WORK (for the night is coming)

Guess the time has arrived now today for me to buckle up, knuckle down and get my fat fanny in gear to do some work!

All kinds of work today too, as a matter of fact!

My newest Avon order just arrived here about an hour ago and I have 4 very large boxes of Avon products now parked on my dining room table that I have to open, sort, bag up by each customer's order and get ready to begin delivering them as soon as possible.

I also have another task at hand that I want to get completed before I even begin  to work on the Avon order and that is sweeping and then, scrubbing all the floors in the downstairs of this old house!

Well, not quite ALL the floors as my room has wall-to-wall carpeting and I definitely don't have the strength or energy either to try to move stuff around in there, crammed and crowded as that little room is, to scrub the carpet there. Considering the fact that a big part of the scrubbing chore today hinges on the problem I mentioned in my previous post about my poor dog and his flea infestation. Going to go over the hardwood floors with whatever I can find that will not just get them clean but hopefully, will work to eliminate some more of these dreadful little insects too!

If I were to work on the carpeting in my room, I'd probably have to try to find some company to come in and scrub that carpet for me -maybe some place along the same lines as getting carpet cleaning Holly Springs NC to come and take care of that work for me. I know -that's going a heck of a distance but that's about what I think right now might seem like it is necessary to do that.

These fleas are about to run me -and the dog and the cat too -out of Dodge if I can't soon get them under control!

And, after I get that stuff -Avon bagged up, flooring scrubbed and dried up, etc., there's also another task to get moving on as well and that's grass that needs mowed too!

No rest for the wicked, is there?

Flee, Please -Fleas!!!

Egads!

I can not believe how flea infested this simple mutt of mine is!

Why in just the past 10 days now, he has been bathed at least 4 times. Prior to that, he was bathed twice plus, my neighbor even "dipped" him in flea dip too and still, they come (the fleas) and run rampant on him!

These sapsuckers must be the hardiest insects known on the planet, that is my opinion of the situation anyway!

 In all my years, and having had several dogs and a few cats too over that period of time, I have NEVER seen a dog with this many fleas and ones that absolutely refuse to die too!

Poor Sammy. I'm sure he gets very tired of scratching and trying to rid himself of these pests -just as I have been trying my level best to murder the little buggers too.

Any suggestions for some foolproof flea removal method that I haven't previously tried on him in just the past month?

I've even used those little vials that you poke at the base of the dog's neck and then, smooth it into the skin which is supposed to kill ALL fleas in X-amount of time and keep them all Dead as a Doorknob too for some specific period of time -a month or maybe it's an optimistic three months supposedly that your dog will be flea free and they don't seem to do diddly squat for the poor little fella at all either!

What the heck am I doing wrong anyway?

And why are my fingers now itching like crazy too?

Time to Party!

The last couple of days have been a bit of a whirlwind for me.

Had a doctor's appointment Friday morning with the oncologist to review the results of the PET scan I had last week. Right now, I'm still kind of reeling from the results as they currently stand. They might not be that bad after all, but I won't know for sure till I have more blood work done as well as a needle biopsy. If either or both the "hot spots" that showed up on the PET scan show for sure (via the blood work and biopsy) as what the oncologist thinks they will, it looks like I will spend the next few months getting chemo again as well as probably spending the winter sans hair, wearing all kinds of hats once again.

Oh well. What can I say. It is what it is. Gotta accept whatever shakes out from some more tests and then, just move on ahead from there.

Friday, I stopped by a friend's house to chat with her and check out all the various things she had in her garage for her "moving" sale. (A moving sale but she isn't moving but is trying to "move" out a whole bunch of accumulation she has built up there now!)

Anyway, I saw this lovely, albeit a bit dusty, piano along the back wall and asked her if she was actually selling that piano too. Boy, was I surprised to hear her say "Yes, indeed!" I was even more surprised when she said how much she would take for it but that no one appeared the least bit interested in buying it so she asked me if I knew anyone who wanted/needed a piano to tell them about this.

I thought of a young lady from our church who I know occasionally gives piano/organ lessons that maybe she knew someone who was looking for a good purchase like this so I sent her a message via Facebook. Turns out she and her fiance were looking for a piano for their future home! How opportune, huh?

So I gave her my friend's name, address and directions to her house and lo and behold, things clicked just right there and now, the young woman and her fiance have a piano to place in their future home!

Even finding Yamaha keyboards for sale at the biggest bargain-basement prices ever would never come close to the figure my friend was asking for this piano!!! Incredible bargain, it really was! But she just wanted to get rid of it, and had decided she would take a very small payment in return to have it out of her place and thankfully, I just happened to send that message to who it turned out really wanted and needed a piano! Made my day then a whole lot better after the words I'd heard at the Oncologist's office, for sure.

This past Thursday was my "favorite" son's 40th birthday. (A family joke there about him being my "favorite son" considering he is my ONLY son.) Anyway, his girlfriend threw a Birthday Bash for him and it was quite the bash for sure!

Lots of food, including shish-kabobs and "Jungle Juice" punch -which I confess I decided it would be best if I didn't even go near that stuff although those who tried it kept going back for more and raving about how good it was. Maybe I missed out on a good thing but for me, where alcoholic beverages are concerned, I'm much better off if I stick to a can or two of my favorite flavor of beer! (Last night, I had three beers between about 7 p.m. and 1 a.m. to which my granddaughter, Miss Maya, upon hearing Mandy and I talking a bit this morning about the party said, "Boy, Gram! You must have been really thirsty for beer to drink THAT many!" (Thank goodness she has no clue about what my beer intake was at times in the years long gone, ya know!)

There was a whole lot of music -pretty loud music, mainly due to the drummers taking turns and I think a couple of them had as their main intent to see if they could play the drum even louder than the guy before them did! Felt like my eardrums were gonna break at times, for sure. Some guitar playing, some singing and such along with a campfire down at the back of my son's yard and lots and lots of people!

A whole lot of folks there that I had no clue who they were but there were also some good surprises in the guests too! A young lady who has been a friend of my son's, her Dad and aunt, were there and it was great to see them again. Then there was the guy leaning against the front door sill of my son's house who looked really familar to me but I couldn't figure out why. Then when I went to go past him, he looked at me and we both realized, simultaneously, that yes, we knew each other! Here it was a friend of my son's from back in their school days and who I hadn't seen him and his wife (of about 18 years now) since at least 20 years ago! And there was another young man there who I did recognize though as he had been one of Clate's bestest friends ever since kindergarten! And that young man's sister was also there and I hadn't seen her either in at least 20 years too! So, it was really great for those "kids" to reconnect and also great for me to see the four of them together again! All that was missing was another boyhood friend of my son's (since kindergarten too) and who just happens to self-refer as being my other "Favorite Son" too! Yes, Cupcake, we missed not having you there to complete the old friends picture!

That's my real favorite son in the middle -between two guests at his party. (Who the guy is in front in the red shirt, I have no clue!)

This picture is not what you might think it is! It's actually the young lady neither Clate or I had seen for about 20 plus years as she was trying to angle her camera to get a shot of my son who was a bit "toasted" to say the least and acting silly as all get out on the floor of his bedroom. Oh the things people will go to in order to get just the perfect angle for a picture, huh?

This is the brother of the photographer in the picture just above here. This is Steven -one of Clate's best friends ever since the boys were about 4-5 years old. Steven who told me last night how awesome this party was and even though he knew it was for Clate's birthday, he felt like it was a bit of a gift for him too in that he got to see many people he knew from school and back home here! Now that comment really made me feel pretty darned good and Clate too, when I informed him today what Stevie had said!

I leave you with one parting photo here. Along with a message not to be deceived by appearances here either as I was NOT drunk -just that the lovely young lady beside me -the very pretty little blonde there -is my step-granddaughter and mother of my ultra gorgeous little great-granddaughter, Lola-bug, too!

It was a good party for sure! I'm a little long in the tooth -as that old expression goes pertaining to age to be partying hearty like I used to do back in the dark ages, but it was a very fun get-together and definitely kept my mind from veering off into a couple dark channels currently existing there!

Wish all parties could go the way this one did -no fights (always a very good thing), good food and drink and lots and lots of crazy fun people to visit with!

Glad to be able to say that my son really did enjoy his Birthday Bash and to thank Elizabeth -his girlfriend -and a very close friend of the family's (Jess) for all her help in putting this event together!

Definitely was a night to remember!

Night Vision?

I've been doing fair-to-middling on my efforts to change myself a bit -mainly starting with trying to reprogram my body to get accustomed to going to bed at least a wee bit earlier and not staying up until the wee hours of the morning.

Tonight though, I've been wide awake, not even a single yawn to let me know my system was starting to wear down a bit and that I should, could go to bed and (hopefully) not lay there and just toss and turn, unable to fall asleep.

About 3:30 a.m., Sammy -the lovely little mutt here -came over by my chair and put his paws up on the arm of the chair, and gave me a longing look plus a little whimper that I took to mean he wanted to go out. Not just wanted but NEEDED to go out judging by his actions.

No, I'm not accustomed to walking him at this hour of the night (or morning) but considering the consequences that would be waiting for me if I didn't take him out and he had been sincere about his needs, I decided what the heck -I'll take him out.

Once outside, although I knew the moon was out tonight, I was really surprised at how brightly it was shining.

As I looked up at that yellow oval in the sky though, I was convinced I either need new glasses or I'm having double vision or some such problem because I kept looking at the moon and seeing what appeared to be about a quarter of a moon sort of attached to the bottom of the moon I was used to seeing!

What the heck was with this sight anyway.  Sam and I started walking down the road but I kept looking up at the moon, searching for places to stop and perhaps get a clearer view perhaps. But I kept seeing this other slice of a moon regardless of where I stood out on the road.

Sam wasn't being all that interested once we got outside in doing any serious business so I brought him back inside and grabbed my camera to see if this "thing" -whatever it was in my sight -appeared if I tried to take a photograph of it.

Now, you look at these pictures and tell me if I'm seeing things or not? (No, they aren't the best pics of the moon in the sky -definitely does look like the moon is all those kazillion miles away from planet earth but see if you can also see what I was seeing. And, if so, anyone have any idea what's with the old man in the moon tonight?

On the first picture, there appears to be a tiny white spot towards the bottom of the photo but that is not what I was seeing when I looked up at the moon. The other two pictures -well, remember my camera is not a fancy unit and trying to get a better shot is pretty much next to impossible for me. But I looked around outside to see if I was seeing double or partial-doubles of anything else and it was only when I looked at the moon that it appeared to be in the process of growing an appendage or something.

Okay -now I guess I just proved to myself -and all those who know me and thought I was a little nutso-whacko that apparently their sentiments are true and I am really seeing things then, aren't I?

Changing Pace....

This past Friday was the last day of Vacation Bible School at our church. We had lost a couple attendees along the way but still ended up the last day with 21 children present. We did however have a bit of a close call -could have been a catastrophe, really, if things hadn't worked out the way they did.

 Thursday night, as Kurtis was getting ready for bed, he realized his "Bear-Bear" (his big pillow-type bear rug comfort item) was missing and he told me he thought he had left him at church that day. We talked a little bit about this and that Bear-Bear would be safe there, waiting patiently for Kurt to show up on Friday morning to keep him company. I asked him if he would be okay to go to bed without Bear to snuggle with and he said he thought he could do that. (Lucky for me, he did that with no problems!)

Friday morning, when we got to church, as soon as Kurtis got through the front door, he was off, running and looking for his beloved Bear-Bear. Unfortunately, he couldn't locate Bear and was near to a panic attack but just about everyone at Bible School kicked into gear and helped him look for his prized possession. Maya came up to me and told me that Kurt had finally found Bear so I went to him to talk to him and asked him where he had found him. He said he was in the Nursery area and I told him it was good that he found him but that he needs to really keep close tabs on Bear. At that, Kurtis then told me "Yes. It wasn't very nice of him to go wandering off like that!" And, needless to say, I totally cracked up over that line! Kids! Never know what they're going to come up with, do we?

Friday evening, we had a little social gathering at church so families and friends of the kids could see all the projects they had made this past week. We had ice cream with chocolate syrup or sprinkles for a little treat and then, we were treated to a small but very nice "petting zoo" in the back lot behind the church. One parishioner brought her horse up and took kids for rides on that plus they also had a group of miniature ponies there too -not available for riding but for the kids to pet and get up close and personal with them. There was also one lone chicken in a pen and a little calf too! I know this is crazy because a family who lived two doors away from me when I was a youngster had cows and I was around the big cows now and again, growing up, but believe it or not, this was the first time I had occasion to pet a baby calf! Now there's my achievement for being almost 69 years old and never having had the opportunity before now to pet a little calf!

 We also had a local farmer who had his son bring their hay wagon up to take groups of people there on a little hayride around the village. Needless to say, the kids really got a big bang out of that and there were no complaints from any of the adults present either! So, all in all, Vacation Bible School this year was a big success. And Saturday, apparently I was exhausted because I just couldn't seem to wake up and as a result, napped most of the day away. Sunday, although I had planned to go to church, my intestines decided that was not going to happen as I had to endure a couple hours of steady cramping pains until my intestines decided to settle down. After that episode, I was fine and dandy then!

Now, here it is Monday and the start of another week. And this week is one that is going to be very quiet for me as the grandkids left Friday night after the Bible School event was over and returned to Middletown. I'm not sure exactly which day they will be coming back up here -sometime over the coming weekend -and I will have them here then all next week too until Sunday, August 25th. And then, when they return to Middletown that day, who knows when they'll be able to come up and spend time with old Grammy J. School starts on the 26th for them and I just hope and pray that all works out okay as this is going to be a very big adjustment -especially for Kurtis -to be going to a new and larger school.

 Now, it's time for me to get moving here, shower and get dressed to go deliver the last three Avon orders I have remaining to drop off and then, I should really attend an Avon Sales Meeting this evening over in Clearfield. Way back when I sold Avon before (like for 18 years) I used to go to all the sales meetings then and always enjoyed them plus the opportunity to meet other reps in the area here then too. The fact I'm not totally enthused about going to this meeting tonight speaks loud and clearly for how much of a recluse I've turned myself into being over the past 22 years since I stopped selling Avon products back then. Gotta give myself a little extra push to force me to go out the door and attend this I think. But a change of pace is pretty much what I really do need right now.

Good Numbers!

I mentioned before that this week is the week that we have Vacation Bible School at our church and I was really happy yesterday when our first day convened and we had 20 children between the ages of 4 and 12 present for our first session.

That's a very good jump -almost 300 percent increase in numbers -over our attendance last year when we only had 7 children present for the first day and we finished out the week of VBS last year with a total head count of around 17-18 kids who were there.

Yesterday, we served lunch to those 20 children plus 15 others -Pastor Matt, Pastor Lee, several teens who were working as "helpers" who worked with the children as well as the ladies of the church who fixed hot dogs, veggies for dipping in a scrumpdelicious ranch dip and brownies for dessert. Apparently the kids liked our lunch well enough to return today and they even brought some friends to join them there today too!

Our head count today was a whopping 28 children! WOW! What an awesome figure that was to see!Lunch today consisted of ham and cheese sandwiches, veggies and dip plus marshmallow rice krispy treats for dessert!

Tomorrow, we will be serving a big favorite of the kids -homemade macaroni and cheese plus jello jigglers! Actually, we will have a big container of homemade mac 'n'cheese along with another large container of the "boxed" mac'n'cheese because we have a lot of discerning taste buds in our group of attendees -kids who won't eat mac'n'cheese UNLESS it is of the boxed variety!

My two grandchildren are among those who will be present tomorrow who refuse now to go near the homemade macaroni and cheese that I make and which, until last summer, had been their favorite meal for me to fix! Since last year's at Bible School, when they got the boxed variety, they refuse to touch Gram's homemade variety!

Go figure that one out, will ya?

But anyway, I'm really hepped up to see how we do, attendance-wise, to finish out this week of VBS! Even if it drops a little bit here and there from day to day, the numbers we had for today are still a good indicator that we are now on the right track with our planning and administering our program for the future!

Silence or Noise?

Sometimes it does seem that I can't decide what I really want these days! Do I want the silence that frequently exists now without the grandchildren around me all the time -a whole lot of peace and quiet then, ya know. Or do I want the noise -pretty much on a constant basis, day in and day out, when the two grandkids are here with me and they can make the house echo!

When the kids are not here and are with their mother down in Middletown, I should be able to feel free to do whatever my pea-picking heart desires with no strings attached, no worries about if there is someone who can watch the kids while I go do things I think I'd like to do (but which wouldn't really be of interest to Maya and Kurt if I had to take the kids along with me.) And it sounds to me like this has potential to become a really good and very nice game plan for me.

But then, when the kids are here -as they are right now (again) until this Friday, there are times during the day when their frequent bickering and wailing and whining and complaining, each about the other, tends to make my head feel like it's spinning away and I'm about to turn into the girl on The Exorcist -if you recall the scene I am referring to!

Just can't be satisfied no matter which way my life is running these days!

I've got a lot on my plate right now, to be sure.

I got my second Avon order here this past Saturday, all bagged up, books all marked out with my name, phone number, e-mail address as well as my Avon website for those who want to order through me but who like to do their purchasing and shipping done online. All ready now for me to head out and deliver these orders.

But first, every morning this week I have to get the kids up early and take them out to church so they can attend Vacation Bible School our church is having this week. And, while they are in their respective classes, I'm busy then in the kitchen, working with some other women from our church to get lunch ready for all the kids attending our program this year!

Today -Monday -was our first day and as usual, we had no idea how many kids to expect to be attending. Last year on the first day of Bible School, we had, I believe, 7 children who attended that day! Pretty slim pickings you could say, huh? Thankfully, we ended out the week with about 17 children who came though. So this year, we were a bit antsy, to say the least, as to what the attendance might be but boy, what a great feeling it was when the kids were ready to being today and there were 20 children present between the ages of 4 and 12!

That was a very pleasant surprise, for sure!

And tomorrow, we might possibly pick up two more boys about Maya's age range who might decide to join us. Sure do hope so.

The kids had a big splash yesterday as they were invited to a birthday party being held at a local swimming pool for a girlfriend of Maya's. Their Dad took them to the party, stayed with them and then, had them till about 10 last night at his place for their time to visit with him. I didn't want the kids to have to miss the birthday party because it was their Dad's time to spend with them so I was very pleased when he agreed to taking them and staying with them at the party, instead of my having to do that. This way, he didn't have to give up any of his visitation with them and the kids were happy with the whole arrangement that way too.

Tomorrow evening, I'm going to cook supper and have their Dad along with the step-granddaughter (Katie) and her now six-month-old baby girl here for supper after which I have to leave to go to church for a meeting of our Women's group and Dad and big sister will then babysit Maya and Kurt here so they get to spend some more quality time with their Dad as well as their sister and especially to enjoy being able to be "entertained" too by their little niece in the process! She is such a little cutie and a sweetheart. Maya is enthralled that she has a niece and Kurtis -well, he thinks little Lola is okay but just doesn't get what all the fuss is over with some baby being around here! Typical little boy reaction I suppose.

And now, since I have another big day ahead of me tomorrow guess I best get moving and go to bed so I can be well-rested and ready to face the big world in the little part where I live!

Peace! (Just no quiet till Friday night this week.)