, computer, sleep overs,facebook, friends and if he had it his way he would be at school during their lunch hour.
This all happened on Sunday. On Monday I picked them up from school and the two girls who usually are constantly on their phones from the time they get in the car were silent. I was supposed to play dumb (daughters request) and asked how their weekend was. Already knowing the entire story I was impressed to hear them both describe in detail the events leading to the grounding. They did not look for sympathy, nor did I offer. I made a comment that if you have to lie about something then you know it is wrong, and you will always get caught. They both nodded and I mentioned that probably all they were taking in from me at the moment was "blah, blah, blah". I was also impressed by the comment "Yeah, we have a lot to learn. We thought we were pretty smart".
I will say, their room is clean, their laundry is done and I think I actually saw one of them with a book. This act will not get by me, and hopefully not their parents.

Never on a Sunday

2011-11-14T08:02:00.003-05:00

I made a huge mistake yesterday. I grocery shopped on a Sunday. Knowing that I'd be going I planned to be up and out of the house before 9. Due to my husband working on my truck I was somewhat delayed until after 11. No problem-I figured the hot ham & free rolls people would be between the first and second wave. I needed some things from the deli and while I was standing there waiting for my number to be called I thought of an idea for the hot ham and rolls. Make a separate section. There were so many people who were in line for just that item. They weren't ordering other lunch meats or salads. Maybe dedicate one deli employee to dish out the hot ham. Then if they want something else from the deli make them go wait in line with the other customers who are held up because of the hot hammers.
They also need to reorganize the store entry. Upon entering the store you are right in the produce section. People grab a cart and then stop and sort through their shopping list and coupons, blocking the way for other customers.
As I shopped I found them to be out of several items I had coupons for. When I asked an employee if these items were available I was told "Probably have some in the back but we're short handed and no one has time to restock". I thought that is what the third shift stockers do? After continuing to shop I noticed a lot of semi-empty shelves and wondered if my local PnS was having some issues. The only near competition they have is Walmart. I've grocery shopped at Walmart and find nothing cheap or special about their grocery department.
The plus side of the trip was saving over $52.00 using coupons. Had I made it there on Saturday it could have been an additional $10.00 with the coupon doubling. I shall try to use my noggin next week and have this task done prior to Sunday morning.
I've stupidly shopped on Sunday mornings in the past and found no difference yesterday due to there not being a Packer game. I think it's the hot ham and Sunday paper coupons that sends everyone out in droves.

Always Next Year

2011-10-18T06:37:00.003-04:00

I had to opportunity to attend Sunday's Brewer game against St. Louis. Unfortunately the Brewers lost bringing our baseball season to an end. That happened to be the only negative of the event. J had been able to secure some tickets which I am very grateful for.
We left for the game about 45 minutes before the parking lot was to open. As we were heading toward Miller Park we were a little taken back by the lack of traffic. There was no line until we were already in the park area and there were about 15 cars ahead of us. Managed to park in the 4Th row toward the end. Best parking I've ever had. The atmosphere was great, fellow fans were friendly and the weather was accommodating (except when the sun disappeared behind the clouds). We even scored on some free hot dogs being passed out for our grilling pleasure.
We went in to the stadium about 1/2 hour before game time and there wasn't much of a line. Then we did the climb to the top row in the park. Good view of the entire field and the scoreboard.
The "surprise" guest ended up to be Sully to throw out the first ball. I thought it was a pretty good move to honor Prince in what could be his last stand as a Brewer at Miller Park.
Being at any game at Miller Park is special but viewing the sea of white towels waving in the air was beyond belief. The fans were ready for a game and still had faith after a few bad innings. Up until the 7th inning you could still sense the glimmer of hope. In the 7th J and I noticed a lot of people leaving. We discussed how bad those people would feel if there were a rally. We decided to stay until the very end. In the back of my head I kept thinking about the 3 or so hours of sleep I was going to get, but this being one of those "once in a life time" experiences I saw no problem with staying.
By the eighth inning we began to notice the St. Louis fans making their way to the seats behind their dugout. I assume Brewer fans were giving up their seats for them. By the ninth inning about 80% of the section behind the dugout was taken over by St. Louis. At first I felt a ping of anger, but then after logically thinking I thought "how exciting for them". At the final out and loss Brewer fans still cheered on their team as St. Louis began to celebrate. Guess it would have been better for them to win the game at home, but there seemed to be quite a few fans to cheer them on.
I thank the Brewers for a good season and the excitement experienced in their run for the World Series, for the guys on the team that make it special and for the fellow fans who appreciate the game and back their team no matter what. There's always next year (as I heard the father tell his visibly upset youngster).

The Little Things

2011-10-05T07:50:00.002-04:00

Some of those who read this will find an appreciation-some won"t.
Since my last post my mother-in-law has improved somewhat. She has been told by her chemo doctor that he will no longer give or recommend any treatment. Some family members do not seem to have an issue with his decision. The main reason for stopping was her blood pressure. I find it hard to believe that in this day and age doctors cannot work together to find a happy medium for her. As it stands right now another scan will be done in December to see how far her cancer has progressed. What they will do with those results are unknown at this time.

Our grandson decided to arrive a few weeks early. Guess he was as anxious as the rest of us were. He's been a pretty good baby so far. Some tummy issues and he is known to pass gas like a man already. I've always loved to observe the discovery points in a baby's life. He knows certain voices and will turn his head when his mom or I speak. The little guy is awake and very alert for several hours at a time now. Unfortunately he has his days and nights a little mixed up. The true smiles are starting to appear. The kind that make your heart melt. I had a slightly crummy day at work yesterday and when I arrived home he was awake and very alert. I hijacked him from his mother and went to sit down in the living room for a bit. Did the usual soft talking and noticed him reaching his hand up to my face. After several attempts and a little help he succeeded. He then grasped my finger and gave a huge smile. I knew it was a real smile verses an uncontrolled smile. Saw the dimples and just about melted. His other discovery over the past few days have been his hands. He will contently lay on his side and stare as he's moving his hands around. You know he's thinking that there is a use for them.
I don't know how anyone in their right mind could not be amazed watching a baby grow to discover the world around them.

Hang On There

2011-08-31T08:28:00.002-04:00

I think our lives may return to some normalcy. As I type this I'm desperately looking for a piece of wood to knock on. Doris is improving each day and although not completely out of the woods yet-she has a positive attitude and a goal of returning to her own home soon. Today she will be moved to the rehab floor of the hospital verses moving to a rehab center. We met the team that will be working with her and feel at ease with them.
My concerns are for when she is released from rehab and ready to go home and then wants to start her Chemo again. She was pretty weak from her surgery when she started her first round of chemo and we all thought it was to soon. Her cardiac and primary physicians are both saying no more. This will be a tough choice for her to make given that she'll be told the blood pressure issues could do her in. There hasn't been a time frame set on how long it will be until the cancer takes her. At last CT scan a month ago the tumor had not grown. The family has talked about it and each voiced their opinions. No one wants to see her in any pain. No one wants her to suffer any further damage due to blood pressure issues. This isn't our decision to make. She currently cannot recall what lead to the incident that brought her to the hospital-nor nine days of being in ICU. I guess that in itself should raise a flag to her.
I've been waiting for the worrying Doris to show up and found out yesterday that her doctor does have her on a low dose of anti-anxiety medication. She's pretty determined to get herself up and going. A direct quote "I am sick of my self pity party."
We have one more camping trip planned. As selfish as it sounds, I would like to go. We need to go. If I have to I will get one more trip in this season. It could mean the my husband and I may be braving some cold and snow-but we will go at least once more this year.

You Go Doris!

2011-08-30T06:58:00.002-04:00

Went to visit Doris yesterday and saw some improvement. I walked in on her speaking to a Rehab nurse and was able to answer some questions regarding her recent experiences as she had no recollection of the events leading up to her incident. A few days back a Social Worker had asked several questions in regards to how well she could take care of herself-laundry, cooking, cleaning and personal care. She had the answer to the personal care right but I knew she was still a little foggy in answering the rest of the questions. Yesterday the answers more realistic.
It looks as if she may be able to fulfill her rehab needs right in the hospital verses going to a center. We'll have that answer today. For the most part-she's a little weak, her eyesight is not so good and she has some coordination issues. The doctor isn't sure how much of her eyesight she'll regain. (mind you she told me that she could see my pretty brown eyes. I teared up a little at that one).
She was very positive about a rehab program and went on to blame herself for her recent incident. She said she hadn't done anything for herself and felt she sat in her chair and wallowed in self pity. I explained to her that she had been through a lot in a few months and her body and mind took a beating. I saw a little bit of the woman I knew prior to all her health issues. I dreaded the question I knew she would eventually ask. "when can I start my chemo again". It came and I looked at my husband to step up and answer. "Mom, you have to get your body back to being able to handle any more chemo and then your doctor will talk to you". I felt that was about as good as an answer he could have given her. Problem is-her doctor has told us that the chances of her having any more chemo are slim to none. She's proved people wrong before so we'll see if she can do it again.
Doris is really pushing for her grandson to be born. I'm excited as well but am hoping he hangs on until the Sept. 22nd date. I really want to make the next camping trip. I think my husband and I both need a weekend of relaxation, fresh air and some time with our friends. They are the best remedy for troubled minds.

Two Wishes

2011-08-29T11:11:00.003-04:00

Doris was moved out of ICU Saturday night. She is out of danger as far as her blood pressure is concerned. There has been remarkable improvement over the past few days. Saturday morning she was alert and very passive. Her eyesight was blurry and her hand eye coordination was a bit shaky. She required assistance with eating.
Yesterday morning we arrived as her doctor was checking her over. There is talk of her needing oxygen at night to keep her levels up. This is something that had been discussed as she was usually tired and weak.
There was a difference in her. We saw the mom that had been missing for a while. She was happy and somewhat worry free. She inquired about her bills being paid, told me where things pertaining to bill payment was and remembered some banking that she had done a few days before her incident. She did not remember what happened to bring her to the hospital, but did remember feeling tired and weak the day or two before.
It was after a few minutes that she asked about the chemo and whether or not she would be able to finish it. The three of us in the room fell silent for a moment. "Well, at this point in time it's on hold. We're going to have to see what your doctor thinks. First of all we need to work on getting you stronger and in to rehab". She seemed content with this answer for a moment and then turned to me and said "I have two wishes. One is to see my grandson be born and the second is to visit my grand daughter's new home(just bought a 100 year old house in upstate New York)". Had to clear my throat a little and told her I would do my best to make sure both those things would happen.
She is on 3 types of blood pressure medication and her bp is good. This is the only medication she is on right now. Gone are all the other things she was taking, but also gone is the shoulder pain and wrist pain from her arthritis. Gone is the constant worrying. She asked about things with an air of confidence around her that I hadn't seen in a long time.
Here's the weird thing...When I was sitting with her in ICU she was holding my hand very tight. This was on the day they claim she had the stroke. She had woken up and was staring straight ahead and had a tight grip on my hand. She said to me "do you feel that? Someone is pulling us". I had told her I didn't feel anything. She told me not to let go of her because she didn't want to go so I stayed right there. A little bit later she relaxed her grip and fell back asleep. Yesterday she told me she had a weird dream that her and I were in a storm and being pulled out of her house and I held on to her to keep her from being sucked away. Gave me the willies for a minute. Maybe I read to many books, but I believe they weren't quite ready for her yet.

Bad Turn

2011-08-25T06:31:00.003-04:00

Things with Doris took a turn yesterday. It's been confirmed that she suffered a stroke on Tuesday with not so good results. Two of her doctors are working closely to get her blood pressure under control. Main issue is not having her kidneys shut down. Her tired body seems to want to reject any medication to lower her blood pressure. It will stabilize for a bit and slowly creep back up. The neurologist ordered an additional test which could show some reasoning. He's looking for possible bleeding on the brain. We won't have results from this test until later today. He wants to move her to the NICU unit but she has to be out of the clear for any kidney and blood pressure issues first.
The news was broke yesterday that when she recovers she will be in rehab for quite a while depending on what she may regain after the swelling on her brain goes down. At first the swelling was being attributed to her chemo. Not so much any more as the chemo should be out of her body now. They see no further chemo in the future. Her cancer was at stage 3 prior to her surgery. Their is still a tumor in her aorta lymph nodes which was to risky to remove. After her first round of chemo it had shrunk very little. She was scheduled for two more treatments. As of right now we do not know the status of the cancer. The highest prioity is getting things under control.
Little bit of breakdown of some of the family last night. Quite understandable for what is going on. Stress and worry will do that to you. This came after the doctor's request for a copy of her living will. I have faith and have said plenty of prayers. The later of them being to get her out of pain-whatever it takes. She's just so tired.

Frustrated

2011-08-24T06:58:00.003-04:00

It was back to work yesterday with a stop at the hospital afterwards. Doris had been showing some improvement, but yesterday was a little discouraging. She woke up good and had her gathers together. The longer she was awake the foggier she got. I got there just as she woke from a nap. She knew me and we chatted about simple things. Within moments she was off somewhere else. The blood pressure is still bouncing around and she's on small doses of anti-anxiety medication to keep her calm. We've been told that with a spike in the blood pressure it can take days to level out and who knows how long to return to a semi normal state.
For the most part there has been excellent communication between family members that are there. Emails and text messages are abundant. Older sister Sue is at the hospital during the day and the rest of us file in after 3. Tempers were remaining at bay until yesterday.
There seems to be an issue with brother Mike. First off it took him a day and a half to show up after numerous calls to him. No excuse-he's off work for the next 6 weeks for a shut down. Claims we didn't explain the seriousness of the incident. I don't know what spell out serious more than "We're losing Mom". After his initial visit he committed to staying with her during the evening hours. He's failed miserably at helping out. He's come to taking command during the few hours he's appeared and has suddenly become an expert in brain injuries. For the sake of my mother in law I grit my teeth and smile a lot when in the room. I thought it was just me until we got outside and my usually meek husband gave him a piece of his mind. Mike is leaving town for a race and will be gone for the next week. I'm not saying we should park ourselves there and I realize one must continue their normal life to prevent an overload however-having a doctor say "She's by no means out of the woods" may make me stick close to home. We made the decision to opt out of camping this weekend. There will always be another opportunity for camping.
As he was telling us about his trip he turned to his daughter who has been at her Grandmothers side as much as she can and asked if she wanted to come along to Tennessee for the race. I saw daggers as she said "No Dad, and I don't think you should be leaving right now either". He feels the rest of the family has it under control. What he doesn't see is his sister is tired and could use a break. He sees himself, which is what he has always done.
My question for the day is-why would you give a person who barely has motor skills spaghetti? I must say I was impressed at Doris's ability to balance a noodle on her fork even if she couldn't get it to her mouth.

3 Years

2011-08-23T06:55:00.002-04:00

Today marks 3 years since my brother David passed away. My reminders of this started last Thursday. My mother in law Doris was once again admitted to the hospital. Upon leaving the emergency department she was transferred to the same floor my brother was on. At least she's at the other end of the hallway.
When I was taking the elevator up the other day I heard the "code 4" announcement that I'd heard 3 years ago when I got the call about my brother coding.
So more so because of being emotionally stressed over Doris,trying to be strong for my husband, being tired, and being flooded with memories I had a little private cry.
I still get sad over the events of his death. I still wonder if more could have been done. I'm at peace with them doing all they could do to safe him and am at peace with the decision to have them stop after 15 minutes, just wonder if prior to those events if anything more could have been done.
I think more now of his laughter and constant antics. My brother loved to write-couldn't spell worth a damn, but wrote some funny and interesting life stories.
Many times I still want to pick up the phone and tell him something.
There's a new baby coming into the family and I know "Uncle David" would have been one of the first to see and hold the new addition. I miss sharing things with him.
At some point in time I know I'll be content with the memories, but for now I'm still a little sad about losing a brother to soon, and his daughters losing a great father. Their ability to achieve the things they are would make him proud.

We almost lost Doris the other day. As I stood among the family and heard the news I could see the reality of this hitting them. They were raised to respect their mother and when their father passed at a young age they began to make sure she was taken care of. She opted for the surgery and chemo to treat her cancer. We supported her and many of us kicked it up a notch to help her out. Her first two chemo treatments went good. After the 3rd treatment she ended up in the hospital for a week. One of the chemo drugs caused some brain swelling. She went back in twice after that, but for short stays. This current one was serious and attributed to her blood pressure spiking. She's naturally a worry wart so keeping it under control is critical. After three days of being unresponsive she woke in a panic. Two days later they still haven't been able to find the magic formula for the blood pressure. She's responsive and alert but once she starts thinking about the hospital and her bills-she's off again. People started going back to work yesterday after knowing she was somewhat out of danger. My thoughts are this is going to be awhile. The bad news is her doctor told us that she has to make a choice between the chemo or her blood pressure. Originally the plan was to shrink down the tumor they could not remove, until it was small enough, and then do the surgery. Doc says no to that now-she won't make it through the surgery. This news hasn't been broken to her yet, and I know she won't be strong enough for that for a while. She's a fighter usually, but she's just so damn tired.

Loser X 10

2011-08-16T09:06:00.003-04:00

Despite all the recent hassles we were able to make it to State Fair twice this year. The first time was a hotter than hell Sunday and we took the three grand kids. Spent the majority of our time at the Mid-way and then wandering around through a record crowd day to find something to eat. Of course no one wanted the same thing to eat. I found my husband to be the most annoying one. He walks the Fair like he shops. From one end to the other and doesn't listen when his lovely wife looks on a map and gives him directions. After being there for about 5 hours I took a look at three wilted kids and a crabby husband and decided to call it a day. They all took naps when they got home.
The second time was this past Sunday. The last day of the fair and my company picnic as well. The company function is held in the white tent area at the edge of the fair. I go mainly to see if I can continue my losing record at door prizes. There aren't many people from my department that go and most people just come for the lunch and door prizes.
We went fairly early as it was a great day weather wise. Did some walking around and my husband sampled a few food items. The company lunch was catered by Saz's and very much a disappointment to many. In the past we've had the shredded pork however this year it was missing from the menu. In it's place were some very dry grilled pork chops. Not much of a selection of food-but one can't complain much about eating free.
Door prize time came and went and I continued on my losing streak. It's so bad that I came within 3 pretzels of "guess the pretzels in the container". But wait, I had one more chance to win something. There was a scavenger hunt. 18 questions regarding the Fair. Most of the answers could be found in the information brochure. The remainder required walking around to get the answers. I was pretty sure I had them all. When they announced the winner yesterday they said 4 people got all the answers correct and they had to "pick from the hat". Well once again the loser holds her standing. We're still waiting for them to publish the answers.

Get Me My Arby's

2011-08-11T05:48:00.002-04:00

I had a few moments of quiet last night and some time to reflect on the past few months. I wondered where my summer went. There have been a few camping trips-not as many as in the past, one festival, a total miss of Summerfest and one or two barbeque's. The majority of my time has been spent moving my daughter and girls back in, getting ready for a baby , over at my mother in laws house or visiting her in the hospital.
Doris has had a rough time. It doesn't help that she's a naturally pessimistic person. If I had a nickle for every time I've heard "that's not going to work" over the past few months I wouldn't need to work. She's been handling her chemo treatments well, but will suffer from every side effect there is. I've become way to familiar with two major hospitals in the area and also with her doctors.
The care of Doris was supposed to be divided between all the family members. Downstairs Debbie takes the brunt of it with living in the same household. DD's kids are lazy to say the least. I can't even say kids as two of them are in their early 20's. Getting either of them to mow the lawn is a joke. The third one lives upstairs with Doris and does brighten her day but is lazy as well.
My main task seems to be cleaning her house and helping her figure out her bills. My frustration is all the people who come to "visit" her and can't as much as take out her garbage or straighten up a little. I do feel she could do more for herself such as the little tasks of cleaning the bathroom, dusting or doing dishes. For a while I was stopping every day and taking care of these things. I skipped a few days thinking she'd do for herself. I have a different sense of clean, so when I asked DD if things were cleaned up she assured me all was well. I stopped there to find dishes piled up in the sink, the bathroom a wreck and things that were dropped on the floor that Doris can't pick up.
Doris has become very demanding. She's always grateful, but her approach sometimes lacks politeness. On my way home yesterday I received a frantic call from DD asking if I was stopping over. Dd had been out running errands yesterday and upon returning home Doris wanted to know where her Arby's was. DD was puzzled as she did not recall Doris requesting this. I've seen and heard Doris in her demanding mode but through the phone yesterday I heard "Dammit Debbie, where is my Arby's" in a tone I've never heard before. Guess who made the special trip to Arby's and stocked her up on roast beef sandwiches for a day or so? I was her hero for at least an hour or so.
On a different subject, the baby will be delivered September 22nd and things are moving along pretty smoothly in preparing things. My house seems to be getting smaller every day. She's doing pretty well considering all the back issues she had. The waddle is prominent now and she's grateful for the break in the heatwave. We just hope that the ultrasound is correct or the girl could be wearing all little boy clothes.

The Nightmare

2011-06-21T11:08:00.002-04:00

My dream last night could have been prompted by the phone call I received from my younger brother earlier in the evening. About a month ago he came home to find out his house had been broken in to. They took his PlayStation, computer and some cash he had. I had warned him to wait a bit before replacing these items as sometimes they strike again. He replaced both about a week ago and yesterday his house was broken in to again. Of course none of the neighbors noticed anything. He's a bit creeped out now, knowing that someone is watching him. It may be time for a move toward a better area.

I woke up about 2 am in a cold sweat and my heart was racing. The dream was so vivid and seemed so real that I was a bit nervous to go back to sleep. But then I thought maybe I could go back to sleep and make my own ending.
In my dream I had gone to the bank and cashed a check for $3700.00. I had paid a few bills and bought some groceries on the way home. Later that night we were sitting in the living room watching TV and our door was kicked in. These two huge AA men and a woman burst in to the living room with machine guns pointing at us. The guy demanded the $3700.00. We were all pretty calm and I told him that I didn't have any money like that in my house. He claimed he saw me cash the check and come home. My husband accused me of not paying the bills and started looking for the money. I showed receipts to him and the robber. The robber & his side kicks then sat down and watched the end of the TV show with us. Upon leaving he told me they'd be back in a few days and I'd best have the money.
I called the robbers wife and she came over for a visit. I explained that I didn't have that kind of money and she needed to have him leave us alone. She claimed she'd try. What seemed to be a few days later they both appeared with a basket of food and an apology. It seems he'd gone straight. We were all sitting around talking when we heard a loud car and he screamed for everyone to drop to the floor. I grabbed a baby (I assume it was by daughters) and ran to the hallway. Our house was immediately littered with bullets. I heard my dog yelp and handed off the baby to go get her. I I was dragging her to the hallway and saw the wife of the former robber sobbing over her husband who was down. I peeked out the window and saw an orange and black hopped up car with guns pointed at the house. I picked up the phone to call for help and the phone line was dead. I woke up wondering why my neighbors weren't hearing or seeing any of this. I realized that going back to sleep and hoping for a better ending didn't always pan out. This stupid dream is so stuck in my head.

She's Back

2011-06-13T06:52:00.002-04:00

As parent's we're supposed to give our children advice and hope that some of it sinks in. I mean, we all listened as children right? I listened but usually not until it was to late.
Back in late October when I said "Don't move out with this guy yet" it fell on deaf ears. It was to soon and I also felt that it wasn't fair to her kids. But he had a house and all this room and he had his two kids and they were going to be one happy family. Three months later all seemed well and she also announced that she was pregnant. Foolishly I thought that things would be good. The pregnancy wasn't planned and we can all think about how it wasn't very smart, but what's done is done and it'll be dealt with. Outwardly they seemed like a big happy family.
Then I began to see some odd things. She was the one picking his kids up from school and mentioned a few times that he kept changing around his schedule to work later at night. She'd ask him to run for something from the store and he'd be gone for 2 hours. He didn't concern himself with his kids schoolwork or discipline them.
Prior to my daughter getting pregnant she had had several back surgeries and had been weaning herself off pain medication. He was all for it at first, but she would still have some days where the pain was bad. She had no intention of taking or doing anything that would be harmful to the baby. She had been pregnant twice before and lost both early on, and wasn't taking any risks. He was constantly pushing her to have her prescriptions filled and mentioned that they could wean the baby off the meds when it was born. This sickened her (and me when she told me).
Well little to know it was then discovered that he had a pill popping habit and if she could get her prescriptions filled it would be cheaper on him. She was done with him at that point.
That is when we got the call. At first she was looking in to renting an apartment. After some discussion my husband and I felt she should come back home until after the baby was born. Save some money-get her self together-find a job and then go. She has a pattern of doing things in haste but I don't see her going back. He's not really made any effort to try and hold the relationship together. Just mentioned that he hopes she doesn't rake him over the coals for child support. I guess we don't have to worry to much about him wanting any custody as since she left he has only seen his kids once, and hasn't yet told them she was gone.
So the past several days have been spent cleaning out rooms to make room for them. Nine bags of stuff went to Goodwill and the attic is once again over flowing. I joked that she must come back every time we accumulate to much which helps us in ridding ourselves of junk. Similar to a spring and fall cleaning.
So we had a little chat yesterday about her getting her life together. I took into consideration her three back surgeries, her divorce and her recent happenings. I mentioned that she had a choice to sit around and wallow in self pity or do something about it. What's done is done so get up and go from there.
My husband tried to be funny in quoting from a television commercial "Don't leave us with the babies". This would be my nightmare. I do give her more credit that that.

We're Still Here

2011-05-23T18:00:00.002-04:00

The world was supposed to begin to end on Saturday. I've been hearing little bits and pieces of this rumor for a few weeks and didn't really pay much attention to it. I received a call on Thursday night from one of my sister-in-law reminding me that she loved me and cared about me and she would see me in heaven. She was dead serious. After talking to her for a while I got the feeling she was hoping this would happen. There have been some medical issues with her husband which have caused some financial hardships, but something always works out for them in the end.

I've never wished death. I'll admit I'm a little afraid of it. I also know I shouldn't be. My fear is leaving the family and friends that I love. I've had some hurdles in my life that I've overcome and am now able to be proud. There were some times when I thought I'd never get through them but I was told by my father that you can either stand up tall and fight through it or wallow in self pity and be a quitter. These are the words of wisdom a parent should pass on to their children.

My daughter went through some similar hurdles and is now on the road to bettering her life. I'm proud of her. She found the inner strength and little by little began to regain control of her life. We were at my grandson's baseball game the other night and one of her daughters was having 13 year old drama. She was upset over one of her best friends talking behind her back. My daughter doesn't much care for this so called friend and made the comment "Well then I guess she's not your best friend ,is she". Those words were used before. By me, by my mother and I'm sure by my grandmother. She went on to tell her to keep her chin up and give it time. (another bit of advice passed down).

As a parent you often think that what you try to teach your children goes in one ear and out the other (with nothing in between to stop it). You find yourself stealing quotes from your own parents and then hear your children using them. So as we all know, there is something in there that stops it. And stores it for a later date.

For sure I know it's getting passed on as my daughters 4 year old soon to be step-son stuck his tongue out at his sister and a mix of voices sitting in our area said "Don't stick your tongue out or it'll turn black".

A Peek at Summer

2011-05-02T09:36:00.002-04:00

We had a little get together and P & K's home Saturday evening. As I sat outside with the rest of my friends the smell of the firewood burning began to remind me that summer and camping are right around the corner. We spoke about camping for a few minutes but as I looked around I could see my fellow campers in deep thought.
I myself was thinking about where the heck the boys put all the stuff when they cleaned out the camper in the fall. Then I thought about how much I love sleeping in the fresh air. I sleep well when camping. Not for long lenghts of time, but for what I do get it's good sleep. J brought up the best thing of all-there is nothing better than waking up early in the morning and giving the fire a good stoke before heading for the bathroom. Upon returning there may be another person or two up and you sit down in the lawn chair and enjoy the early morning. No words have to be spoken. It's just a great feeling to sit, watch and listen to the morning.
I know running through my husbands head was-where the hell did I put all the camping stuff that she told me to organize. I'm pretty sure Ken was going to go home and pack the canopy so as not to forget it at all. E was probably wondering just how much spam is acceptable to bring for one weekend. Richard was deep in thought about the damn racoons that stole his fancy pork rinds. Connie was thinking about which romance novels she could read out loud to us. J was wondering what new games we could play around the fire as well as finding the latest camping gadget. And Stb..well he was going through recipes for Snickerdoodles.

Dreaded Phone Calls

2011-04-26T06:23:00.003-04:00

I dread the middle of the night phone calls. Every once in a while our phone will ring after midnight and it will be a wrong number. For a while we turned off the phone in our bedroom but it's since been turned back on.
At 1:30 this morning the phone rang. Seeing as it's on my husbands side of the bed he groaned and then reached over to answer it. I'm all about answering the phone in a somewhat pleasant voice. His "what" came out pretty rude. It was downstairs Debbie telling him that Mom needed to go to the ER. It seems that there is some infection in her incision. He told her he'd be right there,laid back down and sighed. He hates hospitals. I got up thinking I'd be the one going and was told to go back to bed as I had done enough already with taking care of her. Off he went.
I've gotten one update so far. They took her for a CT scan-she's on an IV and she's sleeping. In fact he mentioned that downstairs Debbie is also sleeping and he's watching the CNN news that one of our friends is so fond of.
Downstairs Debbie is going to need a vacation after Mom is recovered. She's not in the best health herself and has been running ragged with taking care of her. (since the other sister checked out).
So four hours later they still sit in the ER waiting for the next step. In my opinion they should admit her to clear this up. Some things just can't be taken care of at home. Seeing as she sees fit to self medicate herself-at least in the hospital she can be given what she needs when she needs it. I was there yesterday for a few hours and didn't notice anything that would cause concern. She was walking around pretty good and in a good mood. Didn't complain of any pain or discomfort. Hopefully this is just a minor set back.

First Game of the Season

2011-04-25T08:26:00.002-04:00

Two of my friends surprised me with tickets to a Brewer game Saturday. It was my first game of the season, good seats to bat and fairly decent weather.
I tend to be a fairly serious baseball game watcher. Let me clarify by saying-if a good amount of money is paid for a decent seat I'm going to be paying attention to the game. I am also going to be considerate of those around me. I'm not so serious that I won't joke around or laugh-but I'm not going to be loud or call attention to myself. I will try very hard to keep whatever liquid I am drinking in my cup and not on the lap or back of those around me. I'll not use hood of the person in front of me (unless I know them) for peanut shell disposal, or to wipe my hands. I'll try to limit the times I disrupt others by getting out of my seat. I will multi-task my using the bathroom and bringing back refreshments in the same trip. At most important of all-I will not argue with my significant other while seated.
We had the last three seats on the aisle. You always know you're in trouble then. You will be getting up for anyone who needs to get out of their seat. I don't mind a few times but there were two girls who must have been the runners that were up at least ten times through the game. Sometimes coming back with beers and then leaving five minutes later to use the bathroom. Then we had a soap opera going on in front of us. Two couples came in together and one girl spent the entire game hanging on the guy and trying to engage him in public making out. A room may have been in order. The other couple got up around the 4th inning and he came back alone a little while later. There was apparently a fight. The texting between them began. My friend was viewing the texts over his shoulder and relaying the content to those around us. This continued through out the remainder of the game. She came back at one point and left moments later announcing that she didn't like how she was being treated. He seemed confused and then was content to sit and chew his fingernails and beer cup until the end of the game. About one inning provided amusement by the guy next to my friend with the peanut shell residue hanging from his chin. And then the spilling of the beer when he was leaning forward to read the text message from the soap opera guy.
For the most part I was impressed with the new scoreboard, but found myself looking at it when I should have been watching the game. Unfortunately I attended a game they lost. Lost due to their own errors. Count of the young girls puking on the curb on our way out-4. Always a pleasure to see them.

Mini Spring Break

2011-04-20T11:36:00.002-04:00

In my younger years I remember being off school on Good Friday and the entire week after Easter. Once my kids were in school I would always take that week off to spend time with them. We did day trips and things around town-movies, zoo, museum and of course some shopping. I'm sure there were days in there that were cold or rainy but for the most there would be a few days warm enough to play outside.
I saw the forecast for the next week and felt sorry for the parent's and children who are off next week. Cold and rainy. This means either the kids will be stuck in the house fighting over video games or constantly complaining of boredom. Maybe there will be some trips to the movie theater or local pizza-arcade along with the tons of other parents trying to find something to amuse their kids.
For those who can afford to-pack the kids up and head south on a mini-vacation. Not north to a water park where millions of kids will be running around and waiting in endless lines for their turn. I'm wondering what happened to the warmer days of Spring break when we'd be out the door early in the morning on some neighborhood adventure. Mother Nature surely has some vengeance this season.
One of the Holidays we have at work is Good Friday. I decided to take tomorrow off as well and have a four day weekend. With the recent goings on with my Mother in law I need a day to catch up on a few things. A day for me is in order. I shall call it my Mini-Spring Break. It looks to be the only dry day in store for a while.

I Will Stay Calm

2011-04-19T08:46:00.002-04:00

This is what I need to keep telling myself. I knew Mother in law would be content when at home but I hoped it would last longer than a day or so.
Yesterday she was supposed to call and get a refill on some pain medication. We had talked the day before about Tylenol verses prescription pain medication. She didn't have the RX filled before leaving the rehab (had to get out asap) and had a few left. She was sure she could make it until Monday. I called yesterday expecting to pick the RX up after work. Her frail voice told me that she decided she didn't need them. I'm not one to take these things myself but reminded her that she just had a major surgery and without them may not be able to get the proper rest she needs. She pooh-poohed me and said she was fine. I stopped for a bit after work and she mentioned feeling very tired and not sleeping well. This was in the course of two hours. I told her to call and I'd go get them and she once again said she could put if off until today. Last night at 8pm I called to check on her and she was miserable. In pain and the Tylenol was not doing it for her. She is now going to call this morning and maybe one of her kids that are not working could find it in their hearts to help their mother and pick them up.
Loo the "stressed out" sister made an appearance yesterday. But first we had to take a call from her daughter asking us not to bring up her weekend melt down. She was at Mom's when I got there and had I known I would have waited a bit. She was a little sneaky and parked her car behind the garage. Damn. She didn't have to much to say and the conversation was polite but strained. As she was leaving she let me know that she decided not to take the week off work to help out, but if we needed her to call. After her departure I had to deal with Mom who thinks she's the one who drove her to the melt down. Brother Ike who was supposed to bring a few items yesterday never showed up. Downstairs Debbie is doing her best to handle things and is doing a good job. Older brother and sister in law are in their own element and mention letting them know if she needs anything. My husband is fixing things that need fixed or fitted to her needs. Allow me to mention that I am very close to calling Ike (who is laid off and has nothing to do all day) and telling him to get his lazy arse over and take care of his mother. Maybe he shouldn't have told me that since his lay-off 2 months ago he has done nothing but sleep and watch TV.
My frustrations are not with my mother in law. My frustrations are with the ones who want to condemn each other yet always have something else going on when help is needed. Lazy Ike had the nerve to call our house yesterday to remind my husband to fix the knob on the medicine cabinet.
Thank goodness I have my blog to vent.

Pop Goes the Rib

2011-04-18T08:39:00.002-04:00

With the weather lately I wasn't to shocked to see the snow this morning. It's spring snow and will be gone shortly. The sight of it is a little depressing being the 3rd week in April, but then again it has snowed in May.

I seemed to have popped some cartilage in my rib cage. Downstairs Debbie (sister-in-law) has a dog gate across her entrance door. I've walked over it many times. On Saturday amidst all the other drama going on I got one leg over and somehow my foot got hung up on the gate and down I went. I hit the wall with my arm and felt and heard a pop. Knocked the wind out of me and the fact that I was laughing didn't help matters much. See, in addition to laughing at others injuries-I laugh at my own. At first I though I may have done some damage to my arm but upon picking myself up off the floor I immediately felt the pain in my rib cage. I sat down for a minute to catch my breath and asked my husband what happens when one breaks a rib. His reply was simple "You can't breathe". Well I seemed to be having some difficulty in that area at the moment. "Oh, but you puncture your lung and die". That one made me chuckle a little. What, were they all sitting there staring at me and waiting for my lung to deflate like a balloon? I didn't see anyone moving toward a phone or anything? Guess they were just going to let it deflate.

After a few minutes I gained my composure, stood up and carried on with what I was doing. Saturday night I took some anti-inflammatory medication which didn't seem to help much. I didn't to well and yesterday the pain seemed to worsen. Last night was also a restless night and the pain has not subsided. I decided to call and talk to someone this morning. After describing what happened I was told that I must have pulled the cartilage. I need to ice it every two hours for 1/2 hour, continue to take the anti-inflammatory medicine and refrain from any sports, jogging, lifting, and aerobic activities. The pain will last 4-6 weeks depending on the severity. I can also tape the area to prevent me from straining it further. If the pain worsens I should come in for an x-ray. This ice thing at work isn't going to work either.

On a lighter note-Mother-in-law seems to be content at home. For now. I'm hoping that others will begin to pitch in and help a little. She'll need help with certain things for a while. The main issue is to get her strength built up for any further treatments she may need.

Drop the Drama

2011-04-17T09:10:00.003-04:00

It's Sunday. Typically the day of rest. I'm hoping for a least a little less drama for one day. I could be cursing myself at the moment, but the phone has been quiet for the past 10 hours.
Drama was the object of the week. Mother in law had surgery on Monday. Waiting area got tense a few times. Loo-the eldest daughter had "taken charge". I will give her the credit for providing the majority of her mothers care over the past 3 years. She has a job that allows her to do so. Every so often Loo becomes a little stressed and needs a break. In saying she provides the majority of the care I also mean that the rest of us pitch in. It's never good enough for Loo.
On Thursday a decision had to be made whether Mom would come home or go to rehab. I felt the decision was up to Mom. She's of sound mind and knows what she wants. Loo felt she should come home. She thought she could make that decision (to also fit her needs) and Mom had no choice. She shunned Mom going to rehab and brought up money issues. She volunteered my house which I was fine with Mom coming, but Loo decided she'd also come. (I secretly prayed that Mom would not choose that option). She volunteered her younger brother and us to pay a niece to care for her. She actually told the niece we would without asking us first.
Loo went up to tell Mom her plan and ran into the Social Worker who was setting up rehab for Mom. Mom had made the decision as she felt she would get Physical Therapy and be able to come home within a week or so. The rest of us stuck by Mom's decision. Loo stormed out of the hospital and has now "checked herself out" for a week or so.
I was a bit worried about her because I think she has some deep rooted emotional issues going on and this put a head on it. I spoke with her Thursday night and after listening to some of her issues though she may need some help.
On Friday we moved her to rehab. Arnie and I stayed with her until 8pm and she seemed to be doing okay. I did feel a little uneasy about her being in a room with a slightly crazy woman. I could see the look on Mom's face when this woman started talking nonsense and wondered if I should stay with her.
At 8:30 Saturday morning I received the frantic "get me out of here call". I called other brother Ike and off we went. She had a horrible night. They wouldn't let her get out of bed (she had been doing so the previous day), the food wasn't what she needed, the crazy lady talked all night, she got now sleep and they only allow you to take a shower once a week. We tried to settle her down, they offered her a private room, they mentioned she was on a general diet and told her the shower thing was not true-they just didn't want her to go unassisted.
Nothing was working so I said we would take her home. I knew at that point that this is the only thing that would make her happy, so we called out the rest of the family-except for Loo and got her home. Things were re-arranged and purchased to fit her needs. When everything settled down I looked at her and say content on her face and it made it all worth it.
I sent a message to Loo informing her that Mom was home. The reply I got was typical of her "What was the sense in sending her to rehab". My response was "I guess it's what she wanted to do". Loo seems the have Mom convinced that her "Medical Power of Attorney" status allows for her to make all Mom's decisions. The social worked spelled out to her that as long as her mother is of sound mind she can make her own decisions. I figure she's got stage 3 cancer which may be treatable , she has always done for everyone else-these children of her's need to get their acts together-drop the drama-and take care of their mother.

A Long Day for Doris

2011-04-12T06:42:00.002-04:00

Yesterday was surgery day for mother-in-law Doris. The surgery was planned for 12:15 but the nurses were convinced she'd be going in earlier so they whisked her away before several of us were able to see her. Whisked her away only to have her wait in the holding area until the original time of her surgery.
So the off-spring and their spouses hunkered down in the waiting area for what we were told would be about 3 hours. Luckily yesterday wasn't a busy surgery day and we had a nice area for the six of us. The boys were disappointed that the TV was out of their viewing area but they managed to make it through. The lap-top was brought out which gave us some entertainment for a bit. We were there for about an hour when a very familiar person made her way toward us. My little "tower of strength" had arrived with a bag of snacks and some magazines to tide us over. Many thanks to the best sister in law and friend ever Nannette!
As the day wore us then tension began to grow. My husband was smart in sitting off to the side and fake sleeping. Each of his family members are unique in their own way and were all there for the love they have for their Mother. Each one handles these things differently. Over the years there has been some tension between older sister and middle brother. He is very argumentative. We're talking about someone who shines around every once in a while and then wants to take charge. I had to remind them several times yesterday that we were there for Mom. He took several walks, I assume to cool down.
After about 3 1/2 hours the doctor appeared to tell us that they had removed about 90% of the tumor. He was not able to fully remove some that was embedded in her lymph nodes. She will need to have chemo to hopefully shrink down what is left. He went on to say she did well and they expected it to be worse. She will be able to come home by the end of the week and will start the chemo in a month or so. When asked about the side effects he did say she will lose her hair.
As we all sat and absorbed his words I couldn't help but think about her hair. It's a tiny little thing to go through to get better. She had mentioned to me the other day that she wanted to shave her head and start over as she was having such issues finding a good style. I think I'm going to have to take Mom for a nice haircut before she starts her Chemo. These things were racing through my mind when the humor started. Middle brother is going to the clown store to purchase her several wigs. Husband is going to give her his pirate wig. Sister in law has a blond wig from a past Halloween. I chuckled but then remarked that a hot wig in the summer may not be the best so I'll be hooking up with my friend who designs bandanna's just for this cause.
After about two hours we were told she was in her room and settled. Poor Mom was so uncomfortable and in pain that all I could do is give her a hug and tell her to get some rest. I'm not quite sure she even knew we were there. Older sister wanted to stick around and tell her the out come of her surgery. I just thought it would wait until today when she could absorb the information. She had been through enough already. Now comes the healing process.

Can She Beat This?

2011-04-06T06:09:00.002-04:00

My mother-in-law has had some medical issues that prompted us to take her to the ER two weeks ago. She started off thinking she had a bladder infection but then other symptoms began to appear (of the female sort). The doctor in the ER scared the living daylights out of her and she walked out of there thinking the worst and planning her funeral. She was prompted to see her doctor asap with the possibility of her referring her to a specialist.
She has a good general physician who did not delay matters and mom was off to the specialist within two days. This doctor was also good and sent her for further tests the same day. On Friday we received notice that she was going to be meeting with the OBGYN specialist, her doctor and the oncologist yesterday morning. So yesterday was the waiting game. By the time I left work yesterday I was informed of the diagnosis. She has ovarian cancer.
The doctor gave her three options-leave it-have surgery and then possible chemo-have radical chemo and hope it shrinks it down. After laying it on the line and giving her the options he left the room so she could discuss things with the two of her children that accompanied her. Her first words were "I'm just going to leave it. What's the use." That was the initial shock.
The doctor came back in and announced that he is legally bound to give the options but highly recommended the surgery. Told her that although they sometimes don't know how far the cancer has spread until they open you up, he felt strongly that there was a very good chance that this could be nipped in the bud. She opted for the surgery which brought a sigh of relief from all of us.
So Doris has surgery on Monday. They'll be doing a total hysterectomy and taking lymph nodes from two areas. She'll be uncomfortable for a bit but probably not as uncomfortable as she has been for the past 6 months. The decision for chemo won't be made until 12 or so weeks after the surgery.
I had the dreaded duty of telling my husband and convincing him to be positive for his mother. We can cry at home, but in front of her we need to be strong and remain positive. She's been a fighter all her life but does tend to let the doom and gloom in at times. After stopping to see her last night I feel good that she opted for the surgery and is approaching it with a fighting attitude.

Breaking the Chain

2011-03-30T07:32:00.002-04:00

Several times a week I will receive chain letter emails. I guess if I would seriously pass them on I could be receiving tons of money in the mail right now, I would know how many people loved me, I would be guarenteed a healthy life and no doom would ever come to me. One of my friends is infamous for sending these things. At one point I had told her I don't respond to them and was told she would continue to send them regardless as she is very supersticious. She has become engrossed in them and even the virus didn't stop her.
I will also receive the "tell us about yourself" emails. I'll usually respond to the funny ones sent by close friends. Yesterday I received a bucket list email. This requests that you put 10 things on a bucket list and pass it on. I thought about it for a while and since it's not from any close friends I have I decided to delete it. If I'm going to come up with a bucket list then my family and close friends will know about it. They may be the ones that will help me fullfill my list when I'm on my last dying breath. So after some thought I came up ten items on my bucket list:

#1. Get back to desired weight (by my own doing-not because of an illness)
#2. Convince my husband to fly.
#3. Take a vacation to Italy.
#4. Ensure that my parent's and mother-in-law are well taken care of.
#5. Pack up all my grandchildren and take them to DisneyWorld.
#6. Purchase a vacation home up north.
#7. Attend a Rolling Stones Concert (better get on that one quick)
#8. Fly-Not in a plane. I want to have a jet pack like George Jetson and fly.
#9. Watch a sunrise and sunset on a beach in Hawaii.
#10. Enjoy a week of pampering with my friends at a top notch spa. (in order to do that I'd probably have to win the lottery and I'm over the top ten so I'll have to save that for my wish list.)

What's on your list?

Is This A Pattern

2011-03-23T08:52:00.002-04:00

Years ago I read a book about a man who had insomnia. It had started with him losing an hour or two of sleep a night and eventually turned in to him not sleeping for days on end. Strange things started to happen and he eventually couldn't separate reality from dreams. I thinking of trying to locate the book again because I can't remember how it ended. I more so want to find it to see how I'm going to end up.
There seems to be a pattern developing with my sleep. In the past I've worked some crazy hours and was able to function on little sleep for a few days and then have a day or so where I'd sleep well past 8 hours. Not a healthy way of life and I paid for it. A few years ago when I went to a straight day shift (if you count a 4:30 am start a day shift). My sleep was good and I could fall asleep shortly after hitting the pillow. Then I started to wake up after about 3 hours of sleep. It is very hard for me to fall asleep afterwards. It's almost like I took a nap and am now refreshed and ready to go. Problem is that three hours usually means I'm up at midnight. We purchased a new mattress and that seemed to have solved that issue or so I thought.
In the past I had issues initially falling asleep. I made sure that I had eaten well before going to bed. If I worked out it was at least 2 hours before going to bed and I refrained from any caffeine drinks at least 2 hours prior to sleeping. Reading would usually get me pretty relaxed and prepared for a good nights sleep. I also don't nap. Napping just throws me off.
The past few Sunday nights I have gone to bed around 9 only to wake up an hour or two later and lay awake. The sheep counting is for the birds. TV off or on doesn't matter and reading just seemed to wake me up more. Warm shower also showed negative results. Soothing music does nothing but make me move my feet. I'm not a sleep aid person and drinking myself into sleepiness isn't the answer. Up until last week this problem was only on Sunday nights. Now it has begun to creep into the weeknights. Makes for a long workday. Last night I was tired and in bed by 8:30. The phone rang at 9:30. I then tossed and turned until around 12:30. Alarm went off at 3am. My magic sleep number appears to be 3 1/2 hours.
I'm wondering if my body and mind are telling me that they're ready for camping season. I never have an issue while camping. Maybe I could have my husband set up the pop-up and just sleep in the driveway.

Hey Now

2011-03-22T06:09:00.002-04:00

We have a morning ritual at work. Get in, read the paper, drink coffee (or diet coke if you're me)and for a few of us-step outside and have the morning cigarette and talk about the previous nights TV. Depending on the season we catch a little wildlife.
Spring is in the air. The raccoons have come to life. With the snow being gone it must be a little easier for them to find food. Birds are starting to chirp and the geese are angered as the pond isn't thawed out enough for them to swim yet. They've been walking around on the ice showing their anger by squawking. This morning we saw two coyotes prowling for food. Then we were treated to a show.
It seems it is mating season for the rabbits. At first it was a little humorous watching. One rabbit-I'm assuming it was the male, was in hot pursuit of the other. She wasn't having it and kept trying to hide from him. After watching this for a few minutes one of the girls said "Isn't that cute how they are playing". Had I had drink in mouth it would have been spewed somewhere. As soon as the words came out of her mouth the act was in progress. The look on her face was priceless. The next words that came out where "Oh my. I had no idea". I proceeded to head in and give them their privacy, with hopes that they were wise enough to be aware of the coyote prowling the parking lot.
On another note-Today would mark the anniversary of my first marriage. I received a text this morning. "Happy Anniversary". I get a text or a call every year. Every year I reply with some negative remark. This time it was "Probably wouldn't have been-given the history. I'm thinking that maybe if I replied back "I'm still missing you" he would stop.

What Goes Around

2011-03-17T06:27:00.002-04:00

I received an email from my ex-husbands third wife. "Ron and I are officially divorced. I would like to thank you for being so patient and understanding through-out the years. I know he owed you a lot of money and I thank you for never pursuing any action against us. You've been a very nice person and I hope we can stay in touch."
I replyed "Good luck to you". What I wanted to say was- How about giving me a chunk of change out of that house you're selling.
When I heard of their maritial issues I felt a little sorry for her. In the end though I think she'll be fine. She's already gone through blaming the break-up on herself, feeling sorry for herself and is now in the moving on mode. The truth of the matter is I can't find it in my heart to really care. Over the years she has voiced her opinion one to many times. Acted the part of the perfect marriage and made to many references to his past marriages. Wife #3 must not have been an easy spot to handle. She was really under the impression that the two ex's were completely at fault. He didn't drink when he met her. Big shock to her when he started up again.
So now he's in a relationship with a drinker. One who actually drinks more than he does. In a very rare conversation the other day he told me he's thinking of dropping her as she drinks way to much. They had some errands to run after work and when he got home she was already drunk.He said it was looking in a mirror. He went alone rather than be embarrassed by her. I try not to reference our marriage to him, but given the opportunity I said "Oh, boy. I know that feeling" He apologized. Went on to say he really thinks he made a mess of things and finds that he drinks a lot less when he's with her. Come on! Put the bottle down and get your life together before it's to late. Oh, and pay me the money you owe me.

Have A Meatball

2011-03-15T06:58:00.002-04:00

Dreams can be crazy. I've woke up many times wondering what the meaning of the dream I had was. The scary dreams can leave an eerie feeling with you for several days. Almost like you're waiting for something bad to happen. The crazy, way out of line dreams can leave you confused and wondering the meaning. Then theres the sad dream where you may wake up feeling the effects. My favorite is the totally out of line funny dream. The one you wake up from that puts you in a good mood. The one you can remember details of, but yet wonder where it came from.
I woke myself and husband up laughing so much I had tears in my eyes. It took awhile to fall back asleep and I was about to take the hint from STBs blog and quick write it down for fear I'd forget it. The memory was fully intact this morning and I was still chuckling about it.
The dream started out somewhat scary. I was with a group of friends and we were going winter camping. We were setting up our usual camp in the snow, but were all in summer wear except for my husband who had on shorts, his winter boots and a flannel shirt (of course). Brother Ben had his knit hat from my mother with the embroidered "K" on it. I was hell bent on wearing my sandals and was amazed at how warm my feet were staying in the snow. We put an electric blanket under the boys tent to keep the bottom warm. Can you site the safety hazard there?
We were all set up and Nannette kept talking about getting the meatballs in the slow cooker going. We discovered we had no electricity. She started throwing a fit and had this huge wooded spoon in her hand and was stomping her foot yelling to Ben to rig something up cause there's no way she spent hours making these meatballs and we weren't going to eat them.
Ben and Barney got the fire going and we were all sitting around the fire when Cleve came up with the idea to cook the meatballs in the pudgy pie makers. It made no sense to me as we had a stove. It seems the guys forgot fuel. So they're loading these giant meatballs in the pudgy pie makers and they wouldn't close. Nanette is still throwing a fit that they're now squishing her meatballs.
Next thing is some critters coming out of the woods and surrounding us. They were like large raccoons/bears. Ugly things that were drooling. They were after the container of meatballs that Nanette proceeded to grab and throw to me. The critters were circling us and we just kept throwing the container around like a game of hot potato. The strategy was to tire them out. She kept saying over and over again that she was not giving up those meatballs.
It didn't work. Each time we tossed the container, more critters appeared. We saw a car approaching and were hoping for a Park Ranger to help us out. It was a group of pretty seedy looking guys who got out and walked over. One guy said "I'll take those meatballs. We've been looking for them for a while". (huh) Nanette proclaimed that in no uncertain terms was she giving up her meatballs. Not after working so hard on them. The guy was eating a sub sandwich and all of a sudden the critters seemed to tire of the meatball game and started sneaking toward him. The others noticed and they began to back up and get back in their car leaving the spokesman on his own. One of the critters told him to drop the sub. He refused and ran off into the woods with them in pursuit.
We continued on with cooking the meatballs which were now on skewers. Nanette put them on a fancy tray and began to walk around to each of us saying "Have a meatball. You don't know how hard I worked on these". I took my skewered meatball and noticed it had jelly beans coating the outside. Everyone else had them also but I seemed to be the only one who found it odd. I hesitated and Nanette was suddenly up in my face waving her skewered meatball at me and yelling "Aleta Gloria if you don't eat that meatball I will never speak to you again". I woke up laughing and her facial expression. What made me laugh the most is her outfit. She was wearing Connie's housecoat.

Short and Sweet

2011-03-10T06:14:00.002-05:00

If you're given the gift of life each day shouldn't you start out with a clean slate?
I too have a disliking for a few people but they are in my past. I try to put them out of my head and hope I can make it through much of life without running into them again.
When I have to work with people I don't find to be my "best friends" I try to make the most of it and be pleasant. Not being out on the lines full time has given me the opportunity to walk away and not be involved in the daily squabbles. I don't care to be dragged in to the drama and when being complained to will usually smile and offer some sort of positive comment. I find carrying "the grudge" will make for a long workday. At the end of the work day it's over and done with. Go home and enjoy you evening with your families. Don't take it home, sleep on it, and then bring it right back the next day. These people are all adults and should be able to talk it out without pointing fingers. From the outside view, they are all guilty.

Soap box has now been taken down.

Road Rage

2011-03-08T05:36:00.002-05:00

Didn't expect any action on my way to work this morning. Once in a while I'll run across someone making their way home from an after hours party. You can usually spot them out. The very slow and cautious driver or the one with no headlights. The best is the "wrong side of the street" driver. Hopefully they are making it home without injuring someone.
Today was the 10 or so mile road rage drivers. It started on 27th and Layton when the little car decided to cut in front of the truck. They went at it down Layton and both got on the freeway on Loomis. It continue with each one passing each other and then hitting the brakes. I think the little car tried to avoid confrontation and veer off onto 43 but truck guy cut him off forcing him onto 894. I stayed a distance back as I don't care to be involved in stupidity. Around Lincoln I saw the red & blue lights flashing in my rear view mirror. I slowed hoping that they weren't after me. Zoomed past and went after the truck and I saw another coming that went after the car.
Now I wonder-did they call each other in or did another driver also observe this and call it in. Regardless they were both pulled over about 1/4 mile apart and off the road. Bet the little car thought he was home free.
What a crappy way to start their day. Keep it off the road guys.

Words of Wisdom

2011-03-04T06:34:00.002-05:00

You would think that by now I'd be a little smarter with dental visits.
At my last exam a month ago I was cavity free. I was happy. I figured barring no emergencies I was good to go for another six months. Things don't always work out the way you plan. It seems my dentist wasn't happy with two older fillings I had and wanted to replace them. One had a crack. Looking on the logical side I thought it best to have these taken care of rather than run the risk of losing one or both of them.

In the past when I ignored these things I've had to make emergency appointments. Thus I shall never again eat another Milk Dud. Pulled a filling right out and left a very painful exposed nerve.

I've had one or two painful experiences with dentists but have faithfully kept appointments and kept up on things for many years now. But I still dread going. My dentist is a pain free guy and looks for your comfort. He's very assuring. I always have the same issues. Can't stand all that stuff in my mouth! I've finally overcome the gag reflex by breathing through my nose. The problem seems to be that when I'm tipped back things run down your throat.

I've written about his assistant before. I was hoping she'd be gone by now. I wonder if she has something on him that is keeping her there. I heard her voice when I was in the lobby and almost bolted. I don't know what is up with this woman but I don't think she's all there.

She came and led me to the room and started a silly conversation about being ill. Then went into how she had the stomach flu so bad and began to describe her lower body portion mishaps. I just stared at her thinking it was not suitable conversation for a professional office. My dentist walked in to her saying "I had to finally send my sister to the store for depends as I was messing myself". His face was priceless. He proceeded to numb me up and then left me with her. I hoped she'd find some other subject to approach and she began to chat about how "back home" they have swap meets. While still chatting the dentist returned and the tubes and other needed things were now in my mouth. He asked her to rinse my mouth and I think she heard "wash her face" cause the water just sprayed all over my face. She was sorry, he was ticked off. I then tried to put my mind anywhere else but there.
I wanted to ask for a blindfold so I wouldn't have to look right into the light. I try not to look right in the dentists face but hate to close my eyes. Her rinsing abilities were horrible and I was close to gagging several times. My "happy place" was not working out to well. She started to ask me questions "What kind of perfume are you wearing?- Where did you get those pretty earrings? What shade of eye shadow is that? Do you have highlights in your hair or is that natural? Each question brought a eyebrow raise from the dentist and a grunt from me. The final straw was "Is that a tatoo you have on your shoulder? WTF? How did she see that?
The dentist, who was trying hard to do his job, then put the drill down looked at her and said "Could we just focus on what is at hand here? I'm sure Aleta enjoys the diversion , but she cannot answer these questions. Please rinse and suction."
There was some quiet for a minute or two and then she began to talk about a TV show about people who go around the US and pick up other peoples junk and sell it. The fillings were going in so I knew it wouldn't be long now. Yap, Yap, Yap...
The final rinse was on it's way. Wait the final rinse was once again a face wash. The dentist gently touched my hand and shook his head. As I was leaving I heard him softly ask her to step into his office. Hopefully she is looking elsewhere for a job.

When I got home I needed to rinse my mouth as things weren't rinsed out very well. Not a good idea with a numb lip and side of your mouth.

I have my fingers crossed that she is long gone in six months.

A Costly Mistake

2011-03-02T06:48:00.003-05:00

A company I worked for years ago is in the news. Not in a good way. I'm not shocked at their total disregard for rules and regulations. I left there out of sheer frustration and their disrespect for their employees and laws.
They hit the news because they are being sued for a contaminated product that caused the death of a 2 year old. They were warned by the FDA and chose to ship the product anyway and now have issued a voluntary recall of several of their products. In reading some comments left on the news article, a lot of people tend toward blaming the FDA. Yes, they should have shut them down, but I feel the total blame lies on the company itself.
The article lists several issues-dirty pipes-people packaging sterile products without gloves and record keeping to name a few. In the seven years I worked for them I saw them go through three QA Managers. The owner flat out didn't want to hear about anything other than how fast the product could get out. He balked when he had to "clean up" the room where the producing and packaging was done. He balked at having to supply clean room suits, hair nets and gloves. He balked at everything that was going to take away from his profit.
I was injured due to a wrongly wired machine and was asked to keep my mouth shut and not record the incident. Needless to say there was an OSHA fine for my incident and the incident shortly after mine which was just as bad. Failure to correct machine functions will do that to you.
When I was injured there was a lot of blood inside the machine and on the floor and conveyor belt. It was wiped up with paper towels and within an hour of my injury the line was back up and running. The owner and supervisor decided that since it was an alcohol towelette machine that the alcohol would take care of the blood left in the machine. I was at the hospital for several hours and was given an excuse for the remainder of the day and the following week. I received a telegram the following day requiring me to return to work. It was a right hand injury and being right handed there wasn't much I could do. I stood next to someone and trained them on running the machine I was injured on. No lost time incidents for this guy.
At one point, to avoid a mound of OSHA and Union fines he shut his plant down and reopened 6 month later in another city but that didn't work out for him.
The past few days I have heard from several people whom I worked with at this company. It brought back some feelings that they as well as I would like to bury. I can see that it was just a matter of time before he'd be in trouble. "What goes around comes around" doesn't seem to be a morally correct statement due to the death of a two year old and other claims of violently ill people. I say sue his ass for his carelessness,greed and total disregard. It took a lot for me to admit I worked there.

Big Bed

2011-02-22T07:33:00.004-05:00

The choice was made a few weeks ago to purchase a new mattress. We looked at ads and made a few stops here and there just to get ideas of what we were looking for. My husband decided that the Queen size bed would be upgraded to a King size. I was a little shocked by that as we had went from a King to a Queen years ago to free up some space in our bedroom. I think he was just tired of falling out of bed because his cat feels the need to take up so much space.
I was able to hold him off long enough to paint the spare bedroom in anticipation of moving the existing bed to the spare room. That was done by Friday night. We had some errands to run on Saturday and some residual things to deliver to my daughters new home. Afterward my plan was to go home and organize things in the spare room. "Did you want to take a run out to Colders and check out the mattress's" was not what I was expecting to hear. I agreed but with the intent that we were only looking.
Two hours later we walked out of Colders with nothing. They have a "deal" going on. Whatever you spend you get back in store credit to spend on whatever you want. We found a mattress which I thought was very over priced. Walked around the store looking for what we could use the credit for. Everything we found was jacked up in price so much it was almost a crime to assume you were getting it for free. We took the salesman's card, thanked him for his time and said we needed some time to look around.
Off we went to a popular stores newly opened outlet store. Saw the same mattress for a much lower price. The problem was we also needed a headboard. Saw nothing that caught my eye. The store was closing so we took note of the pricing and decided to look around a little more. As we were leaving, husband noted that we had seen some mattresses at Menard's a few weeks ago. I thought they may have been the same one we had just looked at. Didn't hurt to drive across the street and check it out. It was indeed the said mattress and $700.00 cheaper than the first store with an 11% rebate. We stood and wondered if we'd be able to live down purchasing a mattress from Menard's. With the savings we would have been foolish not to purchase it. The only thing lacking was the free delivery. I'm just saying that one of these days this old workhorse is not going to be able to help Paul Bunyan haul furniture around any more.
It is comfy and very roomy and I have slept wonderfully the past two nights.

ADD?

2011-02-18T11:40:00.003-05:00

I think I have it today. I'm easily being distracted from one I thought was a carefully laid out plan. Painting the spare bedroom. Maybe I'm lax because the past few times I tackled the said room and had it how I wanted it, someone came forward with a need for a place to stay. It may be a curse that goes with the house.

I recall my parents having only three children left at home and deciding to make the smaller bedroom into a playroom for my younger sisters. Brother was in one of the two basement bedrooms at the time. About the time it was completed my marriage fell apart and being 8 months pregnant was told to come home. After my one year stay they fixed up the room again only to have my grandfather need a temporary place to stay. A few years later came my niece. I think they gave up after that because when we bought the house the smaller bedroom still had the Ernie & Bert wallpaper on one wall. The room I'm currently painting has housed my brother three times, my middle brother for a few months, my older brother a few times and most recently my daughter and her kids. There were a few brief stays by my sister and her children also. It's been a revolving door for those in need. I can't say it will never happen again because sometimes my heart is just to big.

As I'm painting today I'm seeing traces of past colors. A dusty rose from when I painted after one of my brothers stays. Dark green from my daughter's teen years, purple from who knows what and most recently yellow which was the last time it was empty. I'm done with two walls and the closet right now and wondering dare I go further? Of course I'll finish the room, move the furniture back in that was moved out for the last guests and nervously await the next arrival. Whomever it may be I only hope that this person will have the ability to someday get back on their own two feet.

The Uniform

2011-02-15T07:02:00.002-05:00

The company I work for is huge. Our little division inside the Wauwatosa building is a small little spec on big map of world wide divisions . There are a total of 20 people in the division, with 5 of them being upper management and sales and five being middle management. We take up about half the building. Our US corporate offices are located here also. We also house the directors of EHS and the CEO of the US companies.
The head of EHS travels a lot and sees other production areas. She has been on a kick for years to have us wear uniforms. We are the only division that does material conversion. A huge percentage of the other plants produce all forms of adhesives, grout and oil based products. These people perform entirely different functions than this division. We do not come in direct contact with the adhesives we use as they are pumped directly from drums in to melters and directly into machines you're running. The operators wear cotton sleeves and heat resistant gloves when working near the hot adhesive. Our previous CEO saw no reason for production operators in this division to wear a uniform. He felt it an unnecessary expense and felt PPE was appropriate for the job. He especially felt no need for QC or management to wear uniforms. The new CEO took over as of January 1st. We knew Ms. EHS would get to him. He has only been at this plant for 6 months with all his previous experience being in Georgia and has probably been physically in our area two to three times. One of the first things she hit him up with was uniforms. He is huge on safety and ordered it done. The management on this end balked about it but being up against this EHS woman is like beating a dead horse.
The uniform fittings have been rescheduled three times already due to people being out. I am willing to bet that they will be rescheduled again today as two operators have called in sick today. I'm really saddened by this.

Top Five

2011-02-14T07:01:00.002-05:00

Milwaukee is listed as one of the top five cities to find love. I believe they are #2 on the list with San Antonio being #1. I wonder if they mean actual love and a meaningful relationship or just a brief affair. Could the summer months be bringing the rating up? Just saying, with all the festivals and concerts during those months, it could have really brought the ratings up. Then again, the winters are long and cold. At any rate, we were finally top five in something else beside biggest drinkers, most obese and most crime.

I have two major goals this week. Look for a new eye doctor and a new dentist. I like my dentist. He is located very close to my home and I've been going to him for around 6 years now. Love the hygienist-my problem is his assistant. She's not very gentle and will ask me a million questions when my mouth is full of tubes and clamps. I'll always ask for the hygienist to do the X-rays rather than suffer through the DA doing them. The dentist seems to get a little irate with her at times so I can't quite put my finger on why she's there. As far as the eye doctor-I need to find someone who can get this contact thing right. I went through 4 different types of contacts and still couldn't see. Then he just plain,flat-out gave up on me. I am not the only near sighted/far sighted person in this world so I shall move forward with this.

-2

2011-02-11T07:31:00.002-05:00

I know I shouldn't complain about the cold. After all I choose to live in Wisconsin. But damn it was nippy at 4am this morning. It is the kind of cold that just slaps you in the face. My temperature in my car read -2 when I left for work. Between the Hale & Zoo it climbed up to 1 and then stayed there. At least the wind is mild, keeping the wind chill at bay. If the forecast holds true-tomorrow will be a better day.

We had Monday off in exchange for Friday this week. Now that it's Friday I wish I would have taken a vacation day. I'll admit I am spoiled and as tired as I am from Monday through Thursday it is worth having the three day weekend. I enjoy the Friday's as it's a day to myself. It's usually spent running errands and catching up on housework, but I'm on my own schedule. My chores are done more efficiently without anyone under foot.

I did get a little behind this week with having some down time due to a run in with some flu like issues. This started on Tuesday and this morning I finally feel like I can eat something without worshiping the toilet bowl afterwards. I was safe with the toast I ate yesterday. Took it easy on dinner last night although I don't think a taco was the best choice. So now I'm in the hungry but guarded mode. I was really hoping someone would bring in doughnuts today. That would be yummy right about now. Then again, I should probably stick with the toast for another day just to be on the safe side. By that time the doughnuts will be off my mind.

Now What?

2011-02-08T06:59:00.002-05:00

Sunday's Superbowl turned out to be a great game, with great friends, and as usual yummy food. Not to mention the win by the Packers. I feel blessed that I have been able to see the Packers go to the Superbowl 5 times in my life time (counting the loss). Hate to admit that I was old enough to watch the first one. Couldn't tell you much else beside I watched it with my dad and brothers and remember my dad being very excited.

The entertainment after the game was equally as good as the game itself. There were some snow angels after the win that still have me shivering. Note to self:next year bring extra clothes. Somewhere along the line my brother and my husband became completely stinking drunk (for lack of any better word to describe their condition). I noticed my husband getting quite chattery, which he does when he drinks, and mentioned slowing it down a little. I got the "look" so I figured I wasn't the one who was going to suffer for this. They were entertaining to a point but then it was time to call it a night. My brother has secretly voiced his concern about blowing a candle out and splattering some wax. At the time I didn't think much of it but upon seeing it the next morning you would think the guy took a leaf blower to the candle. He's got some cleaning to do. There is green wax splattered up a wall and actually made it to the picture a few feet above it.
My husband sat in his chair all day yesterday-taking a few naps-and I don't think he got out of it until 7pm. Looks like this is going to be a slow recovery for him.

It was a great season that extended our normal football watching just a bit longer this year. I remember feeling some dread after the new year that football for me might have been over. Thank you Green Bay Packers for an exciting,winning season.

This hype will end soon and we'll enter the last few months of winter in Wisconsin. I'm on the fence about a trip to Arizona in May. I could use a sneak peak of summer and May is a great time to go. Other than that I need to find ways to make the last few months of this season go by faster. May be doing some much needed painting in the now vacant bedrooms in our house. Could be jinxing myself with that as it seems that each time we fix up those rooms someone moves in. It was suggested that we just seal up the rooms.

The Song

2011-02-05T10:25:00.002-05:00

It's the little things in life that jog your memories of someone who has passed. I see little old men scrunched over their steering wheels and think of my Grandpa. Never without a cigar while driving. One of the most influential men in my life. He was the base of our family. Always stern when need be but spoiled us rotten when the parent's weren't looking. And Lord help the person that messed with one of his grandchildren. He had your back whether you were right or wrong. Grandpa accepted and loved you for who you were.

I hear certain songs and watch certain TV shows and think of my brother. Always the comedian no matter what the situation. Another accepting person who loved you for who you were. Taken to young and 2 1/2 years later I'm still waiting for his phone calls and still waiting for him to come pulling in our driveway. This was a tough one and will take some mending time.

And then there is Randy. Football jogs my memory. Camping does it also. Work does it. Certain songs do it. This morning I thought it was great that American Pie was on the radio. A tribute to a great friend. You will be forever in my heart. Thanks for all the great memories. I miss you still.

First Flakes

2011-01-31T06:24:00.003-05:00

I walked outside for work this morning and saw the first flakes of the predicted winter storm we will soon be in the midst of. Well, of course, that is if the jet stream goes this way or that way and the air coming down from Canada stretches this far south. I must not have been listening very closely to the weather because I was under the impression that this was not starting until tomorrow afternoon. Apparently we could receive up to 8 inches of snow today. Tuesday into Wednesday is when the blizzard conditions are probable. I might actually have a snow day.

I've worked here for 10 years now and can't recall one snow or weather related closure. We've received several notifications this season from our companies on the east coast and in the south that have been closed for weather conditions. We've always been told "if you can make it in safely then come in". Seeing as the employees here are scattered in all directions it's hard to put a handle on "safely". The guy that lives in Kenosha is 2 miles off the freeway and therefore is here regardless of the snow. The guy that lives in Muskego and is side roads most of the way has been known to be late or not here due to weather conditions. The guy on 98th& SilverSpring is usually off. He lives the closest, but they will always judge by the Kenosha guy. I've made it every time as I'm not to far off the freeway which is usually plowed and not populated when I'm coming in. I'm not worried about the ride in. I just don't want to be stranded in rush hour on my way home.

In preparation for this I will pack my boots, wear my gloves and find a shovel to throw in my truck. Also better put a shovel in the porch so we don't get snowed in. Just wish I had a TV at work to watch all the reporters posted around town. That is by far the best part of the storms.

Sorry

2011-01-25T06:21:00.002-05:00

Let me start off by apologizing for every time I have been crabby and brought other people down. I know there are people who can bring me out of it pretty fast, and I don't think it takes me long to realize I'm affecting others so I'll focus on good things and try to save the crabbiness for when I'm alone.

I have worked with a certain girl for over 8 years now. She is by far the moodiest person I know. She is miserable and therefore feels every one around her should also be. Lana has her happy days but they don't last real long. There have been several opportunities for her to advance from her operators position which I have prompted her to go for. The answers are always the same "Why should I, nothing will be any different" She will continue on to tell me that she always gets screwed no matter what she does. This is a girl with some serious self-confidence and low moral issues.

I knew it was going to be another one of those days when she came in and told me that I was parked a little past the yellow lines. Who cares? I was in the first spot and my tire was slightly on the yellow line. It was the first spot with no one to the left of me. All I did was give the person to the right of me a little more space. In her opinion I screwed up the entire parking lot. Next up was bitching about the soda bottle that was in her spot in the fridge. We do not have assigned parking nor assigned soda spots in the fridge. I just witnessed her rampage with the other operators on the floor (all men) and had to walk away. I feel sorry for these guys as they try to help her out and get snide comments and nasty looks.

On the flip side-she is a good friend and it has taken a long time to reach that status in her book. I enjoy spending time out of work with her. I think it may be time for a change in her life.

The girl needs help!

Way to Go

2011-01-10T08:55:00.003-05:00

I wanted to stay home today. When my alarm went off at 3 am the thought of getting up and turning it off came to mind. Then I let my senses take over and stayed upright and made my way through the morning routine and on to work. We are back on 10 hour days now with the plus of having Friday off. I shall make it through my week with that plus on my mind.
I love the Fridays off. It means a day to myself. A day to catch up on things around the house that are neglected during the week. Sometimes its not much of a me day, but it's an added day to not wake up to an alarm clock (beside my husbands).

Yesterday proved to be an excellent day. We traveled out for the game with the group. I'm thinking I may not be the only one who is lacking their full voice this morning. Packers pulled off the win and will now advance. It has been a very exciting season. The thrill was the interception in the end zone that brought everyone in the bar to their feet. Lot of yelling and high-fives going on. What a great feeling and a sigh of relief. Seconds before that-it was pretty silent.
Go Packers!

We have some Monday morning MIA people today. I'm assuming most of them due to the Packer game. All the production people are here-we're lacking management. However, the show must go on.

Final Day Off

2011-01-03T10:53:00.002-05:00

I call this the recovery day. The house is quiet except for the occasional scurrying of a cat and yawning and repositioning of Sadie. Not sure they like me being home and upsetting their daily routines.
I should call it the "me" day. This is after I looked around at the Christmas decorations and things piled into the spare room. Do I want to spend my last off day tackling that mess or just putter around and do a few things.
#1 on my list is to get all these cookies out of my house. I'll be packing up two containers, one for each of us to take to work tomorrow. There are some hungry guys at my work who will gobble them down. I may pack up three and bring one in mid-week. All I know is they need to get out of this house.
#2 on my list is to tackle the laundry chute that seems to have doubled in size since I looked yesterday. This can only mean that my loving husband saved up a ton of dirty clothes and threw them all down today.
#3 on my list is to try the new Wii Zumba. This could be fun.
#4 on my list is to take a trip to Goodwill to drop off a few bags of clothes that my husband cleaned out of his closet.
#5 on my list is to make some type of dinner that doesn't involve ham, roast beef, polish sausage or meatballs.

This is all heading toward the direction of a non-me day.

2010 At a Glance

2010-12-31T17:35:00.002-05:00

Kept the same job-with added responsibilities and a small raise, but am thankful I remained employed.

Health is good-had all the yearly tests required with good results.

Husband remained employed, although it was a little shaky for a while.

Kept my friends-every single one of them, which I am thankful every day to have. And made a few new ones.

Walked with my friend to celebrate her 4th free year (and many more to come)

Joined a zumba class.

Family is healthy and for the most part all employed.

Laughed with my friends over silly things.

Cried with my friends over sadness.

Comforted and was comforted by my friends.

Went to several Brewer games (not as many as I wanted to)

Enjoyed Summerfest.

Enjoyed State Fair

Went fishing.

Took a mini vacation this year camping which was enjoyable, although some one didn't come and due to work restraints someone had to cut out early. They were missed.

My daughter is doing much better and has moved out of the house. Although I worry about her, she seems happier than she has been in years. The girls are happy and in good hands, so I guess Grandma needs to relax a little.

Went to numerous baseball and football games in which Dylan played. I'm so very thankful that I am able to watch his games, and that he is able to participate.

We lost one of our cats this year after only having him one year. It's shocking how much impact this one little guy had on us. Still miss him, but am thankful for the time we were able to give him a home.

Gained a cat this year. My daughter is not able to have her cat where she is living so she stayed on with us. Not as friendly as the one we lost but with some attention she's coming around.

Bought a new fridge after ours died while we were camping. Also bought a new sump pump two days after that.

Husband still hasn't completely finished off the porch, but he's getting there.

Turned to sand pit into a swimming area. Purchased a pool that turned green because no one took care of it. I think the project for 2011 will be a giant fire pit with seating. That's my dream.

There were no babies born in our family this year.

Celebrated my mother's 75th birthday with a party at our house. So very thankful for that.

Stupidly didn't book the Vegas trip with my friends. Will try to smarten up by the next planned trip.

Once again spent more on Christmas than I planned, but hey..it's once a year.

Arnie got a new cell phone.

Arnie got Wheel of Fortune for the Wii

Try as I might I just can't keep someone out of first place playing Wheel on facebook.

Watched my son become more gainfully employed. A huge break he needed and deserved. A lot of hard work is paying off for him.

I have a lot to be thankful for as this year comes to an end. I'm just glad to be sharing it with people I enjoy and are blessed to have in my life.

Happy New Year...everyone please be careful out there. Bring on 2011.

Christmas 2010

2010-12-29T07:47:00.002-05:00

I started Christmas shopping around the first week of November. I took advantage of ordering some things on-line, but ended up going to stores for about 1/2 of what I bought. I thought I started early enough to be done a week or so before Christmas, but there I was out there two days before for a last few items.
The cookies were baked, the tree decorated, the outside 50% done and gifts wrapped by the 22nd. Then came the two days of cooking and preparing for Christmas Eve and Day. All went well.
The family Christmas Eve was hosted by Ben & Gambino this year. My compliments for a very fun & enjoyable family gathering. The kids (and my 40 year old sister) were occupied with crafts in the upper level of the home. A great idea as it kept them from sitting on the couch staring at the gifts under the tree. The food was yummy, especially the home made mac & cheese. The gift opening went great. Didn't get to see to much of what people as it did get a little hectic for a few minutes there.
My husband managed to make it through the night although fighting a horrible cold. I wasn't sure he'd made the event as he sounded terrible and being a stubborn man opted out of taking anything for his illness.
After not to late of a night we headed home to get some rest before round two of Christmas started. It's always a hassle getting my kids and grand kids and mother-in-law over at the same time, but it worked out great. I filled their stomachs with lots of food and off we went to the chaos of opening gifts. From the mound of gifts I thought it would take at least a few minutes. I thought of making them open one gift at a time, but as a kid, what fun would that be? I sat and watched the utter chaos and smiles and kidding and couldn't think of anywhere else I wanted to be at the moment.

The Colonoscopy-A Crappy Subject

2010-12-28T10:48:00.003-05:00

What better thing to write about. I have put this routine off for a few years and after being prompted by my doctor decided to go for it. I also made an pact with my friend that we'd both have it done this year. I made enough excuses in the past few years and reality set in and I made the call.
The initial consult with the doctor wasn't bad. A few instructions and a month to mull it over and cancel if I chose to. My friend went first. There was quite a difference in the prep required. She couldn't have anything with seeds or nuts for the 5 days before and then began a pretty restricted liquid diet the day before. She also began to take a syrup substance provided by her physician. After her procedure she let me know that she was not chained to her toilet all day. Things went pretty smoothly for her. A mild cramping but that was about it.
My prep began the day after Christmas. No solid food. (hide the cookies!). Jello or liquids only. Liquids meaning clear broth, fruit juices, water and Popsicles. I had to take 4 tablets at 3 pm. Within 1/2 hour my stomach was churning. I chose not to eat anything and also was not hungry to this point. At 5 pm I was to mix a full bottle of Murilax with 64 ounces of any flavor Gatorade I chose. I chose Ice Blue Frost. I was then to drink an 8 ounce glass every 1/2 hour until it was gone. Needless to say I did miss several Packer scores. At this point I thought it would be much worse (horror stories heard) and remarked to my husband that it wasn't so bad. By the time I got to the last 8 ounces of mix I really struggled to get it down. I did get it down before the allotted 2 hours.
This is when all hell broke loose. I'm not a big sugar laden beverage drinker. The Gatorade was doing a number on me. I broke into a sweat and could feel my stomach rejecting whatever I was drinking. No where on my handy brochure did it say anything about vomiting. Without revealing the nitty gritty of it all, I will say that the garbage bags I use in my bathroom garbage can hold plenty of liquid. This little ordeal even brought my husband to the bathroom door. I could do nothing but laugh at this point. I don't know how I found humor in it but I did.
The rest of the night went well. I was clean and ready to go. The exam itself was a piece of cake. I was put into a Twilight sleep but woke up close to the end. Couldn't feel a thing but could see the screen. Kind of blurry after that until I was taken back to the holding area and my husband appeared. Within 1/2 hour was up and out the door. Checked in at 10:45 and out by 12:30.
My advice...not that big of a deal. Do what they tell you..don't cheat and eat, and buy the flavor of Gatorade that you are least likely to buy on a regular basis. This ordeal need only be done once every 10 years if you come out clean. Five years if there is a family history or they detect anything. Not bad considering it's a preventative measure.

Don't Break My Spirit

2010-12-14T11:46:00.004-05:00

I like the Christmas season. It can be a little stressful at times, but the outcome is good. My family has get togethers throughout the year, but the Christmas gathering always seems to be the best. I don't have any bad childhood memories of Christmas, and I am thankful to my parents for that. My mother did not have a very happy childhood, and therefore went out of her way to make sure her children did.

Christmas was always special. We were raised to understand the true meaning of Christmas, but we all know that when a child sees a mound of presents in front of them, that meaning becomes a little lost. So when all the wrapping paper, boxes and bows are cleaned up and the gift cards are located in the piles of discarded boring clothes we take a few moments and relay the true meaning.

Since I have had children and grandchildren of my own I have tried to pass the excitement of Christmas on to them. The shopping can be a little rough, but has been made easier throughout the years by shopping online. The decorating can be a little much, but when all is done it's nice to take a step back and smile. Christmas should not be a chore. I know, "tell that to the person hosting Christmas at their home". That is a chore. Shopping, cooking, cleaning and making sure everything turns out OK. My family is pretty easy to please and helpful. The outcome should be a room full of happy people who enjoy spending time together.

Now put the brakes on...Someone, or should I say several people are out to break my spirit this year.

For 27 Christmas's I have been with my husband who's busy season of the year is Christmas. I've seen him stressed, tired and crabby to no end. I've done just about all the Christmas prep by myself minus the outside lights. Our lights are 1/2 done, yet boxes are scattered all over the basement. Figured he'd be working on them last night, but took to the couch instead.
My mother-in-law is in her usual "There is no Christmas this year" mode. It's getting old and I'm getting tired of it. I've tried to be sympathetic in the past but it's the same thing every year. There's no money for presents. No one expects her to buy presents. If you buy her something she wants you to return it as she got you nothing. You explain to her that it doesn't matter over and over again. Something in the back of my mind tells me that she just wants to exchange or return whatever she received as she just doesn't like it.
My sister-in-law is in her repetitive "I hate Christmas" mode. Another one with no money for gifts, however plenty of money for frivolous items. This one can get me to be a little bitter as I've purchased gifts for her children when there was a claim of no money only to see the brother-in-law well stocked on beer and other party products.
My kids are arguing. I refuse to be in the middle of this as they are both adults. I will listen but refuse to pass judgement or become involved. This should make for a lovely Christmas day if this is not resolved. I listen to them and wonder what happened to make them so bitter toward each other. I'm not saying my parenting skills were right, but I seldom screamed at my kids. Tried talking things through and treating them both equally and fairly. Their father on the other hand favored my son and did not and still does not know how to talk to them. The phone calls I've been witness to are of him in a rage over something.
I think I may pick up the 3 grandchildren and have a peaceful Christmas Day with them.

I hear there are plenty of movie theaters open for business on Christmas Day. After church and breakfast we may head to one.

Two Years-

2010-12-06T06:19:00.002-05:00

Well it's been two years since you left us Randy. Most of the tears have now taken over to laughter and smiles when remembering you. The times you are missed are countless. I haven't had a hearty-gut busting laugh that would bring me to tears, in quite a while.
Still waiting for you to walk out of the office and on to the production floor-barking out some orders. Some people have attempted to break your "24 Mikes Hard Lemonade" record but it hasn't been done yet. The pudgy pie making has been handed over to Steve, but he could use a wise-cracking assistant. Jo's done a good job taking over on the "There are no Buffalo in South Dakota". We're still belting out some of your favorite songs-still working on the Ozzie stuff though.
Even though you are missed, the memories are there. Something that can never be taken away. RIP buddy!

RIP

2010-12-01T06:17:00.002-05:00

I make it a habit to read the obits a few times a week. Usually just scan the names and if one looks familiar I'll check out the actual obit. This morning I opened the paper and looked right at a name with picture that threw me for a loop. My high-school boyfriend died yesterday. I actually only dated him for about a year but knew him all through middle school and remained friends with him after we broke up. Over the years we ran into each other several times and did the quick update on our lives.
I broke up with him for the charms of my first husband. Everything happens for a reason right? Both his father & my ex's father were employees of Ladish so they ended up working together. He married, had two girls and was divorced shortly after the 2nd daughter was born. His wife left him with both the girls. She also worked at Ladish and ran off with some guy from there. This woman was horrible. I felt bad for him because he was just too nice of a guy and didn't deserve what she put him and his girls through. He ended up moving back home with his mom and raising his girls, and helping his mom out. The day before I married Arnie, he called me out of the blue to ask me out. Everything happens for a reason again.
I think he was in his early teens when his dad passed away. He had three brothers and their garage was the big hang out. They constantly had cars in their garage. The gear head boys of the high school. I often wondered how their mom kept up with 4 greasy, dirty boys. Once when I was over there I noticed greasy hand prints on the entrance wall and she told me she'd never wash them off as they were signs that her boys worked hard.
My brother was good friends with him and his brothers, so was also over there a lot. Drinking beer and working on cars. Send the girls for parts and food. That was my job. A lot of memories of hanging out with him and his brothers. Good bunch of guys that treated girls like gold.
Rest In Peace Tom. I'm sure your girls have a ton of memories of your kindness.

A Day With An 11 year old boy

2010-11-29T14:07:00.002-05:00

My grandson stayed over night on Thanksgiving. His dad had to work early and they would be leaving for hunting the next afternoon. It has been a while since he stayed over by himself so I was a little nervous that he'd be bored. It was quite the opposite. The time was long overdue for son grandma-grandson bonding.
He did have the choice of staying with us or going with his dad and staying home for several hours alone. He chose staying with us. That was only after I assured him that I would not be getting him up at 3am to shop. I did have fun with that while we were watching TV. Every early bird/Black Friday commercial that came on found be commenting that maybe we should get up and go. His eyes would widen and he'd ask if I was kidding.
This is kind of how the time went after everyone else left on Thanksgiving.

Ask if there is anymore Pumpkin Pie even though he just had a piece an hour ago.
Make sure there was still Redi Whip for his pie for the next day
Find the Lazar pointer and play with the cats for a while
Take a shower and sing something his grandparents could not make out.
Check for messages on his phone
Hit the man cave with Grandpa for a while
See if Grandma's ready to watch the Simpson's movie
Settle in and watch the movie
Pause it once to get a snack
Pause again for water and bathroom break
Ask once again if he'd be woken up early for shopping.
Fall asleep watching 2nd movie-it was boring anyway
Wake up around 830 and wander into grandmas room. Watch news and beg to not be dragged to the store.
Eat the pumpkin pie for breakfast and 1/2 hour later eat a Grandma prepared Turkey sandwich.
Bargain with Grandma-taco bell for lunch if he goes to grocery store with her.
eat another Turkey sandwich when grandpa gets home
Take a shower and text a picture of his face with "I"m watching you" attached-to his grandmother.
hear the giggle when grandma checks her text
check one more time if Taco Bell is still promised after the grocery store
Go back and pick up the dirty clothes left in the bathroom, find the clothes from the night before and while Grandmother is waiting stop and send another text stating he's coming. Because we live in a mansion texting is necessary.
Finally get shoes and coat on and once again ask about Taco Bell.
Try to bargain to stay in the car, but finally decide to come in.
Try to add things to the cart and then giggle when the items are discovered.
Stop and read the cover of the latest hunting magazine.
Finally get the Taco Bell
Stink up my bathroom and text me about it.
Watch another movie and lay on the floor and play with Sadie.
Father comes to pick him up. Still doesn't have all his stuff together. Typical 11 year old boy.

All in all I did have fun.

And Here We Go....

2010-11-27T13:50:00.002-05:00

Every year for the past 20 years or so it happens. It's usually the weekend after Thanksgiving and I thought I'd be prepared again this year. Even though shopping and preparing for Christmas can be stressful I manage to find a way to get into the spirit of Christmas.
My mother-in-law has once again called off Christmas. Through out the years I've heard horror stories of how she freaked every Christmas over the way the tree was looking, over her cookies and whatever else went wrong in her day. I did get to witness her tossing all her cookie dough one day because she couldn't remember if she added an ingredient or not.
Back in the mid 60's Arnie's dad was in a horrible car accident on Christmas Eve. The story has it that she has been down on Christmas since then. A few years ago I made the comment "Wouldn't this make you more in the spirit because you didn't lose him?" She never counts her blessings, only looks at the bad side of everything. I've had many conversations with her showing her the good in things which works for about an hour and then she starts in again.
Today marks the beginning of her call of no Christmas this year. She is convinced that by Christmas she will be in kidney dialysis. She is one a medication that needs to be monitored and was sent for blood work the other day. Her doctors office called yesterday for a consult of her blood work and an appointment was made for Tuesday. "They're going to break the news then".
The lab sent her a copy of the blood work and she has suddenly become a doctor and is able to tell that her kidneys are bad. Fortunately my mother just went through the same thing and I remembered her telling me her numbers. They are about the same as mother-in-laws meaning she's okay. I have to remind her also that she is 77 years old. To tell her that is basically means she needs to be monitored and possible taken off the medication or have the dosage decrease falls on deaf ears. I was done talking about it. Then came the best part....
She is convinced she was adopted. Being that she is 10 years younger than her sister, she doesn't believe she was a later in life child. There is a picture she found of herself in a laundry basket that now has her convinced that she was dropped off on their porch. She's damn serious. When asked why she looks so much like her siblings she replied "When people live together for a long time they look alike". I think what we have her is a case of someone who is bored out of their mind. She needs a hobby or to get to a senior center or something to socialize with others. I've told my husband and his siblings that they need to convince her to get out and do something. This woman is very talented, educated and brilliant in many ways. She lacks self-confidence. She needs to do something other than sit in her house day after day and let her mind wander. My attempts at finding her social centers which offer crafts, music (which she loves), baking or just plain talking have been ignored.
I did remind her once again this year that Christmas is not canceled. Christmas comes every year and if she chooses not to celebrate that is her own choice, but it comes no matter what she says. So once again, we're in for the ride.

A Long List

2010-11-25T08:34:00.002-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving. We should all be thankful that we are here to celebrate this holiday again.
This date seems to be the day a lot of people sit down and reflect upon what they are or need to be thankful for. I am guilty of not taking the time each day to give thanks. When something not so good happens my first reactions are anger or panic. It takes a bit of time to switch to the "well things could be worse" mode. They could be worse, which is why I am thankful :

I am thankful that I was woken up this morning by Sadie's potty bark. It means her & I are still here.
I am thankful for my husband's snoring. (well, just the part that means he's still her also)
I am thankful that 2 years ago we made the decision to adopt the cat that crawls all over us at night. He's become Arnie's little buddy.
I'm thankful for my parents who raised us all with strong family bonds and morals.
I'm thankful for my grandfather, who will forever have an impact on my life.
I'm thankful for the ability to have had children, who need a good kick once in awhile, but have brought joy & love.
I'm thankful for my first failed marriage because without it I would never have known what a good marriage is. Thankful for 26 years of a good marriage.
I'm thankful for all those have served our country and those who continue to do so. Without these courageous people we may not be able to live in the great country we do.
I'm thankful for the memory of my former mother-in-law who always had a saying for everything. I'm thankful that I can still remember the sayings.
I'm thankful that my brother, after two attempts, now has a good marriage. I'm thankful that his lovely wife is the person she is. Did I mention what a great friend she is also?
I'm thankful and blessed with some of the greatest friends. Can't say enough about them.
I'm thankful for my family & my husbands family. Without any of them life could be boring.
I'm thankful that we have had the ability to "rent" out or spare room to those in need.
I'm thankful for the forever memories I will have of my brother David. Today's memory will be the half frozen veggie casserole he brought to Thanksgiving and the "special" pumpkin creme pie he'd order each year.
I'm thankful for the time I got to spend with those taken to soon, and the memories I will always have of them.
I'm thankful for my grandchildren. They are a beyond words incredible kids.
I'm thankful for good health and the ability to fight and overcome any illness's or diseases.
I'm thankful that I can walk next to my friend each year and celebrate her victory.

This list could go on and on and I have a Turkey to prepare, which I'm thankful for.

Quiet

2010-11-24T06:05:00.002-05:00

Hopefully this day will fly by. It seems that just about everyone in this department has taken the day off. I thought about it but didn't want to burn a vacation day. I'm out a 1 anyway and that should give me ample time for the Thanksgiving preparations.
I have a mental list in my head of things that need to be done. The mega Turkey I purchased has thawed, the to go with items have been purchased so I think I'm good to go. My husband has eagerly agreed to help peel potatoes (huge help). I'm convinced he grew up in a home void of a potato peeler. Proof can be seen in his use of one, so I'll just put him on cutting detail. There are no instant potatoes on Thanksgiving day.
I listened to Turkey cooking horror stories on the radio yesterday and had a few chuckles. I will probably jinx myself now but I've never had an issue. The first key in staying out of trouble is to purchase your Turkey ahead of time. Buying a Turkey the day before may cause issues. Those guys are frozen solid. Ours took 1 week in the fridge to thaw. I don't see the need to stress yourself out by trying to thaw a Turkey in one day. You want to make sure you coordinate your Turkey (which will take up most of your oven space) with the other items you need to cook. For the past several years I've had the Turkey done at least an hour before and had it carved and kept moist and warm in a nesco. My family doesn't care about a Turkey being brought to the table and carved in front of everyone, they just want to eat. Martha Stewart doesn't exist in our family gatherings. The Turkey is not on a special platter and decorated to the hilt. Don't get me wrong, there are serving dishes and the good plates are hauled out. There have been people caught sneaking the crunchy part of the stuffing and french fried onions off the top of the casserole dishes they were cooked in.
The eating seems to take only about 1/2 hour or so and then comes the hard part. The flurry of packing everything up and doing the dishes. The dishwasher comes in handy but we can't seem to fit everything in. I try to keep it somewhat organized and usually ask that I be able to pack leftovers away prior to having dirty dishes brought in and stacked everywhere. This is about the time I will glance at my kitchen floor and wonder how the heck it can get so messed up in such a little time. Then I'll look around at the rest of my house and wonder how it could get so messed up. You spend a lot of time cleaning and preparing for the gathering and spend just as much time cleaning up afterwards. But the extra work is well worth spending time with family. Afterwards I feel thankful that I have a job that allows the day after Thanksgiving off.

Behind The Scenes

2010-11-22T06:09:00.002-05:00

Saturday marked the date of the 84th Annual Milwaukee "Holiday" Parade. Growing up this was always a big deal for my family. My dad would pack us up and we'd head downtown to stake our claim and watch the parade. It fizzed out for a while and picked up again when I started taking my kids. Other family members would join us and the group grew as the years went by. We missed a few due to cold weather but for the most part sucked it up and dealt with the weather.
Two years ago Ben & Nannette began to participate in the parade through her work place. We were asked if we'd care to join in this year. We were to hold the Toy Soldier balloon. When telling the rest of the family we got mixed reactions. Apparently they don't actually enjoy sitting in the cold. Bunch of spoil sports.
We then decided to join Ben & Nannette along with other friends to see the other side of the parade. The prep began in the wee hours of the morning when my alarm went off at 5:30 am. I figured I could handle being a little cold and decided to ditch the winter jacket idea and go with layers. We met in the lobby of her workplace and were given Santa hats, some directions and a warm bus ride down to the lakefront. At this point assistance was needed in preparing the balloons. We were provided with hot chocolate, coffee and Krispy Kremes and more directions. The woman coordinating threw out some helpful hints to those of us that would be handing out freebies to the parade watchers. She mentioned several times that we would be swarmed and that the adults were worse than the kids. "Don't give everything out in the beginning of the parade, pace yourselves so you have enough left at the end also, and last but not least, do not throw the items toward the crowd" They didn't want kids running into the street to retrieve the items. We were also warned about poop and to keep an eye on the road ahead of us to avoid stepping in it.
The wait began. We were to be in slot numbers 69 & 70. We could hear the bands warming up and could watch the crowd beginning to form. Our waiting spot was close to the actual beginning of the parade so we had a good view . A few minutes before the parade begins they have the bus brigade. I think there were around 70 school bus's used to transport the parade participants. Our bus driver seemed to be busy drinking coffee and wound up running toward her bus to fall in line.
As a crowd member this was always a good time. The kids would see the bus's coming and know that the parade would begin shortly. This always brought cheers from the crowd. The only thing that brought more cheers was the street sweeper and Santa.
Then came the police escort and the banner marking the 84th Annual Holiday Parade. The Homestead Band was then next. We knew we were somewhere after Ronald McDonald and began to get lined up and ready to go. Some of the girls decided to carry the beads on their arms and were once again warned about the swarming crowd. And then it was showtime...
Off we went following our balloon. I was carrying a Journal bag with rulers, little newspapers, coloring books and cookbooks. I was immediately swarmed with requests for beads. I was walking along handing out my "not too welcomed" rulers and thought I was keeping a good pace. Dodi was next to me with newspapers also. We looked ahead and found that we were quite a bit behind our balloon. Stepped it up a bit and caught up to our balloon holders. We looked back and saw the bead girls being swarmed by the crowd. They were keeping a good pace to keep up with the van so they could restock. Our balloon holders were doing a great job but were having some difficulty with two people toward the front who didn't seem to want to work together with the others.
It was a different experience seeing things from the other side. There is a lot of work that goes into the parade and I was glad to be a little part of it. The best part of my experience was having my grandson run out and hand his grandpa and me a cup of hot chocolate. It's those little things in life that warm your heart. He got a few extra "not so fun" rulers for his thoughtfulness. His mom may have gotten an extra cookbook or two.
The coordinator was right. We were swarmed, the adults are worse than the kids, and people seem to have a thing about the beads. All I heard besides "thank you" was requests for beads. Because of the swarming I decided to toss out some rulers and was pretty good at getting them close to the curb. I did get a little warning for tossing. It was either that or walk along with people clung to my arm.
Turning the final corner the parade veers off to the west but the balloons head east. This is where they met up with most of the wind. Poor Nannette looked like she was going to be carried away, but she kept things under control. One short block and it was time to set the Soldier down and begin to deflate him. Turned in my empty journal bag and our work was done.
To sum it up, it was a good time, I wasn't cold at all after walking, I made it through without stepping in any poop and I had a good time.

Please Don't Help Me

2010-11-18T07:09:00.002-05:00

I need suggestions on how to nicely tell my boss not to help me. My hours are based on production running, and for the past few weeks they have run a 10 hour a day staggered shift. My boss does not care to come in any earlier than 8:30 am, so I have the 4:30 am start time. This means I'm gone by 1 and he takes over from 1-3. I try to get any testing needed done by the time I leave.
We have been swamped this week with extra testing for a new Customer. When new products start the testing most customers require is beyond obscene. We take it in stride as we know that once regular production starts the testing amounts will decrease. A customer has every right to demand the testing and documentation to cover all their bases. The past couple days I have met with him before leaving and let him know that I could finish whatever was necessary the next morning. Every day this week I have come in to a complete mess. Uncompleted paper work, samples unlabeled, and tests done completely wrong. It has taken me more time to figure out and clean up his mess than to do it myself.
The first two days I just did it without commenting. See at home I'm accused going back over what I ask someone to do. Well 9 times out of 10 there is an issue. Taking out the garbage means taking out all the garbage, vacuuming means the whole house-not just one room, doing the dishes means-all the dishes including the pots you used to cook. So by past practice it's easier to do it myself, rather than pretending to be happy that someone did a half ass job.
Today I think may be my final straw. I came in to a bigger mess than the past 3 days, two major tests that were done wrong, and crap laying all over the lab. No notes, no paperwork-nothing. This may be my punishment for not saying anything the first couple days. Maybe I will hide any samples I do not finish by the time I leave.
My boss has made it clear that his position is only temporary. I can tell he is bored with his job and therefore puts no effort into things. He is taking night courses and figures he'll be moving up soon. He becomes very defensive when questioned about anything and actually becomes somewhat snotty with customers. There was an awkward situation in the lab with the customer that he was called out on afterwards by our manager. So I'm not sure what to do about this situation.

Back in Time

2010-11-17T08:17:00.003-05:00

Speaking of crazy dreams! I decided to curl up in bed last night and watch a little TV. Flicking through channels my interest sparked when I came upon the History Channel. They were reviewing some of the countries biggest disasters. The show was about an avalanche back in 1920 or so which took out a train with passengers and coal. Must not have held my interest long as I think I fell asleep within 5 minutes or so.
The goofy dream I remember was that I had wanted to fly out and see my parent's but my husband talked me into taking the train so we could see the scenery. The problem was we weren't on a modern high speed train, we were on a very old coal type train. We got discounts on our tickets for shoveling coal for a few hours. I remember bitching (imagine that) several times on how we were taking so long to get there that we'd have to turn around and come right back.
About 1/2 way through the trip I noticed the Statue of Liberty off in the distance and questioned why we were going East. The conductor told us that the train had one route that went east and up through Canada and then back down through the west. My blood was boiling at that point and I was trying to figure out how to get off the train and to an airport. I finally managed to sneak off when we stopped at a station. Somehow I found my way to an airport but was told the only planes they had were the small open passenger single engine planes. I asked where all the jets were and was told they weren't invented yet. I was given a parachute and some goggles and boarded the plane. I had our cat with us and was worried that he'd be cold, so I was clutching him. I must have been cold in real life because we weren't much off the ground when I woke up, holding the cat.

The Early Bird Gets The Prime Parking Spot

2010-11-15T06:28:00.003-05:00

Sometimes change takes a while to adjust to. Things changed for us at work starting today. We are under the "Winter Parking Regulations". We have an L shaped building with two parking lots. One building is Corporate & the R&D labs. The other is production lines and warehouse. Our parking lot has a slight decline to it and is closed off for the winter. Melting snow seems pool up in the center of the lot and once the temperature goes down it freezes. A few years back someone had slipped in the parking lot and was out for a few weeks. The solution to this problem was to move the parking from Nov 15th through April 15th. This move causes all the production workers on this side of the building to park and walk about 1/2 block to the time clock, and then back to the production area. For years we've requested them to move the time clock. The entire process is silly. We're pretty convinced that the reasoning for leans more toward cost savings on plowing the lot. Thus we are now under the race for the prime parking spots. Being that I am an early start I usually get a prime spot. I just have to beat out the guy who comes to work 2 hours before his start time to read the paper, burn his toast and get the prime spot. Today was successful.
Had a pretty good weekend, yet a little bit on the boring side. I managed to get the kitchen painted and put back together in one day. Did get a little help from Barney with the high areas, which beat having to climb up and down the ladder. And then as a thanks to him, I dragged him Christmas shopping. Funny thing is he thinks he's done now. The few items we got are about 1/4 of the shopping that needs to be done. After the mall shopping he suggested that I do some shopping online as many places are offering free shipping.
The biggest mistake I made was suggesting that we should purchase a flat screen TV for the bedroom. My shopping trip Saturday was to purchase gifts for other people. It appeared that every store we entered that carried televisions, I lost him. If we walked past the electronics department I'd all of a sudden turn around and see him checking out televisions. I had to tell him several times that I didn't mean buy it today, as prices would most likely be dropping as Christmas neared. I found something else to do yesterday as he was plowing through the Sunday ads. I felt a little bad when I suggested we purchase a different fridge instead of the TV. The look on his face was priceless. Like I said, I felt a little bad.

The Vets I Know

2010-11-11T10:26:00.004-05:00

Though the Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919, November 11 remained in the public imagination as the date that marked the end of the Great War. In November 1918, U.S. President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed November 11 as the first commemoration of Armistice Day. The day's observation included. In 1954, after lobbying efforts by veterans’ service organizations, the 83rd U.S. Congress amended the 1938 act that had made Armistice Day a holiday, striking the word "Armistice" in favor of "Veterans." President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the legislation on June 1, 1954. From then on, November 11 became a day to honor American veterans of all wars.

Interesting. I know I learned all this in history class, and then again probably when helping my children with homework, but sometimes its good to go back and give yourself a little refresher in history.

My shout of thanks today goes out to all those who have served and those who are serving our country now. You have made it possible for the rest of us to remain safe and free. No amount of gratitude can repay the lives lost, time away from family and loved ones, or injuries suffered while serving your country. God Bless you all!

My immediate family has been blessed with having all those who served returned safely to their families. Both my grandfathers and my father served in active duty. I'm still searching for the news article from 1953 which covers a story of my father and several others being trapped on a hilltop in Korea. Their Thanksgiving dinner was air lifted to them. My grandfather used to have the article framed and it went to my father however being the humble man he is, I'm sure it's hidden somewhere. My dad cursed the air lifting of the dinner, as it gave away where they were. He never really talked much about the war itself. Just expressed his gratitude in returning home safely. My brother retired from the Air Force a few years back and was fortunate enough to never be in battle. And of course there's Bambinos brother-Mick who is still serving our country, and thank God has always returned safely to his family.

Thanks to you all!

This is what I do when I'm bored....write poems.

2010-11-04T10:52:00.003-04:00

For those of you that know our situation:

When I bought my childhood home at a steal
I knew that my sister came with the deal
Sister moved out, and then came a brother
Who would soon leave but then came another

Along came Ken with his daughter in tow
We nicknamed him Chico, as our lawn he would mow
He would then leave as he found a place
Whew, that should give us some space

Then came the poor unfortunate kid
Wormed his way into our hearts he did
We watched him grow up and graduate school
He was helpful in cleaning the pool.

Bout that time middle sister was in trouble
All I can say is she left on the double
Then came Air Force retiree Steve
He was here to stay, not just on a leave.

He would find work and more out on his own
Once again we had regained our home
But not so fast cause there was some lovin
And Julie would soon have a bun in the oven

The first Grandchild-oh what a joy
The added plus is it was a boy
He would be over each day for awhile
And never cease to make me smile

Shawn would then move out on his own
And call each month for a little loan
Michelle would then declare herself master
Move out with her friends which would end in disaster

The house was once again just us two
Redecorated my kitchen with cows that went moo
But not for long, wait, what the muck
Here's comes David with a loaded down truck

He has some issues, his marriage is done
He was less like a brother-more like a son
Things got patched up and back home he went
Soon to return and start to pay rent

He stayed quite a while and saved up some money
His antics annoying, but sometimes quite funny
Then off he went, out on his own
And found an apartment and called it his home

When is seemed as if things were settled down
My daughter appeared with a rather huge frown
Her back was a mess, her husband had cheated
We let her come home cause she felt defeated

And now it seems that the house is to small
Stuff from their room bursting into the hall
She's feeling much better and has met nice fellow
Who had two small children, one isn't so mellow

I would like to think that this could be good
It could lead to her leaving, really it could
I won't get my hopes up, won't declare a win
Cause next thing I know they'll be moving in.

It's been joked that our house is really an Inn
So many have stayed, it's almost a sin
Arnie's the smart one, cause he sees the light
He hides in his man-cave most every night.

The List

2010-11-04T06:28:00.002-04:00

I lost my list from last year. This could pose an issue. The list I am speaking of is my last years Christmas list. A very important document.

My mother always kept a notebook of Christmas gifts she had purchased. Each page listed each child and the gift & amount purchased. She kept it in her nightstand drawer. Once we were on to it we'd sneak in and check the list. She did a good job of spending an equal amount on each child. Once she knew we were on to it, she made two books. The fake one would contain nothing we asked for. Didn't take to long to figure out what she was doing.

I thought it was silly, but as I got older I started a list myself. I kept a notebook and therefore could look back a few years to assure I didn't give a gift I had given in a prior year. This especially helps with purchasing collectible items for someone. Last year I decided to put the list into a word document. Worked out quite nicely. But now it's gone. Vanished. I'm wondering if I erased it on purpose or may have tittled it something else to keep the nosey people out. Problem is I, myself forgot what I did. I managed to find some scribbling in a notebook from last year, but it doesn't say much. I shall not panic until all my resources are exhausted in the hunt.

Last week my mom fell and broke her arm. Did a pretty good number on it, as it required surgery to rebuilt the socket that the bone sits in. My mom knits a lot. She's made some very nice blankets, scarves, mittens and hats over the years. We place orders with Mom. One by one she's knitting blankets for her great grandchildren. This year was Dylan's turn. Let me just say that I can do some crocheting & knitting, but not as nicely as my mother. She's got patterns and colors going. When I received the phone call telling of the accident, she started out by asking if I could finish Dylan's blanket. After hearing the details of her accident I told her to send it and I'd finish it. "Oh no, that's okay" was her reply. This makes me chuckle as I picture the look on my mothers face at my suggestion. I know for a fact that she got off the phone , looked at my father and said "I'm not having her finish that blanket...have you seen her work" Thanks mom.

Divorce

2010-10-22T07:15:00.002-04:00

After being married for nearly ten years, my daughter began single yesterday. Single to the point of also changing her name back to her maiden name.
I've known about the court date for a few months now and have been trying to "read" her. I often wonder how ironic life can be, in that some of her life mimics my own.

Has second thoughts before marriage- check
After a year into the marriage wants out-check
Husband begs her to stay & promises to change his ways-check
Husband cheats again and this time there's no forgiving-check
Move home with two kids-check.
Sits around moping for a while until Mom tells her to "get on with your life"-check

A few days before the court date we sat and had a heart to heart. I told her that when I divorced her dad that I was sad because it wasn't the course I thought my life would take. When I got married at 19 I was naive enough to think that life would be all rosy. I became the one that would deal with any financial and family issues while he just had a free for all. She had similar circumstances and therefore resentment begins to set in. At this point you have two choices: continue your course of being responsible and trying to get ahead on your own, or succumb to this person's immaturity and "settle" for the type of life you're in for. Turn your back on your spouse's infidelity and just be there whenever he needs you.
As a parent, I didn't want to see her marriage fall apart. Like me, she didn't reveal any of the problems leading to the split, but I could sense things weren't right. When she finally did break down and talk about some issues, it was very hard to keep my thoughts to myself. I could have ripped him apart, but then there was the fear that she'd go back and always know what I thought of her husband, so I ripped him apart to myself and friends. When she told me that she was going through with the divorce I wanted to whoop it up somewhere! I'm now very proud that she has chosen to get her life back on track and find herself again. It'll be a little bit of a rocky road for a while but I see the determination in her, and I think with a few pushes (or maybe a shove) she'll be on that track in no time.

Take the Squirrel

2010-10-15T07:11:00.004-04:00

I'm not ready for the warm weather to move out. The forecast for the weekend is high 60's during the day and dipping down into the low 40's at night. I woke up this morning and it was a little nippy in our house as I'm not ready to close up all the windows yet. I like the crisp air and don't mind throwing on a sweatshirt. It may be time to close them at night. The cat was buried in the blankets and Sadie was all curled up on her rug this morning. I think if she could still make it up on the bed, she would have been there.

Ah, the camping weekend is upon me. 42 in the house is a little different then 42 outside. Canvas sides may not keep the chill out. I'm good with the forecast as long as rain doesn't sneak in there somewhere. 60's and sunny during the day is good. The bees may have already cut out so they won't be buzzing around every food item brought out and hopefully the days of the Asian beetles are over. Mosquito's=gone for the season.

We've had a owl hanging around our house for a while now. He sits on the basketball hoop. Usually when I leave for work he's setting off the sensor lights on the garage. It's nice that he lights the driveway for me. He may be after the abundance of rabbits and squirrels in our yard. It seems our dogs are not doing their job. On occasion you will see one of them get up and give chase to a rabbit. This morning I was almost to my car and heard the whoosh of the owls wings telling me that he was heading somewhere. He made a dive toward our front yard and swooped rabbit right up. I could do nothing but stand there and stare as the rabbit let out this horrible squeal. I wanted to yell "take the squirrel. They're the wreaking havoc on our yard", but he was gone and the rabbit was struggling. I think it was a lost cause.

I Am Just Way To Nice..Sometimes

2010-10-04T07:31:00.003-04:00

"It's gotta be hotter than Africa in that huddle right now" actually came out of the radio announcers mouth during yesterdays Packer/Lions game. He was referring to the Lions huddle. I am not a huge fan of listening to the game on the radio but we made the wiser choice and chose Dylan's football game over the Packers. You can always DVR the Packers game and watch it later, but watching a tape of Dylan's game just wouldn't be the same as being there. The boys were a little sluggish in the first half allowing the Cowboys to score three times. After the half they scored two touchdowns and held the Cowboys. Whatever their coach said to them during half-time made them come out a different team. It was suggested that they not eat a big Sunday brunch prior to a game. They suffered their first loss 21-12 but didn't allow the Cowboys to score the entire second half. I tried to blame the loss on my mother-in-laws presence at the game. It seems every time she shows up for a football game they lose. She is banned.
The Cowboys have a very vocal and rude sideline and the coaches are pretty verbally brutal. We've experience this for the past several years. There is one woman in particular whose voice carries across the field. Just brutal.

I received a phone call this weekend from my ex-husbands soon to be ex-wife. They owe me some money and haven't been able to pay yet. She started making some excuses when I broke in and asked why it was her responsibility to pay me back. Why was she making this phone call and not him? Why is she sitting at home worrying about money and he's out spending money on his newest woman? Well, she wanted to talk to me and apologize for being a bitch to me when her and Ron first got together. In case she never sees or talks to me again, she just wanted to straighten some things out. Wanted to thank me for never suing them for child support and apologize for not being able to help out enough. This isn't her place to apologize for these things. These were his kids, his responsibility and his failure as a husband and father. I did however accept the first apology because she came into the relationship with him like Hitler and I wasted a lot of time arguing with her. Her famous quote was that she was "standing by her man". Well, look what that got her.

Responsibilities

2010-09-30T08:38:00.003-04:00

Here comes another post regarding priorities. Must be a subject that really irks me because I tend to write about it a lot.

I have not always made the wisest choices in my life, but I can tell you that I have borrowed money once from someone and paid it back before I spent money on nonessential items. By nonessential, I mean things I did not need or could wait until I paid this person back. The money I borrowed haunted me until I made the last payment. This was an emergency borrowing situation and this person was kind enough to offer. I paid them back because I borrowed the money and it was my responsibility to pay them back.

I am careful about who I borrow money to. We have been hit up by relatives to help them out a little. Some were worthy of it. What makes me angry is the borrower that promises the pay back with the next check or anticipated tax return. One of the all time favorite excuses I've heard is "oh my gosh, I forgot". How do you forget you borrowed money from someone? I'm not talking about the quarter, nickle or dime one might borrow for the vending machine. I'm talking about the hundred dollar amounts.

Two issues stick out in my mind that bother me. The first was years ago when I received a call from a friend crying about how they had no money and could not afford groceries or diapers for their baby. Since we had borrowed money to them before without being paid back, I was hesitant. Instead of cash we went to the store and purchased the items for them. We brought the items over to their house and the husband came home with a case of beer and bottle of alcohol. Great priorities.

Same couple years later. Husband is in hospital on and off for two months. They're living on bare minimum as he's been out of work for a while. Many people jump forward and pay bills for them and come up with cash and gift cards to help them out. This is a situation where I didn't expect to be paid back. What I didn't expect was to drop in to visit a few weeks later and see a brand new flat screen TV in their living room and one in their bedroom. Once again-priorities. Basically the only conversations her and I have are when I listen to how broke they are. Yes, prescription medications and hospital bills will take a toll on your bank account, but so will over spending on unnecessary items.

Now lets get to the story that really bothers me. Daughter of hospitalized father lives out of state. She wanted to visit her father. The drive would have taken her 12 hours. She wanted to fly in as she had a limited amount of time. Several people offered to pay her plane fare but when it came to actually do so they backed out. The father's sister purchases her a one way ticket. She spends about 2 hours at the hospital with her father and then goes about visiting friends, getting her hair cut and picking up a few items. We get a phone call from her stating that the aunt had told her we were buying her ticket home. I offered to borrow her the money. She didn't know when she'd be able to pay me back. They were so broke. So I purchased the over-priced one way ticket and told her that we'd work something out with paying it back. A week after the girl arrives back home she sends a email with her new $600.00 dog. Within a month or so she sends pictures of her new camper. In the course of all this I get a call from her mother thanking me for paying for her ticket. I explain that we helped her out by borrowing her the money.
Over the course of the last two years the girl has purchased several big ticket items, including just recently another $600.00 dog, yet she is still posting about how she is always broke. I am so close to reminding her of her obligation to pay this money back. I am more angry now because of the disrespect that she has shown. She is my god-daughter and over the course of her life I have done more than the average person would do. The girl is 33 years old now and I am constantly reminded not to forget her birthday or Christmas. Really?

No Mental Mistakes

2010-09-29T07:05:00.000-04:00

"Don't make the same mental mistakes that caused the Green Bay Packers to lose to the Bears" This is the message that the President has passed on to students in Wisconsin. Did he just jot that down on the plane ride. Maybe he figured that talking sports was a way to hold their attention.

I'm glad yesterday is over. The loss was tough enough, but they lost the game over the penalities they committed. Period. Chat rooms were buzzing yesterday putting the blame on the refs. Co-workers were complaining about the refs. And then last night at Dylan's football game people were still talking about the bad calls made by the refs. Maybe there might have been one or two, but for the most part from what I saw, the Packers were at fault. They lost the game due to their mistakes. If they can own up to it then their fans need to also.

I watched an interesting show on PBS last night about baseball. Funny how when every day life goes on you forget something as news worthy as the baseball strike. Showed the half empty stadiums after the strikes, people throwing money onto the field and the heckling of the players. Former President Bill Clinton also stepped in (according to the program). They credit Cal Ripken Jr. with bringing baseball back to where it should be. For setting a starting record and being the greatest shortstop in baseball history. I guess I dozed off right about then, so I'll have to see if I can find it on demand to hear the rest of the story.

Back to football. A man appears at Dylan's game last night sporting a Chicago Bears hat. He took some slack for it, including from his kids. "Dad, did you forget you're a Packer fan" The guy gives the worst reply in the world. "Yeah, but the Bears have the top record right now"
Now there is a loyal fan for you.

And we're walkin

2010-09-27T08:13:00.000-04:00

Yesterday marked the 4th year our group has walked in the Susan B Komen race for the cure. The first year was the group of girls and then the guys joined us in the years after. Proud of my daughter who along with her friend and her daughters made the walk yesterday also.

I was always aware of breast cancer and like everyone else knew someones sister, friend, mother or daughter who had breast cancer. It's something that one is aware of but unless it hits someone close to you , it's stored in the back of your mind. In the past I had donated to the Cure and read many articles and life stories of those affected. As much as I dreaded it I faithfully had my annual checks after turning 40. Than it hit our family with a double whammy. First Nanette and then my mother. Two of the strongest women I know. Two fighters.
Nanette's diagnosis woke my mother into having a mammogram which she had skipped for several years. This allowed them to find her cancer very early on and not much treatment was needed. I had been on her for years to keep having them, so this was the one time I got to say "I told you so" to my mother. Not under the best circumstances, but I think I was allowed that one.

The walk is for a good cause. Yesterday's walk was a record crowd. I have been pretty fortunate in joining Nanette for the survivor breakfast each year. As I sit with her I look around at all the people in pink Survivor tee shirts. These are ordinary people who have been stricken with the disease. I look at the time and effort these people put in to hats, tee shirts and accessories and see the smiles on their faces. This is their day. Their day to celebrate the obstacles they have over come. Their day to hope that someday soon there will be a cure for this disease. I celebrate that I can sit there with my friend feel proud to be with her. (oh, and the bagels are good also) I sit there hoping for the same thing they do. For a cure.

Once done with the Survivor breakfast it's on to meet up with the rest of our fellow walkers. We don't have an overly large group, but the group we have are close and there for a good cause and for the support of our friend. Scanning the crowd will show all the other people there for the same reason. For their mom, wife, husband, sister, daughter, aunt, friend, and the list goes on.
As I'm walking I get into the habit of looking at the tags on their backs and seeing who they're walking for or in memory of. It disturbs me to see so many "in memory of" tags.
Yesterday was a record crowd. I felt proud to be a part of it. I plan to continue walking along with my friend until there is a cure. I will walk afterward also, to give my thanks for someone finding a cure. A pat on the back to all those who took the time and effort to support the cause yesterday. It was good to be a part of it.

I Want Some Answers!

2010-09-24T09:59:00.000-04:00

There may have been some details from yesterday that prompted the dream/nightmare I had last night.
Yesterday afternoon facebook was down. Upon arriving home both my granddaughters and daughter were sitting at the kitchen table brooding. I had to remind them that facebook being down is not the end of the world and life would go on. Later on when I checked my email I found a friend request from my ex-husbands current wife (divorce in process). Not only did I find one from her, but then also one from his 2nd wife. I found it funny. Was it now time to get together and bash Jon publicly? I smell some sinister reasoning for this. I also found it odd that wife #2 and wife # 3 are friends now. Is there some club forming that I am invited to? Will I feel left out if I don't join.
My thoughts and feeling regarding Jon will not be aired on facebook. It's a natural fact that people will write more than they have the guts to say in person. I've also recently been witness to a bashing on fb that involved a person who did not have fb and was therefore unable to defend them self. Facebook is for fun. It's to share things with people. It's not to publicly bash a defenseless person. Nuff said. On to the dream.

I am at Dylan's football game intently watching the game. Wife #2 and #3 come walking over wishing to speak to me. I wave them off and tell them whatever it is can wait until after the game. I begin to notice other people around me. My ex-sister-in-laws, a few friends we had as a couple, my mother and a group of current friends. I look over and see ex husband with his current girlfriend (90 lb crack head-for real). I begin to wonder if something is up.
Flash forward to end of game and Dylan coming over to the sidelines. I try to get a picture of him and new girlfriend tries to get in the picture. This makes me angry and I ask her to move. She begins to cry and asks what she needs to do to be accepted by Jon's family. I start to laugh and wish her luck.
I am then face to face with Jon and mention that he owes me some money (that part is true). He begins to cry and tell me that he cannot believe how much he messed his life up. Points to the girlfriend and two ex's and tells me none of this would have happened to him if I had never divorced him. I explain to him that cheating will get you a divorce. He swears that if I take him back that it will never happen again. He just wants a chance to be happy again. The ex's appear and back him up. My stomach begins to churn and I can feel myself getting angry. I ask him why he did it in the first place and he tells me that he just figured I wouldn't care. I go on to tell him that I'm glad he did or I wouldn't be where I am now. The ex's are still backing him up and the girlfriend begins to chime in also. I looked for Barney to tell him it was time to leave and he tells me to make a choice right now. Huh? I am so confused that I wake up from the hellish dream. I actually think I forced myself awake because I felt instant relief and sighed when I woke up.

So the dope brings the current girlfriend to Dylan's game the other night. No shocker to me as he's done worse but I think he could have maybe introduced the girl to the grand kids at a more appropriate time and place. The little I know about her had come through my kids. Wife #3 filed for a separation a few months ago. She did it in hope that it would scare him and they'd work thing out. It backfired on her as he wasted no time in making his current fling public.
I'm not really interested in joining the club. The way I see it is I got the only good part of that marriage. Two kids.

News Flash

2010-09-21T07:00:00.000-04:00

According to the newspaper and radio broadcasts this morning the Recession ended in July of 2009. This seems to have come as a shock to many people. If the recession has ended then why hasn't my husbands wage been restored? Why are people still having problems selling their homes? Why are so many people still out of work and still losing their jobs? Why are there still so many foreclosures and bankruptcies being filed?
Has the recession ended, or are people just learning to live with the financial downfalls?
I understand that when the economy was good people got a little more comfortable with their spending. Interest rates were down, luring people in to purchasing homes they really could not afford and using charge cards they would soon find out of control. We've always been a bit cautious about our spending, assuring that if there was a loss of a job or some sort of emergency the bills would still be payable. I can understand the trap that some people have been caught in. The realization that these things have to be paid back can slap one in the face. I have seen friends/relatives get caught up with the loss of a job or medical issues. I am no where near an expert on finances, but some of these mishaps were self-inflicted. Out of control spending.
This concludes the soap-box portion of my blog.

On to the Pirate Wedding we attended. When the details of the wedding first started coming out I thought it was kind of silly. I've been to several themed weddings in the past and thought them cute and original. Wasn't sure how well the pirate thing would go over. They picked the perfect place for the wedding. The South Shore pavilion. The building and natural scenery was perfect. The couple put a lot of time and effort into the planning and decor.
I wasn't aware that my husband was planning of dressing the part until about two weeks ago. He made several trips to thrift shops and Goodwill looking for items. We ended up running around to several Halloween stores over the weekend to complete his attire and find things for me. He looked good. Some would say there was not much of a difference but I must argue the point. His normal attire does not consist of a ruffled shirt or stripped pants. The wig he wore drove him nuts. I wanted to braid the hair for him but he'd have no part of that.
The ceremony itself was short and well written by the groom. Dinner was good and was of a Caribbean Cuisine. The beef was good but I shied away from the salmon. The reception was supposed to last until 11:30 but was almost empty of guests by 9. Being that it was a Sunday I'm going with the fact that most people needed to work on Monday. That and the fact that the band was not holding the crowd. I'm not sure that the bride and groom even cared that the place was just about empty. They seemed very relieved that things went so well, but were dead tired from all the planning and set up. All in all is was a lot of fun and the crowd participation was more than they hoped for.

Out Of Sorts

2010-09-15T07:03:00.000-04:00

I have zero tolerance for people that lie to me. Or shall I say "attempt to pull one over". We dropped our truck off for repair yesterday afternoon and were told we'd have a free loaner. This entailed the service manager calling the rental car place a few blocks away and having them pick us up. The car rental guy showed up a few minutes driving a Jeep. My first thought was we were going to drop him off and have the Jeep. Bubble burst! We got back to the car rental place and were told we would be given a Silver Honda Civic that just came back and was getting washed at the moment. The loaner itself is free but then came the spiel regarding insurance. Our car insurance will cover any vehicle we drive, but then there's the deductible and the fact that if we take their insurance there will be no charges at all to us except the $15.00 a day to carry it. This, in my eyes, makes the loaner not free. My husband brought up the fact that our credit card automatically covers any charges incurred by an accident. Well that would be fine and dandy if we had used the credit card to rent the car in the first place.
After all the paperwork was done we went to check out the car prior to leaving. No dings, dents or damage found except normal wear and tear. The guy is talking this car up like it's the best thing since baseball. We got the keys and when starting it up I immediately notice the flashing service light. I call the guy back over and he tells us that the car is fine, they probably just forgot to reset the warning after the last oil change. Goes on to explain that the cars are checked out via computer and it checked out fine. I bring to his attention that the warning signal is noting that it required service 1.2 miles ago. Seeing that the car just came back a few moments before we came in can he honestly say it was checked out? He did note it on the paperwork and off we went.
I hate the car for several reasons. I'll never be able to find it in a parking lot unless I memorize the plate numbers. Have you ever noticed how many silver Civics's there are? It's way to low to the ground. I watched my husband just about exit on his knees. I feel vulnerable in this little car, after driving a truck for 10 plus years. I don't think it goes over 60. The stupid warning light drove me nuts as it was flashing all the way to work. The radio is good. The seat adjustment is really awkward and not power. I guess I just got spoiled.
I'm so out of sorts with this car that I forgot my phone this morning. Not that in itself is not a good feeling.

The Red Mullet

2010-09-14T07:12:00.000-04:00

I started a water aerobics class last night with my friend Donna at a suburban high school. We had taken the class about 2 years ago and the attendance was low so they had cut out the class the following season. The teacher at the time was a little more intersted in gabbing with the ladies than teaching a class.
We arrived last night and found the parking lot to be packed. I figured walking the little extra to the entrance was a good think while my friend wanted to get closer. I wasn't about to drive around waiting for a spot to open so while listening to her complain we made the hike. In the past class there were about 15 women tops. We walked into the pool area and were among the 30 women enrolled in the class. I noticed some women from the past class we had attended.
One woman in particular must have felt she was the queen bee of the class. She noticed us right away and had to make her way to welcome us back. She started bringing us up to date on the "gossip ". I have no interest nor do I know these people. I'm there for the class, so I slowly backed away from her.
When the instructor appeared I had to do a double take. Change the red mullet hair style and she could have been my friend Kim. The facial expressions, the body movements and the sternness in her voice was right on. My friend who has only met Kim and handful of times had a hard time believing it wasn't her. She was very vocal and very descriptive in the routine we should be following. I give her a 10 in teaching abilities.
I found the class to be interesting. Got a good work out but also noticed that about 1/2 of the class was much more interested in chatting and doing their own thing rather than listening to the instructor. I guess being the newbies kept us out of the loop. The head hen kept moving over toward us and letting us know she takes the class twice a week and has been for years. One girl, also new, who joined the class to lose weight commented that the "chubby head hen" should move instead of gab and maybe she'd lose a few hundred pounds.
I didn't give much thought to after the class. The changing room is a little chilly and as of right now going outside afterward was okay. The class goes until the first week in December. It's going to be a little chilly in the future. My friend brought up the fact that we could be standing outside scraping windows. I may need to find a Saturday morning class for the winter session.

Sept.13th

2010-09-13T12:38:00.000-04:00

Today would have been my brother David's birthday. Funny how certain days stick out in your mind. I remember eating dinner and my father trying to get us to hurry as he had to take Mom to the hospital. It was so quick that the dinner dishes didn't get done. My aunt and grandmother came to pick my two brothers and I up and my aunt almost got into an accident on the way back to grandma's house. We stayed there a while until my dad came back to tell us we had a brother. I had wanted a sister but got over it pretty quick. I also had to do the dishes when we got back home.
Anyway..remembering David on his day.

Vacation

2010-09-13T06:03:00.000-04:00

This was my home for 6 days. You'll notice my husband legs as he sits in his chair which was his home for 6 days. I guess you could minus the times he sat at the table playing cards or eating, and the times he got up to play washers and go to the bathroom. He appeared to have a very relaxing week.
We hit some rain on the trip up and the credits were mounting. I'm not sure they ever cashed in on their Jack & Cokes. We stopped at the usual diner for a quick bite to eat prior to the last 10 miles to the campground. Waitress remembered offering to help one of the guys pitch his tent. I think she may have forgotten the message she had shown him on his phone, or she chose not to discuss it due to other customers being in the diner.
We lucked out with good weather. Had a few windy days which made fishing a little difficult. I did manage to catch the first fish which had to be released as he was a tad bit to small. Dick had a pretty good size carp that he had hooked in the back. He handed over his fishing pole so I could get the feel of a larger fish. Big ugly thing had to be tossed. Where was Catfish Charlie when you needed him? That would have made some good eats for his cat.

The casino took up some time but was pretty much a bust for all. I managed to come out a little ahead but nothing to write home about. Damn the no carrying in wood laws as it cost us a small fortune to purchase wood every day. It proved worth it as we had some pretty good fires. The citronella candle in the fire wasn't as great as the first one we'd done years ago. Sometimes you just can't repeat history.
As usual there were some pretty good quotes going around but I never felt like getting up and getting a paper and pen to write them down and my phone (believe it or not) was not getting service. I missed my phone but proved that I could go 6 days without it. I did cheat a little and made a few calls on the way to the Casino. I would mention some funny things and a Trevor Hoffman related comment that was made...but I guess what happens at Yellowstone stays at Yellowstone. Maybe a few beers would help to get it out.
All in all I had a great time. Coming back was hard. Missed certain people and my pets but did not miss the daily grindstone of work. The attempt was made to purchase the correct lottery ticket but I guess it's just not the right time.
Guy at work told me that camping was to much work. He doesn't get the reasoning for packing up all your stuff and sleeping outside and then having to come home and have more work waiting for you. Sometimes you have to put a little effort into having a good time. I had a great time and am looking forward to doing it again next year. Hopefully with the entire group. Two of our fellow campers were greatly missed.

And Off She Goes

2010-08-30T21:07:00.000-04:00

Our niece is college bound as I write. She's not the first to go off, but she is the daughter of my late brother David. This is an event I know he would be beaming about. My daughter rode along with her and her mother to help move her in and "check the place out", so I'm getting updates along the way. She said Nicole shows no signs of nervousness-just plain excitement.
She wasn't scheduled to make the trip, but with a last minute ditching by another niece she was happy to fill the spot. I think she feels good about going along to assure Nicole is all set. My brother and daughter were very close so if he's looking down I'm sure he's content in knowing his daughter is in good hands.

From the time Nicole was born my brother was beaming. Proof is in the hours and hours of video taping he did of her every move. Like all families the first one has all the pictures and videos and when number two comes along they lessen. She shared his love of Mustangs and the Packers. Apparently we didn't do a good job of keeping that up as she could care less about football now. They would come over on Sunday's for Packer games and she would sit next to him and watch the entire game. The two of them had a collection of football helmets and at one time she could name every team by their helmets. I think she may have been five at the time.

I envision him being around now and her going off to College. I'm almost certain that my brother would have found a Domino's around her Campus to work at and in a heartbeat would have relocated. Otherwise he would be up there every chance he had. If all holds true to what I've always been told he's up there watching over her now. She's doing great and it's hard to watch her go. She got all the lectures last night and I'm sure she'll experience the life of freedom in some ways. We warned her that she's not that far away. Aunties J & A are all about the road trips. If she's anything like Ben's opera star, she will flourish.

It's just hard watching the little girl with the cowboy boots and hat going off on her own. I'll get over it. Soon.

Scratch That Weekend...

2010-08-23T08:20:00.000-04:00

Maybe it was the date, like an omen haunting us. Two years ago on this same weekend my brother passed away. The events leading up to his passing started the weekend prior when we were camping. I'm not one to be superstitious but I think I may cut the entire August camping thing off my list.

This weekend started out good. We got an early start and had things set up and were kicking back within two hours of arriving. Then the storm warnings started coming through, the wind picked up and the rain started. A few minutes into the storm we all heard a rather large thump and first thought was something bounced off the top of the camper. It wasn't much later that we discovered the thump was the tree branch that hit our truck. Left a nice dent in the hood. A picture was taken and the branch was burned in the fire pit. The rain eventually stopped, the jack & cokes were consumed and the night went on.

The next morning we discovered more damage to the truck. The windshield is cracked and there is another crack in the hood. Never saw it the night before, but there were leaves on the truck and it was raining. I feel fortunate that the falling branch did damage to the truck and not to one of us. The rest of the time spent camping went pretty well. There was a little giddiness at camp as some of the campers were taking off for Vegas later in the day.

When we got home I went to unpack the cooler and when opening the fridge I found it to be warm. The freezer items were still frozen. We ended up loading everything into the downstairs fridge and coolers. The mighty maintenance man found that the compressor was shot. The fridge is around 30 years old and came with the house. It didn't seem worth fixing so off we went to Menards to purchase a new fridge.

Ended up with a very plain fridge. I really didn't have the time to shop around and compare prices and I also knew that there really wasn't anyone around to help him carry the fridge in beside me. All in all I didn't get a fridge that I like very much. I think Barn knew it as we were walking out of the store as he has now doomed us further. "I know that's not the one you wanted but it'll be good in the basement. Plus it came with a 25% in store rebate that I'll be able to buy the sump pump with". I think he may still have the slap marks on his arm. And one should never ask "what's next". On my way to the car I simply looked up toward the sky and said" What else you got? Bring it on!

So, I felt a little sad this morning and I know family members are also still struggling with the loss of our brother/father/son. I have my moments which I thought would go away after a while. Its just not on the date he left us, or his birthday, or holidays. I miss my brother and I don't think a day goes by that I don't think of him in some way. I'll admit I don't cry as much but it still hurts. I don't know what step I'm on as far as the grieving process, but I still can't get past the anger part of it. My day was cheered up a bit with a 5:30 am phone call from my friend/sister-in-law from Vegas. I talk to a lot of people during the course of my day, but it's only a few that can get me out of a funk. I thank GOD everyday that 10 years ago my brother made a very wise choice in marrying her.

I Want to go !

2010-08-19T15:25:00.001-04:00

To Vegas with my friends.

Walking To Memories

2010-08-17T06:44:00.000-04:00

Toward the end of last week I decided to get back on track and start walking outside again. Waiting until early evening proved to be a good idea as the weather cooled a little, however the mosquito's were vicious. Early mornings on the weekend tend to work out better. I wish every day could be a weekend because I love walking in the morning. There is nothing better than having the sidewalk to yourself except for an occasional jogger or fellow dog walker. Sadie seems to do better in the early morning also. My initial thought was to get up an hour earlier every morning and hit the pavement with my four-legged walking partner. This morning my alarm went off and reality set in. Sadie was snoring away and I didn't want to wake her. She looked so peaceful. (not a valid excuse). So my walk will be after work, which really isn't to bad. The humidity and oven like heat seems to have taken a break.

So each day, with poop bag in hand, Sadie and I have set out for our 2 mile walk. I make sure she's hydrated and has made her deposit prior to leaving. I have taken to counting how many houses we go past before she feels the need to poop. The first day she made it about 3 blocks and decided to squat and poop on a semi-busy street. Nice. Nothing better than picking up poop while cars are buzzing by. Day two she waited until we were almost back home which I thanked her for. I've begun to carry two bags. One for the early deposit which I can usually find a garbage can to dump it in rather than carry it 2 miles. The other day I took Bella along also, who managed to make the entire trip without incident. By yesterday I thought Sadie would get the routine under control and be able to make it without me having to stoop and pick up poop. No, we made it four houses away and there she went. I thought for sure she wouldn't make the rest of the trip without doing it again. Even went an extra 1/2 mile. She made it! We'll see what today brings.

I like walking the neighborhood. It beats walking in the house staring at the TV. Each day I try to change up the route a little to take in some different scenery. Strolled past my elementary school and saw that they have grades K-4 through 8th grade now. Wondered if they still play dodge ball on the lower playground. The lower playground was only for the 6th graders when I attended the school. Funny how it made us feel so grown up, but yet cut off from the rest of the school.

I live in the neighborhood where I grew up so it's interesting to see the changes. Walking past former classmates and friends homes I sometimes see their parents still live in the homes. Wondering how many of my classmates bought their parents home like I did. Last night I took the path through the park that we used to hang out at. When Ben and I were younger we used to get with friends and being that the park was not developed yet, would go and have bonfires deep in the woods. Had this whole set up with logs to sit on and a small fire pit we dug out. We used trees that were down , branches and leaves to keep the fire going. The path is now asphalt and I can still see the spot we hung out at. We hung out there for an entire summer and never once had anyone come through. Of course the area was not to developed and the woods was pretty thick. There used to be a fairly large pond that I learned to ice skate on. My dad would come with us and I would skate and my brothers would sled. We had the park to ourselves. The pond has now been drained and covered up and I'm pretty sure the hill shrunk. The park is built up with basketball courts, a baseball diamond, soccer practice and a playground. The kids all looked to be having a good time but I wonder if they'll have the memories that I do.

I'm In a Band

2010-08-16T15:27:00.000-04:00

In my dreams that is. I woke up the Saturday morning around 5am and decided that for being a Saturday it was just a bit to early to get up. I turned on the TV and started watching Drumline. I've watched the movie before but it won over the millions of infomercials and religious shows that were also playing.
I figure I dozed off during the first ten minutes and couldn't have been asleep more than 1/2 hour or so when I woke up laughing. Once again I fell asleep during a movie and took on a role in the movie. It was a star-studded dream.
First off my friend Kim was the band leader. We all had blue uniforms with the tall white furry hats (looked more like the guards at Buckingham Palace). Kim was out in front just marching away with her baton in hand. She also had a whistle in her mouth that she would not stop blowing (found out later that annoying noise was actually my daughters alarm clock). My husband was playing the tuba and smoking a cigar in between. Steve was walking along playing an electric guitar with an amp strapped to his back. He was sweating. Jodi was on the flute and was wearing a skirt with white boots. Then there's Janet who was playing the drums and walking next to her husband also playing the drums and they kept switching drumsticks in mid air (very talented). Our friend E was playing a trumpet and I was walking next to him holding his sheet music, not playing anything. The most vivid part of the dream was walking down Howell Avenue and Kim just going to town with that baton. Pete was standing on the curb waving us on. Gotta love the fun dreams.

Then there's the deceased brother dream. He gave me money to go to Vegas. Some of the gang are going to Vegas next week and I opted to stay home with the husband that does not fly. I have the urge to go, but I guess it can wait. In my dream my brother showed up and said he knew how much I wanted to go, and he'd take care of things while I was gone. He showed up with his suitcase and was ready to take care of the household. Don't want to analyze that dream.

Dreams Again

2010-08-11T06:49:00.000-04:00

I seem to be having a lot of action dreams lately. The ones where you wake up in the midst of moving around. At first what you're doing is a little fuzzy but then you either wake fully and laugh it off or just fall back to sleep and forget it.
The other night I went to bed and must have fallen asleep pretty quickly. According to my husband we were in the middle of conversation and I drifted off. I recall slipping into a dream where I grabbed the girls basketball off the porch to put it away in the garage where it belongs. On my way to the garage Barney intercepted the basketball and began to dribble and then shoot a couple baskets. I asked for the ball back explaining that I needed to put it away and if he continued to play with it he'd just leave it lay in the driveway. He kept urging me to shoot a few. I told him I wouldn't shoot against him because he cheats and always blocks my shots (isn't that what basketball is about..blocking shots). Anyway I took the ball and backed up to attempt a hook shot. As I put my arm out to shoot he ran up from behind me and blocked my arm and thud I hit a solid wall. "What the hell" I heard as I woke up and realized that I had carried out the motions and decked him pretty good in the chest. I was going to apologize but figured he probably had it coming for something so I went back to sleep.

More than a book

2010-08-05T07:25:00.000-04:00

Did you ever think about how many uses there are for a book beside reading? First you must take into account the size of the book. For example a paperback book can be used to prop a door open, add a little more height to a reading lamp, and if thin enough it can be used to prop up a table leg. A phone book or catalog has many uses. Doubled up they can make a booster seat for a child. As the child gets older and taller you can remove one book (showing my age here as we didn't have booster seats when I was younger). Short little old ladies use the phone book to sit on while driving. My use for the phone book today was to add more height to my monitor. I have had some neck and shoulder pain for the past few weeks. My monitor at home is positioned so I can look straight at it. Work is another story. There are several areas where I use a computer and the monitors are not positioned to be operator friendly. I could lug my paperwork back to my office and sit and enter it all there, but its not a very efficient practice. I find myself constantly tilting my head back to see the monitor. It's an area where the PC is at standing height and the monitor is above it. Unless you're Paul Bunyan it's not very user friendly. I'm working on getting that problem resolved. At one time someone in my office had a box made to set the monitor on. I'm a little taller than that person and have asked for a shelf several times. I've rummaged through the "old office equipment" area with no luck. This morning I took it into my own hands and found a phone book from 2004 , slid it on top of the box and my life has now been made easier. For now.

My sick husband seems to be recovering. He's a little spent but should have his energy level back to normal within a day or so. On top of his being ill he discovered that the rash he had on his leg above his ankle is poison ivy. His nurse wife fixed him up with some ointment and gauze to keep it covered. I think in his delirium he didn't realize what it was, just that it itched. Web MD is a wonderful thing.

Flashback

2010-07-20T08:55:00.000-04:00

When I asked my 51 year old husband what he'd like for his birthday this year I expected him to have an idea in his noggin for me. Some things ran through my head like a new weed whacker or trimmer. He had mentioned a smoker for his grill. I did go looking for that but wasn't quite sure what he had in mind. I then asked for his assistance in finding this. He headed off to the store for something else and upon returning home announced that he changed his mind and wanted a pool instead. I think the pool was more for the kids then himself because that is the kind of guy he is. Although hesitant at first, I gave in and the pool was purchased, set up and filled.

As a kid there was always a pool in our yard. Throughout the years my parents purchased several pools. It was a ritual to uncover and clean the pool over Memorial Day weekend. As it was filling we'd all be eager to swim. It would usually be ready by the the next day but usually the weather wasn't. I can remember sitting on the deck and sticking my feet in to sub-zero temperature water thinking I could handle it. My mom would be the one to lay the law down as my father would say "Hey, if they want to go in, let them go." He'd more often then not join us. I remember the first dive in and how cold it would be. Within a few minutes your body would become numb from the cold and the enjoyment of the pool would take over.

On Sunday after returning from a rather hot weekend of camping we decided to test the waters. Dylan was over and took the first step in. I watched his face for signs of frigid water but his expression didn't change. I stuck my foot in and instantly felt the coldness of the water. After standing on the ladder for a few seconds and being heckled by my grandson I took the plunge. Yes, it was a blast of cold water and a blast from the past. The air outside was 92 while the pool water was 74. It took a few minutes to adjust but as in the past the enjoyment of the pool took over.

When buying the pool I wasn't sure how the kids would react. It's not a huge pool (39 inches by 15 ft). I thought they might not get much enjoyment out of it. Yesterday I couldn't get them out of it. I went to bed around 9:30 and Michelle and the kids were still in the pool. Might have been a good idea on my husband's part. I just hope he'll be able to get in it once in awhile. I also think that next year we may need a bigger pool.

It's Gonna Be A Hot One

2010-07-16T08:56:00.000-04:00

Yesterday when I got home I had two cats and Sadie waiting at the door. I think they smiled when I got home. Either that or they were trying to rat each other out for something. I checked out the house and nothing was amiss so in my head I'm telling myself they were happy to see me. Bella's been gone for a few days and I think she must be the social director as they usually don't greet me at the door.
When my alarm rudely went off at 3:20 this morning both cats were on my bed and sprung up as soon as I got up. Sadie was laying at the foot of the bed and also woke and followed us out of the room. Couldn't be the need for food or water, all the bowls were full. I gave them fresh water and got a nudge from Sadie and a meow from the cats. They were all clustered by the bathroom door when I came out my shower and proceeded to follow me around. I let Sadie out to do her business and the two cats sat by the door waiting. I was beginning to wonder if they're trying to tell me something. Am I sick and they feel they need to be lovable so they can get a free pass in also? Are they waiting for me to leave to start the daily ruckus? Are they bored, or missing Bella? Whatever the answer to this is, it's just weird to have all three of them follow me around. Especially the evil Lilo. You can pet her to your hearts content but if you try and pick her up she will give you a piece of her mind. She's a true cat bitch. But as I sat down to check emails, she jumped up on my lap. Something is up I tell you. Bella will be back today and I'm sure she'll set them all straight. Usually she is the attention seeker and will butt in between whoever is currently receiving attention. She's an attention hoarder. That could very well be the answer. The big Momma is gone and the other guys want some attention.
Heading out for a hot weekend of camping (weather wise that is). Mother Nature has already been cursed by someone, so it's quite possible we may seek the nearest air conditioned bar for a break from the heat. At any rate it'll be good to get away and have a relaxing weekend.

Interesting

2010-07-08T09:07:00.000-04:00

We received a flyer in the mail the other day from our Neighborhood Association. I felt a little out of sorts at first because in the 19 years we've lived in our home I never knew we had a Neighborhood Association. It seems to be just a bunch of neighbors that get along. Sure you have the occasional griper but I'm not aware of any feuds going on.
We seem to be a neighborhood where everyone minds their own business, yet watches out for each other. When the hoodlums came through with their paintball guns, we all got hit. When the storms ripped through a few years back, we all helped each other move tree branches and returned lawn furniture to it's rightful owners. There are the friendly waves and idle chit chat or talking over the fence. We're pretty good friends with our neighbors to the south and across the street. The people who's backyard butts up against ours are a little on the snobby side. This goes back a few years when she wanted to pull the fence down. I had commented that if she did choose to pull it down that we'd be putting another one up for our dogs. She was all about matching the fences and wanted to "pick out" the fence we'd be putting up. It's chain link now and she didn't like that I said I'd be putting chain link back up. I'm pretty sure the fence issue is over. Plus they have a dog now, but I think it goes to the bathroom inside, as we never see it in the yard.
So, back to the letter. We can join the association for $10.00 per year. We then can be involved in the block party, movies in the park and Friday night round robins. The round robins are explained as "one family per week (Friday) opens their home/yard to other members. The round robin starts at 6:30 pm and ends by 8. The host is not obligated to put out food or drink, people are expected to have eaten before coming over. You are allowed to bring your own beverages, however if you need to keep them cool you must bring your own cooler. If the host chooses to allow people to stay longer they can, but as a visitor you must not over-stay your welcome. I didn't see much problem with this. This is basically to get to know each other and discuss any problems in the neighborhood and to solve them. Well, that is where I had the slight issue.
Like I said, we've lived here for 19 years without any major problems. Yes, I would like to be informed of any incidents involving crime in our area. I passed the flyer onto my daughter as the kids would probably enjoy the park events they have posted. Maybe she can find a nice husband.

Such A Waste

2010-07-07T11:12:00.000-04:00

I have a friend, Kellie, that I have known well for about 28 years. We became friends when I began working at a packaging company right after my daughter was born. She was going through a break-up and I was going through a divorce. We clicked right away, thus began a good friendship.
Both of us had some serious financial hardships (dead-beat ex's that wouldn't pay support) and within two years of working together decided to move in together. The main goal was to get out of debt and actually be able to open a savings account. We worried that working together and living together would put a strain on our friendship, but for the most part things worked out well. We managed to make a good situation out of a bad one. We still look back on those years and find so much to laugh about.
With my son starting 1st grade I made the move back to the south side. It was hard to tell her, but we had both achieved our goals. We remained friends and still socialized outside of work.
Met our husbands and stood up for each others weddings. We didn't see each other as much but talked often. Any social events we were at together were always fun. We caught up on the kids doings. She had two more children after marrying. Our husbands got along great which is always a plus. They're also very much alike.
We saw each other in the sad times also. Her father who was her idol in life passed away, my brother passed away.
Her son was in trouble. At 15 they discovered he was using prescription pain killers. This girl wasn't having it and was extremely upset that she didn't see the signs earlier. They took him to rehab several times, they tried the tough love approach, they racked their brains and their pocketbooks to help him. She thought they had succeeded as he was passing drug tests and got through high school. He was arrested for possession with intent to sell. He went to jail and back to rehab. Again they emptied their wallets to help him. I talked to her several times through out the years they went through this. She was tired and hurting. Her and her husband stuck together on this. At 20 years old they got tougher. They booted him out of their house. He went to live with his older sister and husband and they thought he was doing better. About 8 months ago he went back to jail which they got him out of and into an in-patient rehab program. After getting out he started his life over again without drugs. He went to counseling and seemed to be on the up and up.
On Sunday he died of an overdose. My heart goes out to my friend & her husband. I called her on Tuesday after finding out and thought I'd be at a loss for words. I didn't need to say much. Josh is now at peace.

Mini Vacation

2010-06-30T12:49:00.000-04:00

In about 10 minutes I will be walking out the door of work to 6 1/2 days of freedom. The good thing is I don't have to much on the plate. The bad thing is I feel like crap right now.

I woke up around 1 am this morning with stomach pain which resulted in a few trips to Mr. Toilet. At work a co-worker mentioned the same thing. At first we thought maybe it was the food they fed us yesterday. I suspected either the fruit salad or the potato salad. No one else is sick though, so it's been ruled out.

I intend to go home, pull out my lawn chair and make myself very comfortable on the deck and let the sun do it's healing. Hopefully I'll be able to get out there before dark. There always seems to be something or someone that disrupts my plans.

Something is Amiss

2010-06-29T08:32:00.000-04:00

My house seems to have turned into a pet sanctuary. Let's start out with our dog Sadie. She's been with us going on 10 years now. We had previously had two of our own dogs, and one that my parents left behind because none of us thought she'd make the adjustment to Arizona at her age. She lived 3 years after they left. We waited over 1 1/2 years after losing the other two before we got Sadie.
Last year we got two cats, one of which is no longer with us. In September when my daughter came back home she brought her dog Bella. She's a good dog, despite her nervousness with thunder and fireworks. A month or so later came her cat Lilo. Her ex wasn't taking care of her and the cat was a mess. She's a bitchy little thing that let's no one pick her up. It took a few weeks for her and our cat Carmine to get along.
My daughter's ex goes out of town a lot for either work or his own personal pleasure. He lives downstairs from his father and has another dog, Bear. Well because his father is as useless as he is Bear doesn't get taken care of when he's gone, so suck up me allows him to stay at our house. Bear is getting up there in age and I can't stand that he's left alone in the house until the useless father remembers to let him out, which can be 10 to 12 hours. He's also pretty good except he doesn't like to stay outside for any length of time. Wants to do his business, snoop around a little and come back in. Sadie on the other hand will lay outside on the deck for hours.
The final straw came Saturday night when my daughter came home with the other cat. Hannah was left at home with no food and no water. The useless father in law forgot about her. Granted the ex husband left a bowl of water and food, but after day 3 it was gone. I nicely explained to her that 6 pets is way to many. Bear and Hannah will go home when the ex husband gets back.
Hannah is also a good cat, or so I thought so until this morning.
I woke for work and noticed the other two cats snooping around the bathroom. They were on a mission. At first I thought they were hunting spiders , but they then headed for the bathtub. I looked in the tub and saw a nice pile of poop. What the heck! My bathtub is not a giant litter box. I know these two didn't do it. After cleaning it up and spraying the bathroom cleaner I went to look for the culprit. I didn't have to. The other two cats had her cornered in the kitchen and there was some loud meowing going on. I'm pretty sure Carmine was letting her know, in no uncertain terms that you do not poop in the lady's tub!
She will be leaving today, along with Bear. Until his next trip, at which time I will allow the dog to come back but poop pants stays at her own home.

Bad Ump..Bad Call

2010-06-24T07:09:00.000-04:00

"When you're playing Little League baseball you don't get the pro umps". This quote came from one of the "senior" umps at Tuesday nights game. No shocker there, but at least be fair.
They played a team they've played before. A team with coaches similar to Dylan's coaches. A group of guys who show respect for the kids and teach them the game. Theres some yelling once in a while, but they also give credit when credit is due.

After two innings there was some grumbling about the strike zone. This was coming from both teams so at least the ump was being fair in that case. The more senior ump was behind the plate but making a lot of calls that the field ump should have been making. He just so happened to not see the play where the first base kid blocked the runner from advancing to second. We're talking standing in front of him with his arms out. This happened several times and when the coach called it out they simply didn't see it. They did however see Dylan knock a kid out of his way and talked to the coach about it. The coach had previously asked the boys how many of them played football, and told them to use their shoulders to get through if they needed to. Then there was the play where one of Dylan's team was coming into home and the catcher missed the ball but blocked the plate. He was safe but the ump said not a word about the play.
Now we come to the final inning. The game is tied 2-2 and they have completed 7 innings. They decide to play one more inning as they are within the time limit. Dylan's team does not score. There are two outs and they get a base runner. She steals second and then on a hit takes off for 3rd base. The ball gets thrown to 3rd and the kid puts the tag on her before she reaches the base. The field ump calls her out. Final out, the team starts to leave the field and the home plate ump suddenly yells "Safe". What!! The coaches are in shock, the kids are in shock. He had the out. A little arguing goes on and senior ump tells them he had a better view. The other coach tells him that she was clearly out. He's not budging. The game continues and she ends up scoring.
Dylan's coach ended up filing a protest to have the game brought back to tie. The coach from the other team agreed. This is where I have some respect for him. They clearly did not win the game and I know had the tables been turned Dylan's coach would have acted the same as he did. The kids get a little talk after the game and we overheard their coach tell them that although the record shows they won, he didn't think the win was fair.
The kid that made the play at third usually bobbles the ball when thrown to him. He lets a lot of balls that should have been fielded by him go into left field. This was his first real play and the smile that broke out on his face when he put the tag on was more of a look of relief. Soon turned to a frown but he got some reassurance once the game was over.
So I'm not sure on what the rule is on one ump overturning a call by another ump but I guess we'll find that out tonight. Hopefully they'll have different umps tonight.

Idiots

2010-06-14T08:23:00.000-04:00

As anticipated group camp went well. The weather although not as predicted was tolerable and we made due with it. When I had heard the forecast of 88 and humid I was a little worried that we would be quite uncomfortable in that heat. We ended up with cloudy and a high of 64. We were able to get a quick look at the sun Saturday around 7:30 pm. I have learned to pack for the unexpected so I was good. I did however, leave my winter jacket at home this time.

Within a few minutes of arriving at group camp we had a visit from the camp host. He was just letting us know where he was located in case of any issues. We got to chatting with him and he broke into a story about some recent destruction on the site we were on. It seems some college kids reserved the site. He said he knew there would be trouble when there were about 60 guys and 1 or 2 tents. The party was broken up and tickets were given when the kids decided to burn the picnic tables and fence for firewood. Did the story shock me? No, it immediatly made me angry. He went on to tell us that some of these guys lost scholarships & State grants for destruction of State property. "Good" was my first thought. I bet their parent's are damn proud of them. Idiots!

My tolerence for property damage is zero. I'm sure alcohol played into this but wouldn't you think that out of 60 or so people that some would have the sense to stop it. I asked that question this weekend and the peer pressure excuse came up. I don't buy it. Maybe it's my appreciation of State Parks. I feel very strongly about obeying the rules and not doing any damage. Maddening is also the writing in the bathrooms at the campgrounds. Just because a portion of your taxes may go toward State Parks & Forests doesn't mean you have the right to destroy them. I'm thankful to live in a State that has one of the best park systems. The small fee that I pay for an annual sticker and campsite is well worth it.

This is where I also have a strong appreciation for my family and friends. I know that I can go on an outing with them and will never, even if they over indulged, need to stop them from any type of property destruction. People need to start showing some pride.

The Pub Crawl

2010-06-07T07:05:00.000-04:00

Can I blame it on the weather? We did not plan to attend the pub crawl but with the forecast of rain for Saturday afternoon and evening we opted to join Ben & Nannette to benefit Easter Seals.

It started out at a locally known Irish Pub. We enjoyed a few beers while watching the Brewers battle against the Cardinals. We thought maybe we could get a quick glimpse of two of our friends who ventured to St. Louis for the game. He said he'd be a blue shirt in a sea of red. There were quite a few blue shirts and maybe we weren't looking hard enough. There was the Brewer fan with the foam cheese on his head, but that wasn't either of them.
After the first tavern we ran through the downpour across the street to stop number two. We were given a free drink ticket. The tickets were only good for certain beers, non of them being Miller Lite. Call me anal but I have become accustomed to a certain taste of beer. I will try others but just don't like the bitter after taste that some dark beers have. To me they all taste like I'm drinking a cup of coffee and I am not a coffee drinker. But I drank two beers and don't recall the name of them. On to the 3rd pub. At this one we were ushered into the basement. I immediately knew this would be the one where people got crazy. Maybe it was the beer pong that was set up and people immediately flocked to. There was another game that Nannette got in to with drinking your beer and then tipping the cups on the table. Ben, Barney and I watched the beer pong and drank a few beers. Nannette introduced me to a guy who claimed to be one of the Brewers cousins. Had the same last name . On opening day a few years back we had sat behind one of his cousins but that is another story. I remarked that this Brewer must have a lot of cousins and was told that basically the entire city of Oconomowoc is flooded with them.

On to stop # 4. This is the one that I do believe did us in. This is the one where all the drama from the younger people unfolded. After about an hour of listening to sob stories and feeling like I was Oprah I found an open spot next to Nannette on the stage and sat down. This is when the texting began. Two women sitting on a slightly dark stage attempting to text. I can use the excuse that I didn't have my glass's for the misspelled words in one text. Our husbands were seated not far from us and kept wandering over to see if we were still there. I'm still not quite sure why they seemed ticked off. I was just happy that I could get Miller Lite there. Sorry, call me a wimp but I can't keep up with the Irish and their high alcohol content in their beer.

Back to the starting point. By this time we were all starving and decided to order food. As I was eating my soup I wondered if I was the only one who felt as if their lips were swelling from the saltiness, Nannette leaned over and asked if my soup was salty. I thought maybe my swollen lips gave it away but we all had the same issue. The food came and was good yet again overly salty. We came to the bright conclusion that salty food makes you order more beer. Ha! I outsmarted them and ordered water. (at that point it seemed I did) All in all it was a good time and for a good cause. And once again I blame it all on the Irish.
Oh, and I am hoping to get my key chain from MO.

Analyze This

2010-06-04T11:18:00.001-04:00

I have some crazy dreams at times but last nights has me stumped and ready to go out and purchase the dream book.

In my dream I had a stomach ache that wouldn't quit. Arnie urged me to see a doctor. At the doctors office I was informed I was pregnant. I was confused and listened to the doctor explain to me that the fertilized eggs and sat dorment for over 30 years which (in my dream) they will do. The shock was the realization that this was my ex-husbands baby. Arnie didn't bat an eye. It turned out that I had twin boys. I had nothing for them. I took them home from the hospital in a box and was worried I would get caught. I had questioned the hospital about car seats and was told that because they were unsafe they were no longer required. We had no crib so we put the babies in Dylan's old pack n play. (funny because I just saw this in the attic the other day). My ex husband came to see the boys and identified them as his but said we'd get no help from him because he already had enough mouths to feed. Shocking! I asked him if he could at least go pick up some diapers so I could take them to the doctor and he brought over two diapers. (cheap as always). In my dream I was stressed over what I was going to do but was re-assured by my husband that it would all work out. I think he was just happy we had twin boys as now there would be someone to carry the coolers at camping.

Hurry Up Scrap Man

2010-06-01T08:29:00.000-04:00

I though going back to work would give me a break from yard work. Once my alarm clock went off I felt differently. How nice it would have been to just shut it off, roll over and catch a few more hours of sleep. Then I'd get up and at some point wander back out into the yard and do a few things or just plop in a lawn chair for a few hours and relax. Dream over...back to reality.
I'm not alone in this as just about every one of my co-workers have expressed their opinion on being here today.

Between trips to hardware stores and a lot of pulling of weeds, planting and moving plants around my entire 4 day weekend was consumed. We took a few hours on Friday night and headed to a Brewers game.

There were a few times when the heat consumed me and I headed in for a cold drink and cooling off. Our AC should be back in action within the next week or so, but as much as I dislike AC I did feel the need for it this weekend. Don't get me wrong, I love warm weather. Just could do without the 94 degrees with humidity.

Last night Barney and I were cleaning out behind the garage. This area seems to have become the heap of junk pile. I spotted the old and rusted out wheelbarrow parked back there with old leaves and a few pieces of wood in it. I thought he'd gotten rid of it last year. It was my grandpa's and then my fathers and when we bought the house it became ours. If I'm not mistaken I think it was my great-grandfathers. The thing has to be 80 or more years old. The bottom is rusted out. At one point my husband tried to repair and it worked for a year or so. Last night when I spotted it I immediately told him to take it to the curb. He said he was saving it for me in case I wanted it for flowers. Not a thing to say to someone who just finished digging in the dirt and planting for 4 days. I walked behind him as he wheeled it to the curb (mainly to ensure it made it there and not into the garage). I had to explain that you don't just hang on to something like that for sentimental reasons. I have many more things to remember my grandfather by.

As we walked away from the rusted wheelbarrow I hoped and prayed that the junk man would come before my husband had second thoughts.

Open Your Wallets

2010-05-27T07:26:00.000-04:00

It's that time of the year again. The time that WKLH holds it's annual Miracle Marathon for Children's Hospital. We need to open our wallets and donate for the kids. You can wait for the power hour when a certain company will match donations, you can donate a lump sum or you can choose the $20.00 for 12 option. It that doesn't suit your fancy you may also partake in the live auction. I've viewed this and found several summer music packages that may appeal to some.

Then if you really need a push toward donating you can tune in and listen to some live interviews from those with good outcomes and those with not so good. They all have the same thing to say in the end, and wouldn't be taking time to share their stories if they didn't think Children's Hospital was an outstanding facility.

We as a family have made several trips to Children's. We've been blessed with having the outcome of each visit be good. Years ago my son was involved in a pretty bad car accident. As he was 16 years old he was taken to Children's. I have nothing but good to say about his continuous treatment over 2 years and the staff that took care of us. At 2 years old Dylan spent several days in Children's for a blood issue. Can't say anything but good about the care and concern given at the hospital.

Bottom line is..we all know someone who's child has visited Children's Hospital and I'm sure in the future will know of more. Donate...It's the right thing to do.