How Can She Be Two Mothers

To get away from the repetitive news each night I switch over to Lifetime and watch an hour of Reba while preparing my husband a lovely dinner. Last night I saw and episode I've never seen before. Brock's mother was in town. I heard the voice, as I was slaving over the stove and turned in time to notice that she is also Doug from King of Queens mother. This would be the one and only Jenny O'Hara. I feel the need to mention this as this could be a trivia question. Not that I'd be able to remember this when the question was asked. Of course I'd sit there holding my head and repeating over and over again "Shit, I know this...why can't I think of it?" I figure if I post it that at least one of us will remember.

Me thinks me has created a monster. Two weeks ago some people were let go at work. One of the girls I hadn't worked with to much until a month ago. She's a nice person and excellent worker. The day after she was let she called me at home to share the tidbits of her release. She has now called me at least every other day. The calls are getting better as she's not as depressed anymore, but she is bitter. The call usually comes around the same time every day so I have to yell to my husband to check the called ID. I think he takes joy in answering and then handing the phone over to me. The grin on his face is a dead giveaway.

Speaking of weird dreams (stb) I tried to wake myself up out of one last night. It was just so ridiculous. My friend "Andy" called me to say he had one Packer ticket and did I want to go with him and his friends. We had to meet at the Concertina Bar which he gave me wrong directions to, as we were driving in my van together. We finally found the bar and when walking in saw that it wasn't exactly what we thought. We walked into an old lady strip club. We're talking Old- like in their 80's. Andy was hesitant to go in as his girlfriend "Dodie" would be upset if she found out he was in a strip club. Huh? So I wanted to get to the Packer game and could not get several of our friends -Don, Ryan, Peven and Timmy to leave. They were whistling, and cheering away. I was then in shock as one of them took all the Packer tickets and stuffed them in this old ladies funky bra. I woke up! Maybe this is a result of going to bed earlier than usual.

I'm Stuck In Little People Land!

How does two turn into four? I started out with having two kids for the weekend and it multiplied into four. Three, 10 year old girlie girls and one 9 year old boy. All was going well until there was a major disbute over what movie to watch last night. That ended with no movie. They didn't really grasp the whole extent of Grandma puts up with nothing. They came very close to loosing the tv completly when the arguing continued over what tv show to watch. Around 10pm I was beat from a day of the girlie girls. I made sure they were all settled and warm and headed off to bed. I didn't hear a peep until 6:45 when I heard my neice jabbering away. My trip down the hallway was short and sweet. "I don't want to hear another word until 9am". The only thing I heard was a very soft voice stating that her stomach hurt really bad and she thought it was from hunger. That brought on a chuckle as I know what they all ate yesterday.
Right now as I am posting this they are getting ready for Trick or Treat. This brings back memories. I'm sure that my brothers and I drove my parents crazy for hours before we were set to leave. My kids drove me nuts also. This must just be so exciting for them. Yes, these are the same kids that gave up after an hour last year. I was in utter disbelief . I know we would go for what seemed like hours, usually heading home for a candy dump and heading back out. They half way filled bags last year and called it quits.
So far I've done the parental duties of fixing hair, painting nails black with crappy, cheap polish and put in earrings. Two of the four are hacking like crazy so they've received the proper medicine dropped off by their parents. I just now have fixed a zipper and last night I sewed up broken wings. (I am the best grandma ever). Suck it up kids.
My daughters surgery went well. Last report from son-in-law was that she was able to sleep pretty good last night and seems to have discomfort only from the incision. Her leg problems seems to be better which was caused by the screws in her back being placed to deep. It will take time for the damage to the muscle to repair itself, but the outcome is looking good.
Duty calls for me to now fix and spray hair black. We have two dark fairies,one witch and a racing sausage. (the last one is the cutest costume.)

He's Not Fond Of The Number

Until the official team photos are released to me by his mother, this is the only solo photo I have from this season. Funny how I picked out the packet I wanted, ordered it and it just happened to get mixed in with hers. She had to take them home to sort through them and figure out who's were who's. I bet my 8x10 is hanging on "the other grandmothers" wall. It seems a little weird not to have a game to go to this weekend. He did comment that he may go back to basketball and then through in a soccer comment just to get my attention. "I love you Dylan, and I would go to whatever event you were in but you'd really be pushing it with the soccer" was my reply. Can't help it, it's just not my thing.
So I posted this picture because I felt the need to show him off a little. Other people post boob pictures, pet pictures and just fun pictures. You guys can all suffer through my grandson's picture.
I seem to have contacted someones cold. I'm trying to keep it under control. Haven't hit the bottle yet as a suggested cure. There is a chilled bottle of very fine tasting Black Zambuca in the fridge downstairs that may become just a little lower in level this weekend. I have to be at the top of my game as I have my daughter's girls this weekend. She's going in for a second back surgery tomorrow which will hopefully give her good results. The twins can be a little trying at times and really try to pull things over on people. Yeah, I'm not going for it. There was mention of going to see High School Musical (not going to happen). We may just opt for baking some pies. Future homemaking skills are much more important than a movie that will be out on video within a week.

Damn Cowboys

It is the Cowboys curse! Dylan's team went undefeated the entire season, made it through the playoffs and lost to the Cowboys in their Championship game yesterday. The little guys put up a fight but it wasn't enough. They played the Cowboys early on in the season and shut them out so I don't know if there was a growth spurt or what over the next 7 weeks but they lost to them. Whatever the case both teams played well. One team played better.

We lost two employees at work this week. This is just the beginning. Our division doesn't have that many operators to begin with, but we have enough to run the lines we have. I'm sure what we're feeling right now is what a majority of companies are feeling. My wish is to make it to the end of the year at least. Not sure how well I'd take being let go before the Holidays. At any rate everything happens for a reason. Maybe there's another job out there calling my name. (not a library as they are cutting back also).

Not that I'm really big on the Hallmark holidays but I made an effort to get my husband a card and a little something for the date. Yesterday came and went without a little envelope for me. I'm sure he's waiting until tomorrow when he can get a card for 1/2 price. This is a little bothersome to me as in 24 years he's never missed getting a card for me. I made some good ribs yesterday. Had them in the oven cooking slowly for 6 hours. They came right off the bone. He made the comment that they were "quite tasty", ate them and retired to his chair for the evening. Granted the man has been working very hard on the porch. He woke up around 9:30, walked around, noticed I was still home and hit the sack again. Really exciting evening.

I start my getting up at the uncalled for hour of 3:30 am tomorrow. I keep trying to find the good in it by the fact that I will not be getting out of work at 3pm. Can't say I had any liking in the 5pm release hour. In our meeting the other day it was mentioned that those who were so flexible as to volunteer for the late shift may be called upon again in the future to do so. I may duck down at the next meeting. I'm a little tired of switching hours. There's usually a newspaper or magazine laying on the table I could easily pick up and hide my face behind.

It is twelve more days until I will turn on the heat. This could go longer if there is no need for it. What's a few more sweaters and a double layer of sweatpants? I'm noticing as the porch gets further along the house gets a little warmer. With brick, new windows and very sturdy storm doors on the porch we may be able to get another month without the heat. Ben has a goal to help my husband complete this project within the next few weeks. He claims he's eating his Thanksgiving dinner out there.

I Saw It First

It is 17 days until Halloween. The other day I put a few decorations on my front window and got out the Halloween candle and put it in the living room. It's pretty much the extent of my decorating. I do like the holiday and get a kick out of how far people have gone in decorating for Halloween. I tend to like the traditional scarecrow propped up in the yard and thing the witch flying into the tree is a little funny. The pumpkins on the porch are also an added touch.

On my way home from work today I did have a little bit of a shock. Now I know the stores have already decorated for Christmas and they have displays and decorations out for the home. On 43rd & Grange there is a town house all decked out for Christmas already. I took a second look thinking that just maybe it was last years stuff never taken down. No.. this looked fresh, and the lights were plugged in. At first I thought WTF..it's way to early. Then as I thought more about it I wondered if maybe the house was done up as someone wasn't going to be around at Christmas. Maybe they had parents who flew south or west for the winter. Maybe they had someone who was heading out to defend our country or coming home for a leave. There could be several reasons. In the past I would normally freak and rant about how it's to early. This time I tried to reason. Then I thought "What the heck" it's their house and they must have a reason for it. I'm sure ours won't go up until the traditional 10 days before Christmas. He usually intends to get things up before the snow flies but something always prevents this carefully thought out process. I must mention that my friend seems to have Santa already set up in his living room as we saw by his recent photos on his blog.

The good thing about today. I am half way through my work week. Tired as hell, but 1/2 way there.

I Smell Poop!

So maybe today just isn't my day. A famous quote from Ben Sr. "Don't let life get the best of you". I try to live by the words of Dad as I have the utmost respect for my father. At my age I guess one would have chosen a different path, but he always managed to see the brighter side of things rather than brood. Therefore , I see myself heeding his advice for years to come.

I was told by my husband not to mention this again but I feel the need to say, we should be camping this weekend. We opted out as there is work around the homestead to be done. There are things that have to be done before the blustery days of winter settle upon us. Ben Jr. wants to eat Thanksgiving Dinner on the new porch so we must get hopping on that. It's also a good day to get the yard cleaned up. I got a semi-early start as I wanted to get out before the bees started getting busy. This worked out until around noon. Husband came home for lunch and ate his McDonald's on the deck which drew every bee, wasp, hornet and their cousin for miles. After he returned to work I left the area for a bit to let them clear. Apparently they are not liking the fact that I am taking their food source away by pulling out any plant life left in the garden.

I made a haul from the backyard to the curb using my rummage sale purchased wagon. On the way back I notice a little trail of pooh on the driveway. I just figured I dragged the wagon through some pooh. On my second trip I noticed some foliage sticking to the bottom of my shoe and went to scrape it off on the edge of the deck. Whoa Nellie....stinky. I fear I had stepped in a nice pile of Sadie's pooh. Now the shit was embedded in the sole of my shoe. I seem to recall laughing at someone who suffered this misfortune a few weeks ago. Garden hoses come in handy in these situations. Guess I should have surveyed the back yard a little more carefully prior to getting to work. Checked the wagon wheels...they are spotless.

You Want Cheese With That?

I think my depression over the Brewers loss has come to an end. I had an appointment on Sunday and thought for sure she'd have the radio or a TV on. She asked me a few times what time the game was on but then noon came and went. Another customer walked in around 1:30 but claimed to not be listening to the game. She "forgot" it was on. By the time I got into my car and tuned in the radio I was a little taken back. 5-0. Got on the phone with Gambino to see if this was true. She happened to mention that the Packers were also loosing, but then threw in that "On a lighter note, The King and I is on." I can't complain, they gave us a good season.

My workplace often has luncheons that production employees are usually not allowed to go to. One of the nicer guys will sometimes go and bring back some tidbits for us. Today was a different story, as we were allowed to go. This was a "Get Moving" theme. Earlier this year they had a similar program with employees against management to see which group could log more steps in a given time. The employees won as several management personnel dropped out. I think this luncheon was to kick it off again. We were given one hour so the first 1/2 hour was spent in line for food. The second portion was spent eating and listening to two men from Comedy Sports put on a little show. We all got up and left after our allotted time was up. I warned my fellow co-workers about getting up in the middle of a skit. "Mark my words, you will be made fun of". Sure enough, as our little group of people headed for the door there were cracks made. I wish we could have stuck around for the rest of the show, but production called. Plus, none of us got to hear the newest "Get Moving" challenge. Although we all appreciated the chance to go, we found it odd that you would have a "Get Fit, Get Moving" theme and serve several pasta dishes and chicken breasts smothered with a thick mushroom gravy and for dessert cream puffs and chocolate eclairs. That's going to take more than a few laps around the parking lot to work off.

I have been volunteered by my son to work the concession stand on Sunday for the game prior to Dylan's game. If any of my friends want to get a real laugh, stop on down at 10:30 Sunday morning for some delicious pretzels with cheese or nachos. I was under the impression I just had to hand out candy, soda and coffee. Didn't know I had to actually heat up pretzels and cheese. This ought to be good.

TGIF ??

First of all let me start by saying I am very thankful that I now have Friday's off. I'm a little tired during the course of the 10 hour day, four days a week but very much look forward to the three day weekend. Today marks the third Friday off. The first one was spent preparing for and going camping. Last week Friday was spent on a day trip to Lake Geneva and then preparing for a family birthday party. Today was spent on appointments that had to be re-scheduled when we went to 10 hour days, and catching up on some chores and shopping.

For some reason that extra day off each week seems to be filled to the brim. I was up at 6:30 and think the only time I sat down all day was driving to appointments. I even had to stand at the Doctors Office. They have not yet invented the sit-down boob squash?? It's now 8:40 and I sure that if I went to bed I'd have no problem falling asleep.

I thought about catching a little cat nap this afternoon but when I got home I found a large cement mixer churning away in my driveway. I knew there was talk of laying some cement today but "Mr. Communication" just let's me know when to give him money. As I walked up the driveway to investigate I caught site of Dirty Ben. He looked as if he could really give Pig Pen a run for his money. Then I saw Rick. He wasn't quite as dirty and looked to be doing a good job on the mixing. As I glanced toward the work area I was glad that my husband at least had clean underwear on and that they weren't inside out. I don't know what it is with Mr. Droopy Drawers but he just shouldn't squat or be on his knees. I though for sure he was going to stand up and loose the pants completely. Yes I do know what the problem is....He has no ass. He didn't like the comment I made about buying him a body suit. Like I said, at least all you could see was underwear.

The guys called it quits around 6 (because they ran out of cement mix). The plan is for this to start all over again at 8am tomorrow morning. This was being discussed as they all sat down to eat some pizza. When the two younger ones got up after dinner the old bones must have been creaking. The macho men tried not to wince in pain in front of me but I caught it. I suggested taking a day off and was looked at as if I was some kind of freak. We'll see how well they're moving tomorrow. I do, however give them a lot of credit for the task they undertook. Real, genuine men.
In the words of Rick "That's what friends are for".

Here We Go

I'll start my post on a giant cheer for the Brewers! As we sat around watching the Packer game Sunday, we all seemed to be paying more attention to the Brewers game. At first it required a trip inside but soon our host's would bring out another tv for us to catch first the Brewer game then the Mets loss. It was a great end to a great day. We walked our little tootsies off for Gambino's & many others boobies. Nice day for a walk.

It's always crummy when a good weekend ends and a crummy work week starts. Things have been very hectic and frustrating in the work place the past few weeks. We're missing a key operator due to an illness and some of us are in unfamiliar territory right now. Things that the maintenance man should be doing are expected to be done by us. Found out today that the intent is that he should be doing them and there was a little anger in our current boss's voice when he found out differently. So after two days of trying to run a job that should have been simple, everyone in management decided to come out and help fix the problem. We're talking about people that need instruction on using a tape gun.

I've always had an issue with our company going out on a limb for new business, yet not trying to fix the lines that run the current customers jobs. For some reason we always manage to squeak by and make the shipments and the quality is good but sooner or later this is going to bite them in the ass. Enough about work. I think I have blown my steam for the day.

I came home today to find all the windows closed in the house. Poor husband must have had a chill when he got home from work. The heat is not turned on, but I know when he gets home later he will begin the layering of the clothes. The sweatshirts and sweatpants will come out of the drawer where they have been stored for 4 months. Within the next month or so I will begin to hear that we need to move to a warmer climate. I think this year I will call his bluff and start packing things up. I'll begin to purge unwanted items from the home. He will check every box and bag I am carting out of here for Goodwill. I may have taken some "needed" item. Maybe this strategy will work on ending the winter whining.

My Husband Is Hungry

For the past month or so my priorities have not been in the kitchen. My husband walks in there every once in a while to see if there's anything cooking. Then he checks the fridge to see if anyone put anything new in there. I've made a few things but not a down to earth good home cooked meal. I guess I can only expect him to go so long on things like taco's, sloppy joes or hamburgers. I think he may be looking for something more on the line of meat and taters with a vegetable on the side.

I'm on week two of the working until 5 shift and the last thing on my mind or list of things to do when I get home is break out the chef's gear and prepare a meal that won't be eaten until 7 or after. Yesterday after work I decided to visit the local food store. My main purpose was just for the things I needed for the weekend. I threw in a few other things but not much was needed as I have a kitchen full of food. It just needs to be cooked.

Today my daughter and I took a day trip to Lake Geneva. For the past several years it's been an annual thing we do for her birthday. It turned out to be a very relaxing mother daughter bonding day. When I got home it was time to hit the kitchen. My husband heard pans rattling around and came upstairs to investigate. "Could it be my wife has found the kitchen again". I felt a little bad and tried to figure out how to break the news to him that this commotion was not for him but for a birthday event tomorrow and a Packer Party on Sunday. My only way out was to look at him and ask "What's for dinner"? It was then that he heated up some left over tacos and pizza.

He came back about two hours later and saw the prepared items on the table and I swear I saw drool. Now in a way I feel bad but then I have to wonder what is wrong with him? Why can't he cook? He's home by 3:10 every day. All he has to do is tell me what he wants to make and I will buy it. Heck, as long as we're going this far, why can't he take a trip to the grocery store also? I suppose I shouldn't get to ahead of myself in this thinking as I know what we would have. Since he has no clue how to cook any type of meat other then grilling it or browning meat for taco's or Mexican dishes my guess is that we would be eating steak, burgers or Mexican every night. Chicken or pork chops would become nonexistent in our home. And I know for a fact that if he did the shopping it would be a daily run and along with whatever he needed for dinner there would be a tray of taco dip or a jar of garlic olives purchased.

Go Brewers!

Back To Reality

Weather wise this weekend could not have been better. I could have done without the flies and bees but when everything else is going for you why complain about the little things?

I packed for cool fall weather and used only one fleece jacket only after the sun went down. It was a little damp in the morning but the sun took care of that pretty quickly. Mick seemed to attract the largest wasp we've ever seen. We're pretty sure it was the head queen. Didn't take long for all the guys to get on it and make sure it no longer had life in it. Waking up to gun shots and knowing that it's not intended for you is always a plus. From the site we were on we used to be able to see the pond and if we were up early enough could catch a glimpse of the duck hunters. Everything is a little over grown now, but it's a plus in the privacy department.

As usual the food was good. If all goes as planned "D" and the boys should be making us a tad bit wealthy within the next few years with their invention. We spent sometime discussing every one's role in making this a success. This was before the beer took effect on "Ben" a.k.a. "Sweet Ben" a.k.a. "Stagger Lee" and his friend "Barney" a.k.a. "Don't sit by those girls...they'll take you down" a.k.a. "I'm not drunk..I just want to build a 6 foot fire". Ol' Barney even managed to make a drunken phone call to our friend Cleve to express his anger toward his wife putting the kibosh on his plan.

We did make a trip back toward town Saturday afternoon to catch Dylan's game. They are now 4-0. Could this turn bad as they play the Cowboys this week? Let's hope not.

So now back at home, the weekend things unpacked, laundry started, dinner made and showers taken, we await to Packer/Cowboys game. What's the worst that could happen?

It's All In Who You Know

My kids are paying off for me. After all the years of doing for them, it's kind of nice to receive some sort of gratis. Some day soon my bathroom will be tiled thanks to my son. My daughter has kept us in cell phones.

On my way out the door this morning my husband stopped me to show me an issue he was having with his phone. Removing the battery and Sim card did not solve the problem. After a call to my daughter I was told that the phone has a life span of about 3 years. That's just about how long it's lasted. He looked a little panicked when I told him I thought the phone was shot. This coming from a man who two years ago wanted nothing to do with a cell phone. He doesn't make a lot of calls, but he's always got it with him. After work I got a call from my daughter saying that they had two brand new phones at their house and I could pick which one we wanted. The one I chose is an upgraded version of my current phone. With her and her husband both working for cell phone companies there are some perks.

The other perk I have with her is I no longer need to board my dog when we are out of town. They have a small humane society at their home so one more dog isn't a bother to them. So tonight when I dropped Sadie off I was given the new phone and the money I offered was refused. Sometimes this bothers me a little, as I'm not real used to getting something for nothing. Hubbie now has the slightly used older phone (come on, you really didn't think I'd give him the new one). I was also kind enough to take the liberty of downloading a ring tone for him. He is now blessed with a snappy Elvis tune. I'm going to see how long it takes him to figure out how to switch it back to a plain ring.

Some how tonight I managed to get all packed for the weekend, clean my house, do laundry and drop off the dog. I'm a little amazed at myself considering I spent most Of the day at work ready to fall asleep at a moments notice. We had a meeting at 2pm today which I struggled to stay awake at. The only thing that kept me slightly alert was the comments from the girl sitting next to me. She spoke loud enough for my ears only and I was having trouble controlling my laughter. She will be paid back when I am a little more alert. I have to say we have some God awful boring meetings at my workplace.

Here's to everyone having an enjoyable yet safe weekend. I hope the sneezing fits I've been having all day are allergy related verses a cold coming on.

Who Is Ned Yost???

In keeping up with other manufacturing companies, we have now gone to a 4 day work week. This also meant having one shift. There is a little staggering of the hours but we're all in one big happy group now. Today I worked with a girl that I originally trained about two years ago. She's a nice person and works very well. We were chatting away and listening to the morning show on WKLH and I commented on the firing of Ned Yost. With this totally innocent face she turned to me and asked "Who Is Ned Yost"?.

Some people would laugh at this or think her a fool. I didn't. I just simply explained who he was. As I was doing so I hoped in my heart that she would not ask me who the Brewers were. She explained that she's just not that into any sports. No explanation necessary...some people just are not.

For me the change in hours hasn't been really that big of a deal. I now work until 5 which sucks as I can't say I enjoy the rush hour commute home. For the previous 3rd shift people switching from nights to days takes a little getting used to. They commented on being able to go home in the sunlight. That won't last long. Another month or so and I'll be going to work and coming home in the dark. The weekends will be for seeing the sun.

All in all it's kind of nice having enough people to run several lines. Hopefully they won't reduce the work force again. This may just be the chance to cross train some people so not just one or two operators have knowledge of a line. (that could be a dream come true)

I'm looking forward to camping this weekend. The weather outlook looks good. I'd like to see the wasps and bee's stay in their own homes for the weekend. I thought for sure my husband would opt to stay home and work on the porch, but he's set on going. This is a very needed weekend away. The roof is framed in and he's chomping at the bit to take a half day tomorrow and get some more work done. This really needs to get done before the snow flies. My porch serves as an excellent fridge especially around Christmas time. Keeps the Christmas cookies nice and cool.

Crunch

It's that time of the year again. Our yard is already pretty littered with fallen leaves. Not sure if it's because of the lack of rain and everything just dried up or if it's actually that close to the fall season. Funny how they make no sound at all when falling, but someone walking on the sidewalk that is spewn with leaves and it gives off quite a bit of noise. I can even hear the chipmunks running around my yard now. All this means to me is a lot of work. I feel like I just got done planting and now I'll be pulling it all up.

I am enjoying the coolness in the air. I wasn't to much a fan of the hot, muggy summer we had. We're camping next weekend so I'm sure that I won't appreciate the crisp evenings or the possibility of frost in the morning.

Dylan's team is now 2-0. They had a fantastic game the other night that didn't have a dull moment in it. I sat in my lawn chair for the first quarter but then was on my feet the rest of the game. Very exciting to say the least. Let's hope they can keep this up. There were two injuries on the opposing team. I applaud the sportsmanship shown by all in attendance and the concern for the boys well being. This is a very well run league.

Tomorrow marks my brother's 43rd birthday. It marks day 20 since he passed away. The family is celebrating his birthday at a local favorite park of his in the afternoon. And what would this families birthday celebration be with out a cake. Yes, although corny to some, I made a cake for my brother. I've done it for a lot of years and things just wouldn't seem right if I didn't. Of course my family will be over to help eat it. It may be a little bit of a difficult day.

UnSupported

I was called upon today for a Grandma duty. One would think it would be a chore, but I actually enjoy this type of duty. Both parent's working late..could I take Dylan to football practice? I think they both know by now that asking me to take him to any sporting event that he participates in is always a definite yes.

This is a typical 9 year old boy. Get dropped off at Grandma's house, check the fridge for goodies, have a meal, play with Grandma's Wii and watch some TV. Ten minutes before we had to leave I told him to go get ready. Five minutes later he comes out of the bathroom and announces he forgot to pack his cup. After some calls we came to the conclusion that going all the way back to his house and waiting for his step-father to get there would make him 1/2 hour late for practice. He got a bit of a lecture that I'm sure went in one ear and out the other. I told him we'd go anyway and if the coach had a problem he could sit out or run laps instead. He ended up participating in the entire practice. I'm not sure he ever told the coach but I noticed his was a little protective. At the break he came over to guzzle some water and revealed that he had "forgotten" to mention it. Like a dedicated grandmother I sat for the two hour practice and then took the sweaty little kid home. Lo and behold upon arriving at his house the cup was located..exactly where it was this morning when his mother told him to pack it. I think he needs to be a little more responsible, but I also think Mom could have taken a second look around before leaving, knowing that the boy is a boy, therefore scatter-brained.

The Walls Are Up

Last week construction began on the screen porch. The slab was poured with only two mishaps. They cut the electrical line to the garage and when the cement was poured the phone line was somewhat destroyed. That was finally fixed on Friday night.

Friday after work I came home to what appeared to be Menards Lumber Dept. in the back of my husband's truck. He was already pounding away. As of 7pm tonight him and my brother Ben managed to get the walls up (and they're pretty sturdy). At one point Friday night I thought to complain of all the pounding and sawing as I had a nasty headache but then I thought better.

Yesterday was my grandson's first football game of the season (very exciting). It's always a plus when there is a win. To me it was like opening day of football season. Last night we went to Indian Summer, one of the less crowded festivals of the year. We caught the group Burle on stage and as in the past it was a good show. I was a little disappointed in my fry bread taco this year as I opted for chicken instead of beef. I still say the best place to get an Indian Taco is in Badlands, South Dakota. A trip may be in the works.

Today was pretty low key. As I cleaned I could hear the sound of hammers and saws working in the backyard. I wandered out the front door to take a look at the condition of the yard and decided to save that for another day. More leaves and crap are going to clutter the yard, so why clean it all up now. Besides, in my eyes summer is not over yet.

I did catch a little football this afternoon. Had to see if Brett was doing okay. He looked a tad bit nervous during the last few minutes of the game. Watched a little of the Brewers loss. No further comment on that. And, I watched a bit of the Cowboys game (enough to see that Romo's chin was bleeding).

I have one more week of five-eight hour days and then it'd down to a four day work week. I have to keep telling myself that this will be all worth it for a 3 day weekend.

How Rude!

After 11 days I figured it was time to step on the board again. My little Wii person made sure they informed me that I hadn't been around for awhile. I felt good in knowing she missed me. As usual the boxing was right up my alley. I probably should have been boxing for the past 11 days as it does help any pent up anger and frustration that one may carry. In fact I'm trying to figure out how to transport the system to work and use it on my break.

I'm sitting here now waiting for the AT&T repair man to show up. Our phone has been messed up since Tuesday. My phone will ring once and go dead. No voice mail. The line is very static . I called right away Tuesday when I got home and discovered the problem. It's taking some people a while to figure out there's a problem before finally calling our cell phones. This can be annoying as some people have called back three or four times before giving up and trying the cell. So the repair man called about 1/2 hour ago and his call went through. Said he was on his way. He then called back about 10 minutes ago to let me know he was on 92nd & Good Hope and his van broke down. He is awaiting a tow truck. He noted that he didn't think he'd make it tonight and was trying to get someone else to take the job. Certainly there will be a credit applied to my bill for waiting for service. Of Course!

Things are getting somewhat back to normal. I'm still waiting to wake up from the horrible nightmare I had 12 days ago. I'm still trying to make some sense of this. Maybe in time I'll be able to justify the "He's in a better place" or "He's free now" statements, but for now I can't. I'm grateful to all my friends who have been so understanding and caring through all this.

On a lighter note...It's about time we got some rain. Although the day has been gloomy we did need some rain. My grass may not feel or look like a Brillo pad tomorrow.

Getting Back To Normal??

After over a week of taking care of business & sorting through my brother's things, it's back to work tomorrow. I don't think I'm ready. In my mind I know I have to get back to a normal life, but in my heart I don't want to let go. My parents head back to Arizona tomorrow morning and saying good-bye was difficult as usual. This is a time when I do not wish to trade places with them.

I've been told over and over again by many people that in time life will get better. I think what makes it so hard is seeing the girls. The younger one is hurting and showing it in ways a ten year old would. The 15 year old is hurting and shows it like we do. Little things set her off. Her mother sets her off. They have a strained relationship. She had an out with her father. They had an excellent relationship. I think the last time he had to yell at her she was probably around 5.

In two weeks we start a four day 10 hour day. I will now be back to having Fridays off. This will allow me to catch up on things around here. For over a year now I've been putting off organizing and cleaning up the spare rooms. Every time I tried to do it in the past David came to live with us. I think in the back of my mind I put if off thinking he'd be coming back. I may just have to hold that room for his daughter now. Maybe fixing it up in more of a girlie fashion is the answer. She would have a safe haven here. If she could cook that would be a free ticket in.

Getting Better

For a complete recap of the past weeks going's on you can visit Gambino's blog. She summed it up pretty good. The floor thing is pretty good. I'm not sure what's going on there but I have had to wash the thing every day this week. Part of the problem is the construction going on right outside the back door. It all gets dragged in the house.

I thought today would be the first day I could hold it together and I was doing pretty well. I noticed that my dad was very quiet tonight and the few times I inquired he just brushed it off. It must have finally gotten to him right before we were eating dinner as he told me he was upset over a dream he had. He thought it was odd as he never dreams. At first he didn't want to tell me as he didn't want to upset me. My first thought was to leave it alone, but being the caring (yet sometimes stupid) person I am I convinced him to talk about it. He dreamt that my husband and I were walking across a parking lot and feeling down when my brother, Dave came up to us and put his arms around me and told me that he's okay and not to worry. My pizza then became somewhat soggy.

It's been really good to have the family all around each other for the past week. Almost as if no one wants to let each other go. Tomorrow will be another day of sorting through things. I think the more personal items are almost all done. I have found that my brother did value little things in life. Yesterday I found a ton of birthday & Christmas cards. I also found letters that I had written to him in 1987 when he lived in Florida. The closing on my letter was "I miss you". Twenty-one years later I still feel the same.

What Would David Want?

My family made the dreaded trip to the funeral home today. We met outside and all walked in together. I keep trying to hold it together for my parents as they lost their child. They keep trying to comfort us. We managed to make it through all the arrangements without an argument. There were a few areas of disagreement about a certain thing but others were willing to listen in the end we were able to reason things out.

I found today that I've taken some things for granted. This is not the first funeral that I've been along for the arrangement part, but it is the first where I was actively involved. We all lost it a little when picking out prayer cards. I thought I could read it, but half way through thought that this could have been written specifically for my brother. I've picked them up and funerals before and have kept them for memories but I never really read the wording on the card. As I sat there reading it I found a new appreciation for anyone who has ever had to do this. I thought we'd make it through the flower selection without a tear being shed. Mom didn't do to well in this area, which in turn makes the rest of us shed a few.

Since my brother did not have any laid out plans we were forced to take matters into our own hands. This involved a trip to the basement. In the phase that some of us are going through now there were some comments made to "lighten " everyone up. This did help to keep the edge at bay for a few more minutes. Some day maybe I'll be able to write them all down.

We saw a minister in the afternoon to plan the service. We were prompted for good memories. This brought a lot of laughter and tears. We stressed the importance of him speaking to Dave's girls of how much their father loved them.

Tonight was picture board night. I think this helped some of us ease up a little. None of us knew that Dave had so many pictures. His pictures reflected a good life.

With everything we did today I feel that we all had one goal...to try and do what Dave would want.