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.)

Still Plugging Away!

Last week was much calmer -MUCH -than the previous week and for that, I am eternally grateful!

My older daughter was discharged from the hospital on Friday -or as she preferred to refer to the place -"The Spa" and she seems to be doing a whole lot better now. Very much like her old self, more exuberant in her actions and speech is how she seems to be to me.

I am thankful every day that she was located when she was and that treatment for her problems was available for her to take advantage of the help. I still shudder though when the thought crosses my mind that things could have been so much more different and horribly difficult for my two other children, her son and the rest of my family to endure. So much, so very much for which to give thanks!

There are three theatrical groups in the little town of Philipsburg near to where I live and all three cater to the youth in the area. One is the group that Miss Maya -my sweetheart granddaughter -belonged to for the past three years and which has helped her immeasurably with her social skills discipline. The week after the presentation of the play -Freckleface Strawberry -in which she was a part of the song and dance ensemble -all I heard here, day after day, was Maya singing this or that song from the play! It was getting to the point that I had massive earworms in my head of "I like Danny" or "Creative Minds" as she wandered around the house singing those two numbers in particular. The funny thing about this is that for one thing, she knew the lyrics and music to every single song from the play and could perform them, including dialogue, dance steps and dialogue here at home! And also, just from taking her to practice the last two weeks before the performance and observing her and the other kids in the cast do their numbers, Kurtis also had picked up the words and music to the play along with his sister!

Just how much like sponges these two kids are as they absorb more and more things than can really be recognized much of the time truly does amaze me!

This past Friday night I did something I rarely do! Aside from going to church services alone, I don't remember ever before attending a movie or anything, much less a play, by myself!

But that's exactly what I did Friday night! I went into Philipsburg to see one of the other theatrical youth companies do their rendition of "Hairspray." Only took me over half a century to get up the nerve to do that by myself!

When I walked into the auditorium though Friday night, I noticed a younger man standing behind a row where two women were seated and I recognized him as being my cousin's younger son. My cousin and her daughter-in-law were seated in the row in front of him so I sat down beside my cousin. She explained to me that they had seen the play the night before in the dress rehearsal but wanted to be there Friday night because the theatrical company was doing a slide show in memory of her husband who had passed away suddenly two weeks earlier. He was a very strong supporter of the theatrical companies -all three of them -and being a very talented craftsman, he built many of the props needed for plays presented over the past several years. He was loved and very respected by the young people as well as those in charge of directing these productions too. A grandfather (and also a great-grandfather) himself, the whole company of these productions all referred to him as "Pappy Jack" as he pretty much adopted them all as part of his family.

I watched the slide show with my cousin and it was a beautiful presentation that gave honor and showed the love of the kids and staff as well as even the local community through this event. Made me very proud to have been able to claim him as my cousin through marriage for the past 57 years it would have been in September since he and my cousin married.

Saturday, my older daughter and her fiance were over near here and stopped by for a very welcome visit. We talked, laughed, discussed things about her brother, sister and the grandkids and I very much enjoyed seeing them then. After they left, I went out -alone again -to a big yard party at the home of some good friends who live about 3-4 miles from me. In the past, I never would have done that but I've decided since I am basically alone, why keep myself in a reclusive status when I can just as easily go and enjoy things that I always used to like to do! The neat thing about going to this particular event is that although I know the family of the couple hosting it to see most of them, I really don't know them all that well. But I met all four of their children and when their mother would give tell them my name, I could see a bit of confusion on their faces but then, their mother would tell them "This is Clayton's Mom" and you could see the expressions change into big smiles and nods to acknowledge that oh yes, they definitely knew my son! His reputation apparently proceeds me even more than I realized!

Sunday, I had planned to go to church but my body decided during the night that it wasn't going to cooperate with that game plan. I couldn't sleep -just slept in brief intervals so when I actually needed to get up and get ready to go to church, I was as tired as I'd been when I went to bed Saturday night. Plus my intestines decided to act up and my back and legs ached like toothache so I crawled back into bed and ended up sleeping -very soundly as a matter of fact then -for about 4 hours! When I got up later, the legs and back were apparently fully rested as I had no problems with those aches and pains then -thankfully!

And that brings me now to today and the start of a new week. I'm very much looking forward to tomorrow when Mandy will be coming up and bringing Maya and Kurtis with her so they can then spend the next 10 days here with me. This way, they can now go to Vacation Bible School at our church -something they had been looking forward to doing since the end of the school term back in May and now, here it is August is upon us already! When they return to their new home in Middletown on August 10th then, who knows when I'll be able to see my two little sweethearts again.

I've been doing fairly well for the most part since they left here. Still very quiet in a house that was not accustomed to that much solitude for the past 10 years now but I've been busy -between trying to clean up all the dog and cat fur/hair that is deposited on a regular basis by Sam and Pearl (the dog and indoor cat), who by all rights and my estimation should each have become totally bald by now! Cooking isn't something high on my priority list now though as fixing a cooked meal just for me does not appeal to me at all. Too much work to do that daily! (And I find it to be more than a bit on the boring side too!) I'm trying to keep up with the lawn work -mowing the grass here usually after 7 p.m. at night when the sun isn't quite as wicked and there is a bit of a breeze now and again too that helps in that chore. Surprisingly enough though cutting the grass with the lawnmower is very exerting work it hasn't bothered my leg and back joints! Go figure that one out, huh?

And I'm trying to slowly build myself a decent customer following as I returned to being a sales rep for good old Avon Products now. A good way to force myself to go out and be at least semi-social, ya know!

And finally, I'm digging into the many craft projects -embroidery is it right now -that I have on hand here to stitch up! I finished one placemat of a set yesterday and just have the 2nd placemat and two napkins to do to complete that project. Where it will go after it's finished is anyone's guess right now as it might become a Christmas gift or maybe a donation item at our annual Fall Bazaar at church or if someone sees it and really likes it -maybe sold then. Just haven't got around to deciding what I'l do with the stuff I plan to be working on over the coming months.

And finally, I learned from my recent visit to the oncologist and from results of the CT scan I had to have done for that check-up that the scan revealed I have two spots on my back -around the Adrenal glands so now, I am scheduled to have a PET scan on August 20th. Apparently there is some concern that there may be a malignancy lurking there. I am trying my best to NOT worry about the outcome of the PET scan mainly because there is nothing I can do to change it if the cancer is there other than follow what recommendations the oncologist may end up giving me when all the results are in.

I've been down this path twice before and came through the other side okay and I'll face this in the same manner as before -with positivity and faith no matter the outcome.

It can always be worse, ya know and I prefer not to think about that aspect.

Peace!

Plans -More Than I Can Chew?

Right now, there are so many things going on in my head, some days, it's really hard to differentiate between what I want, what I need and what I really can do.

This is especially true about things around the house -changes that I'd like to make, that I have to make or should make.

Right now, I need to find a licensed and insured contractor to give me an estimate on costs to have the back of the house siding completed. This job has been waiting since 1991 to be completed but now, with this mortgage hanging in the balance, I have to figure out what it will cost and get the estimate submitted and also then, figure out who I can get to do the work for the estimated price  or under. Well, I don't have to tell you, I'm sure, that I'd really love to find someone who would do the work for a little lower amount that the estimate and help me save a couple of buckaroonies that way.

Used to be that if you needed work like that done there were guys all over the area who would take on the job as  a second job for extra money under the table and help folks save or there were enough guys unemployed who were willing and able to do good carpentry work or odd jobs.

They don't seem to exist these days.

I'd like to get the front entrance to the house redone as it needs something done to give the porch roof a little more pitch to it so it would drain better in the winter -ice and snow and stuff like that. I'd also love to get the whole house re-roofed too but boy, that's a big expense to get that done.

Because I have to walk the mutt at least twice a day and often his second walk of the day is after dark or nearly dark, I would REALLY like to get some kind of light fixture that would be out along the parking area and the steps. I saw one by Louis Poulsen light fixtures that look ideal for what I wanted but unfortunately the price -almost $2,000 would rule that baby out on my budget! Finding something that would give me a bit more full lighting at night and shine a good way down the road in the process is what I want but now, I'm wondering if Walmart has anything along those lines that would be a tad more affordable.

Okay -so not just a tad more affordable but for next to nothing, ya know. Doubt that I could fin d what I want and like there either then!

Oh well, I've made do without a whole lot of these things till now and can do it again if need be.

It's sorting out the things I HAVE to get done as soon as possible too that's creates a little bit of panic within me!

Lazy Meals!

Since I am now the sole occupant of this house now, the thought of cooking a big meal, just for me, myself and I, is something I find very unappealing!

Much as I didn't like it at all on many days when my stomach and brain just couldn't seem to jive and come forth with any reasonable menu ideas to fix for the grandkids and their Mom and myself, it's even more difficult to figure out what to fix when you're the only one who's going to be eating whatever you come up with then!

And I'm not really all that big of a fan of eating leftovers day in and day out either!

Today was one of those days when my mind was very braindead pertaining to food! Cooking was the last thing -the very last thing I wanted to do today even though the temperatures were relatively decent -sunny, hot but not on overload in that department, plus there was a good breeze and the humidity was a lot lower too than it's been of late so I wasn't concerned about overheating the kitchen.

I just didn't want to be bother cooking anything!

So, I decided to run into Philipsburg and go grab a nice meal at the American Diner -where Mandy worked until June 30th and where my son's girlfriend still works there now as a cook!

And anytime I eat out like that, my inclination is to order something I won't be cooking at home -for whatever reason.

Tonight I indulged in a dinner of liver and grilled onions, mashed potatoes and gravy over the whole thing plus coleslaw and peaches with Iced tea for my chaser!

I never cook liver and onions at home =or I haven't for many years because I am really the only person in the family, most of the time, who will even eat that stuff!

It's actually a favorite dish of mine but still, I wouldn't want it once a week or even once a moth -maybe once or twice a year would be fine in my book.

But anyway, that's how I ended up with a carry-out container that holds the liver, gravy, onions and potatoes that we served in such abundance that I couldn't finish what was on my plate. And that rarely happens to me!

But now I have my meal for tomorrow all planned out and don't have to worry about stopping whatever I'm doing just to fix myself something to eat!

Last One In's a Rotten Egg!

Remember that line from your childhood? Usually yelled by a bunch of other kids as all would be chasing and racing to jump into the water at a nearby lake or woodland stream with a nice deep hole or even, if you were lucky, into a nice big clear swimming pool!

When I was a kid, the main spot for many of us was a pond located at a farm a couple of miles from home here and often some of us -after we were in our teens -would either bicycle out there or even, if we were really ambitious and really felt the extreme need for a cool swim, we might even gather together and walk out to this place.

 It was a swimming hole I liked a good bit and yet, I didn't like it at the same time.

My dislike of this place stemmed from two things.

One was there was no way you could just wade into the water. Instead, you had to jump off a make-shift diving board that was only about 2 foot, at most, above the water and I was never into jumping much less diving then. (Actually I tried to jump off that board ONE time and ONE time only and somehow instead of just jumping, I ended up taking a belly-flopper and I think my stomach burned and smarted the rest of the day!

 The other thing I didn't like about that place ties in with the not being able to wade in as the bottom -if you could touch it -was long, long grass and it terrified me to have my toes touch that much less any other part of my body! Yeah, you could describe me probably with respect to my swimming days then as being pretty much of a wimp.

Today, swimming is something I have done I think exactly once in the past 10-12 years -maybe even a larger gap than that! Why? Well perhaps if I could something from coco reef swimwear plus size in a design I liked and in a size and style that fit me and hid a multitude of fat sins, I might at least consider visiting a state park about 10 miles from where I live and might even consider indulging in a little bit of a dip in the water there then.

Well, maybe I would do that and maybe not too.

Why not? Well, it is a very nice park, dam or small lake -whatever  you care to call it there -and it is fed by a mountain stream call Black Moshannon Creek so, naturally, the park is called Black Moshannon State Park. Around these parts though most everyone refers to it as "Blackie" and not just for the fact of the name of the park and the stream.

The other factor behind referring to it as Blackie is that after swimming there for any amount of time, you would exit the water looking -often -as dark as if you'd been tanning all year round to become a bathing beauty.

Actually we shouldn't call it Blackie though because the water in that dam has a high amount of sulfur content in it apparently and tends to turn one's limbs and body more of a rust color instead of blackish and it has been know to be rather unkind then too if you dared to wear a very expensive swimsuit there!

The last time I went swimming was about 5-6 years ago now and it was in the above ground pool my next door neighbors had at that time. And, because of my inability to find a reasonably priced swimsuit that fits me, my outfit that time consisted of cut-off shorts and a tee shirt.

Heck I could have had my own wet tee-shirt contest, couldn't I have?

Maybe next time!

A little Update...

A lot of you who read my blog might also be friends with me on Facebook and if so, you pretty much know by now what happened to my older daughter last week when she was missing for roughly 26 hours. But for those of you who don't have access to the many posts that have appeared on Facebook but maybe did read one of my posts here from a couple days ago about my daughter and have commented to me on that post your concerns and wishes, also prayers for my daughter, I thought I'd give you ALL a little bit of an update.

I'm very happy to say that she is doing very well now!

Because of the rules and regulations of the establishment where she is currently a patient, it is very difficult to get to speak to her on the phone and also, really hard to be able to go visit her too.

The unit she is in has only two phones available for use by all the patients in that unit and you can only call in between 7 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. and that's the only time the patients can call out too. First come, first served,  you see. And really I do understand the need to regulate the communications but I think perhaps if they at least had a couple more phones to allow for an easier time for patients to make or receive phone calls, it would make life a tad easier for all concerned.

And the same goes too for their visitation policies! Visitation is for a half hour only -between 2:30 p.m. and 3:00 p.m.

Because the facility is about  60 miles from where we live, my daughter has asked that we not try to come over to see here as she feels it is too costly -at the current prices of gas/oil, ya know -especially for such a short period of time.

I was rather surprised when I heard her make that request to me for her siblings and for me not to worry, not to try to visit her as I thought then perhaps her Scottish Ancestry must have finally kicked into gear on her! (She's never been know to worry to much about spending money -if she had it in her pocket, she found something -generally anyway -on which to spend it! LOL

But the times I have been able to get through and talk with her, I'm very happy to say that her voice sounds like it did when she was just fresh out of high school. Her spirits are up again and that's a very pleasant change to realize as well.

And finally, I want to thank those of you who have contacted me via e-mail or Facebook and inquired about her, offered prayers for her well-being as well as many have offered to me and my son and other daughter, help if there is anything possible they can do for us.

The prayers are the best gift possible and greatly appreciated! So feel free to keep on doing that, please!

And I'll try to keep folks posted here and on Facebook too, as best I can.

Where's Our Hearts Anymore?

There are many things that are going on in our country today that bother me. None that I can really do anything to correct as I certainly am in no position to work to get changes made on any of the myriad of issues we face today. The economy sucks! Let's face it, it is really punk for so many people who are either unemployed or under-employed now. People losing their homes for many reasons -one of which often is having lost their job and not being able to save enough to give themselves a little cushion to tide them over. (Pretty hard to even scrape by on jobs that pay $7.50 to even $10-12 an hour much less manage to put a buck here and there aside as savings!)

So many things that often make me think America has lost it's light, it's heart and many are against things that used to be pretty accepted.

One aspect I see that very much bothers me is the issues surrounding immigration. Part of me thinks that if people want to come here, are willing to work and abide by our rules and regulations, then the process should be one that would enable them to do that. I find myself being torn between those who come in here illegally and if caught, get deported back to their home country and the ideas of a kind of amnesty plan to allow them to become American citizens.

Why do I feel torn by that? Well, you see, my grandparents on both side of my family were immigrants. My Dad's parents came here from Scotland while my Mom's father and her Mother's parents came here from Sweden. They came through via the legal channels, worked hard -very hard as a matter of fact in the coal mines, to eke out a pittance of a living much of the time. But they persevered and became naturalized citizens, had full voting rights (which they took great pride in being able to vote) and they tried to get the best education they could afford for their children too. They also worked very hard to learn English and for the most part, they and many of their counterparts here in this village -Swedish or Slovak, Polish, Russian and German -many of them even tried to keep their children from learning what was the parents native tongue but rather insisted they learn better English than they had when they came here. (For my part, I really wish I'd been able to learn to read and speak Swedish as I think it would be a good thing to be able to be fluent and communicate in other languages.)

But so many people today forget that our ancestors came here from other lands, other cultures, other languages they spoke and they had to  assimilate into the American culture -not an easy task to be sure for many -but they tried to do that to the best of their abilities. They also had to deal with discrimination due to their nationalities too. Discrimination is a very difficult thing to cope with whether it is based on language differences, religious difference or race and frequently the cause is purely ignorance based on fears of people who don;t talk, act, dress, worship or look, exactly like the average American today. (Whatever that really is because by now, many of us are composites of several other cultures, ya know. I am -as I'm part Swedish, part Scottish so my children too have those ethnicities in them along with French, German and Irish from their Dad's side of the family. So they are truly what we often refer to as being a Heinz 57 variety!

It bothers me immensely to hear people say about so many groups today that they should just go back to where they came from. One night, several years ago, while imbibing in a few brews at the local pub, a guy there made that comment and since I happen to know him and know his roots I asked him if he felt all immigrants should do that -return to their homeland and his reply to me was "You're darned right they should!"

That's when I asked him where he planned to go then? I asked him if he had figured out yet if he would go to Sweden or to Czechoslovakia? For a minute or two I thought he was going to cut me off and tell me to go home but he didn't. However, he did drop his comments about the topic then for the rest of the evening. Maybe it was too much "food for thought" for him!

But it's attitudes like that and then, for so many, they have to seek out legal help via an immigration lawyer thus forcing them to shell out money they probably really don't have to spare on legal fees.

I do still think all immigrants should be able to come here if they have the means to make the trip and skills that they can and want to utilize. I understand why many do feel they only way they can get in is through illegal channels therefore, that's what they do but why does it have to be that way in the first place?

If the illegals are sucking off so many jobs that good old red-blooded American could or should have -according to the arguments put forth by many, then why aren't more Americans then willing to go work those jobs in the first place? Probably because their expectations for employment don't center on doing the hard, manual labor that the illegals often find themselves working!

So much to think about with this problem and I sure as heck don't know the answers to it. I just wish people would begin to operate with a little more of a generous spirit of extending a helping hand and welcome people here instead of calling them names, treating them as being lower than dirt all too often and expecting too families to be broken apart if one parent happens to be an illegal and the other is a citizen and the illegal then risks being deported and the children left with virtually no one then to raise them. Then they become to many a bigger part of the problem if they have to apply for any type of assistance.

Boy, to have to deal with all those things like that, if it were me trying to enter this country today and had to face that kind of hatred and discrimination and such, I wonder if I would still think America is the land of opportunity and the best place on earth to live then.

Would you?

An Apple a Day?

Two years ago, Mandy discovered something while walking the dog one day. She found three nice apple trees along the dirt road where we walk the mutt and all three of these trees appeared to be producing apples in overdrive because there were apples and more apples all over the ground and many still on the trees too.

She and the kids picked a bunch of them and brought them home for me to make pie or cobbler or some such with them. Well, I did that and also, cooked up a big batch of homemade applesauce as well.

The applesauce was a really big hit with both the grandkids here as well as with other family members who might have been here to dine with us on some occasions.

With the applesauce success, I then started gathering apples from these trees -the trees are on land that is pretty much abandoned so no danger of getting in trouble with any neighbors then for swiping the fruit. I cooked up several batches of applesauce and then froze it so we enjoyed the good homemade applesauce almost up to last spring.

I was really looking forward to the apple gathering again last fall but sadly, the apple blossoms on those trees and on all the apple trees around the town as well as the township too, had the same fate befall them.

No apples to pick and cook for anything last year.

So this spring, when I saw the first buds on the trees and then the pretty blossoms, I watched them with fingers crossed and said prayers too that there wouldn't be a hard, hard frost or a late heavy snowfall that would come through and kill them off again this year.

Thankfully, they survived and so, Maya and I have been watching those 3 trees like a pair of hawks -trying to see how many apples seemed to be growing on them. We even discovered a 4th tree right near these three -much smaller and it looks like it might be a very young tree and these are maybe it's first year of producing anything but it seems to have a pretty ample supply growing there now.

Just about every day, when I walk Sammy, as I go by these trees, I find myself staring at the apples growing and counting -or trying to count -how many apples I can spot on each tree. Yesterday, between the 4 trees, I counted over 200 apples in the growth stage!

That got my stomach to yearning for this years batches of home-cooked applesauce that I have planned for the freezer pretty soon.

Yesterday, I also took some pictures of the trees and their lovely crops! I thought I'd share a couple of those pictures today with you too. Hope you can see the apples and maybe they'll make you a bit hungry too for apple pie or cobbler or applesauce too!

The apple on this tree is on the tree that appears to have the least amount of production and the most I've been able to count on it -could be more as sometimes they are pretty well hidden -is about 18-20 apples.

The problem with trying to take pictures while you're also trying to control a dog on the lease is that often you get a jerk on the lease at the most inopportune time. That's why this picture is a bit blurry but I think you can make out a fairly good number of apples growing on it -just look for tiny lighter green orbs! (This is also from the younger tree I mentioned too.)

Yet another yank on the lease and I end up with a bit of a blurry photo but you should be able to see three apples about in the center, clumped together.

These apples are on the first apple tree we pass by on our walk and it seems to be the one that is the most productive this year as I have counted at least 6 dozen apples on it!

The tree holding these apples and a fairly decent amount of others on it, isn't on our normal walking route but is located down by the bridge over the Sulfur Creek (correct name of the creek is "Moravian Run"_ and this is just below the house that my great-uncle, Erik Eld, used to own.

The tree in the middle here has enough apples on it that can be seen from the street as we walk by and it is located near the kitchen window of Uncle Erik's old homestead which now belongs to a great couple -Jodi and Tony and their son, Travis. (I know too from years long gone by that it produces very good cooking apples as my uncle always sent apples from it up to my Grandma so she could cook up all kinds of yummy apple treats plus -she would make applesauce and can it in big quart jars for our winter meals!

These apple trees are also on Jodi and Tony's property (used to belong to my great-uncle) and are young trees that they have planted since they bought the house and moved in there. If I remember correctly, Jodi told me these are "Delicous" apples that they yield and two years ago, when there was really a bumper crop of apples around the neighborhood, she invited the grandkids, Mandy and me to come down and take as many apples as we wanted as there was way more than she and Tony could handle. And I'm sure you know now too that we beat a path down there and hauled a whole lot of apples home from those trees.

So there you have it now -a little tour of the apples in production within about a quarter to a third of a mile at most from my home!

So you know too I'm really looking forward to when they are ripe and ready to be gathered up and used!

Apple Fever! It's looming here for me!

Always Something...

Boy, why is it when you think you've finally got a hold on something that will make your life even just a teensy bit easier, there's always something that comes along and tosses a monkey wrench into the mix!

Never seems to fail to happen that way and it makes keeping a positive attitude just a trifle more difficult then in the process.

Here I am now, in the middle of the process of securing a reverse mortgage to give myself a little bit of leeway with my finances. Things seemed to be progressing quite smoothly until this past Friday when I received an e-mail with an attachment from a lady with the firm handling the mortgage processing.

Now I am totally confused as the e-mail stated that after they pay off some kind of outstanding balance I supposedly owe, I won't have enough money left over to pay for the repairs needed to be done in order to get the mortgage in the first place.

Say WHAT?

So I'm thinking what the heck is a person to do anyway. Then the idea that maybe something like non profit attorney nc could come to my aid because heaven knows, my life has always been operating along the "non-profit" lines.

Then I realized they meant something totally different in that respect so now, here I am again, back to the drawing board, waiting for a phone call and a major explanation too of what this supposed huge debt that supposedly I have is all about. Heck -the paper they sent me about these monies I supposedly owe isn't even in my name!

Go figure that one out!

No Revisitations, PLEASE!

The past week was one that was full -way too full as a matter of fact -and unfortunately, most of the stuff that it was full of was events I definitely didn't welcome here!

Two weeks ago tonight, I decided to take the plunge and re-enlist to once again become an Avon Rep! My first order was due to be sent in this past Thursday, which entailed getting re-acquainted with how to fill out the order since they now how their ordering process computerized and that was a trifle confusing. Plus the fact of other events that happened that just kept me in either a crying mode, a panic mode, or simply just confused pretty much the entire week!

Monday kicked things off as I got word that my cousin -who lives about 12 miles from me -had become a widow overnight. Her husband of 56 (almost 57 years) had died suddenly that morning.

Tuesday, I had a doctor's appointment with the oncologist at the Cancer Clinic -my six-month checkup -where I learned that because they observed some spots on my adrenal glands on the CT scan I had to have two weeks ago, I now have to have a PET scan -just to make sure there is no cancer flaring up somewhere within my body. Wonnerful, wonnerful -as Lawrence Welk would say!

Tuesday evening kicked off the longest and possibly the worst 26-hour period of my entire life!

Seems my older daughter was missing! Regardless of how safe most folks in this region tend to think we are here, there are still occasions when bad things -very bad things -do sometimes happen and due to a serious of events with her that were totally out of character for her, I told her fiance to call the police and tell them she is missing and that the family is concerned that she may be a danger to herself -that way they wouldn't wait the required 24 hours before they would start looking for her. I won't go into the details of her disappearance but had they waited 24 hours and had it still then taken them 26 hours to find her, the outcome very likely wouldn't have been a positive one then due to the heat and the extreme humidity here this week. I have never felt so helpless as it did during that time period ever before and definitely don't want to ever experience anything like that again!

She was located -finally -about 9:30 p.m. Wednesday nite, my younger daughter and I went to the emergency room at the hospital where she had been taken and spent about 2-3 hours there before we felt it was under control and we came home but te stress of that time span, and all, left both of us wired and just exhausted too so on Thursday, we both slept but we sort of slept in 2 hour shifts were she would nap, then me, then back and forth like that almost the whole day before we felt even semi-awake then.

Friday, there was the viewing for my cousin's husband and that was followed up by Mandy going back down to Middletown -where she now lives -and with her, the kids! I have been dreading the time when this would happen that the grandkids would be leaving me -all alone here -and Friday, the 19th was the day for that!

Saturday was another long day as well with the funeral and dinner and heat and more heat and humidity then too plus, my Avon order arrived. I still haven't gotten around to bagging up the orders I got on that campaign so best get busy tonight and get that done so I can start my delivery rounds at least by Tuesday of this week.

Oh and Friday, there was a letter in the mail for me from the Mortgage Company I've been dealing with and the letter in that  envelope has me really upset now so first thing in the morning I'm going to have to call the company and find out what is the meaning of the letter as it says they will be taking almost $8,000 our of the equity money I am supposed to receive and that won't then give me enough funds to take care of some of the necessary repairs on the house to get the mortgage funds released!

You know what they say don't you about "when it rains, it pours?" Well this was more like a week long hurricane had just entered my life!

I keep telling myself "This too shall pass." But I'm wondering just how long it is going to take before that adage comes to an end!

Hopefully, very, very soon!

Slip, Slip, Sliding Around!

Last week, when Mandy was home, before she left she placed a package by the back door and told me it was something I could use to allow the kids some good clean fun times this week.

Well, today was the first day that we were home long enough for them to have a chance to open this package and utilize it. And believe you me, when I see their Mother tomorrow, I'm going to give her a piece of my mind. Rest assured on that threat!

The package contained one medium sized "Slip 'n' Slide!"

The kids opened this and unfurled the item, spreading it over a good-sized section of the yard along the side of the house.

And then, they proceeded to hook up the hose and turn the outside spigot on and let the spray begin.

And boy, did they ever make the noise too once they had this thing watering everything in sight!

All kinds of screaming and shrieking and screeching sounds were coming in via the open kitchen windows to the point where I think they could have competed against a bunch of beginners learning to play guitar and/or violins and would have won in a contest for the most volume!

At one point, I wasn't sure if they were happy and laughing in between the shrieks and screams or if one of 'em was hurt and was screaming crying so I went out on the deck to take a peek and see what the heck they were doing that was causing so much revelry.

To my surprise, I saw this big long piece of plastic and a spray of water going in an arc over the plastic and at the bottom end of the piece, it was just full and covered with gobs and gobs of soapy bubbles!

I got Maya's attention -over the racket -finally and asked her what on earth they had put on this thing and she informed me that it was just a little bit of soap to make it good and slippery!

Yeah, well what exactly did you use for soap then anyway I asked her. And Kurtis pointed to a plastic bottle laying along side the slide so I asked him to bring it down to the deck so I could see what it was they were using.

When I realized it was a bottle of Dawn Dish Detergent that I had just purchased last week and which now was totally empty, I could have competed in volume then against a full marching band as I yelled at them for using all my dish washing liquid!

Arrgh! Using all my good Dawn detergent and running the hose for as long as they did -there goes my water bill up again this month and I'm going to have to make sure I keep a replacement bottle now of Dish detergent well hidden away before they decide to soap something else up too!

(Too bad I can't get Maya as interested in using the detergent for its intended purpose though, isn't it?)

Bugs and Bugs -and MORE BUGS!

Boy, I joke frequently about this house -more specifically, this family, being buggy -or, translated dysfunctional or just plain crazy much of the time.

Tonight though, I think I've figured out what it is that is driving me more than a bit buggy.

It's all these freaking little itty bitty gnats, no-see-ems, moths, millers, mosquitos, grasshoppers too and several other kinds of bugs that I have no clue what kind they are, other than that I consider each and every one of these things to be royal PITAs! (Translated -that's "pain in the arse!")

I was sitting at the dining room table trying to organize the Avon orders I have to send in tonight and every 10-15 seconds, I felt like I was under attack by these darned stinking bugs! Seemed like they were coming in and landing on the dining room table or on me in droves!

And I was trying to smash them as much as I could with the palm of my hand but some of them definitely are built well to stand off most anything that you want to use to try to smack them and kill 'em! No wonder they are so prolific! They withstand just about any kind of pressure or being hit with a fly swatter or taking a newspaper and smack down on it as it lays on top of a bug and you still can't stop them!

For me, it's especially annoying when one -or sometimes several -of these pesky things don't just land on the table but instead, they fly directly into my face -landing on my glasses, on my eyebrows and the worst is when they fly into my hair too as I can't stand the feeling of some bugs crawling around on my head, even if it is only for 15-20 seconds until I manage to brush them out of there with a big wave of my hand!

Finally, I got so fed up with these I went on a search and destroy mission and located some bug spray Mandy had bought and had it stashed away under the sink and I sprayed that stuff on those useless things in my windows -called screens -which these little sapsuckers manage to come right through the screens and into the house.

No I haven't yet eradicated all of these creatures but just spraying that stuff on the screens did apparently scare quite a few of the larger bugs -millers, moths, and the like -off the screens at least!

And closing the windows would have us suffocating in here then as it is hot, hot, hot and very humid so I guess I'll just have to continue in my self-declared war on insects here every chance I get!

Mortgages and such!

Well, I finally got the good word late last week that the reverse mortgage I applied for has been approved.

Well, sort of, anyway!

A couple things have changed since I originally applied for this procedure. One is that the amount I was hoping the house would be appraised for came in almost $4,000 below the figure I'd been praying for. Okay -I can deal with that change -grudgingly, yes -but I can deal with it and accept it.

Then, the fees attached to the mortgage rose by $2,000 and that I really didn't like to have that happen!

And also, before the funds are released to me, I have to find a licensed and insured contractor to give me an estimate for some siding work they want done to the rear of the house!

Finally, one other "little" thing. I have to write a note to the mortgage company or some such to explain why there are two different social security numbers showing up in my name!

Now the latter thing is something that I had no clue whatsoever that there were two social security numbers listed in my name and considering I have never co-signed any loans for anyone or anything like that -plus this second number isn't even close to the numbers in my social security number, so how the heck this happen is totally beyond me!

Now, I look around this house and sheesh, I'm seeing so many other things I would like to get fixed or changed ot redone or something and that gets me to thinking maybe I should contact some real estate agent or some such -and consider just selling the place and moving elsewhere.

Seeing as I have no idea as to where I would want to go live -if not here -I may as well just start with someplace like say -oh maybe some real estate in Louisville ky for openers! And from there, I could just travel west, maybe even south a bit, checking out cities and towns in a state-by-state search for a place big enough yet not huge that would satisfy my needs.

Only trouble for me with that idea is the truth of the matter really is that I just don't want to leave this little village! I want to be like my late aunt -my Dad's baby sister -who died 5 years ago at the age of 91, and she had always said the only way anyone would ever get her out of the family homestead would be to carry her out, and she would go kicking and screaming all the way!

My Head Is Spinning!

So much going on around here today and tomorrow and the day after that too -all are going to be royal zoos in terms of making my head spin!

Tomorrow -or is that "today" now, perhaps -I have a doctors appointment at 2:30. Thankfully, Kurt's TSS will be here and will be able to go with me so that way, she can sit with the kids in the waiting room while I have my six-month checkup followed then by what is called a "port flush." For anyone not familiar with what a port is and what a port flush entails -a port is simply something placed under a patient's skin that the nurses or doctors can gain easier accessibility to the patient's circulatory system through this apparatus to administer IVs or other medications as needed without have to go through hunting for a "good" usable vein in one's arm or someplace else on your body. A "port flush" is merely having the nurse inject into the port a substance that then circulates through the port and cleans it out!

Anyway, the port flush is a walk in the park! I've had this port for almost 3 years now and never once have I had any of the nurses at the cancer clinic cause undue discomfort to me when they push that needle into the port to flush it! (And considering I may not be quite as bad today at this age in dealing with needles and injections and shots and blood work and such like I was oh, about 60 years ago when it would take 3 people to hold me down so my Mom could give me medications by injection, I'm still not exactly  a big fan of needle procedures. Just a trifle more mature about them now is all!)

Then, on Wednesday, our Women's Group at church is sponsoring a pot luck picnic dinner for the women of our church -just sort of a little party you could say -and we have invited to this event the women of a nearby church to join us in our little bit of revelry!  So, besides having to fix supper Tuesdy for the kids and myself, then on Wednesday, I'll be fixing a casserole of some type (I'm leaning towards making Chicken Divan ) along with making some kind of -hopefully -easy to create dessert to take to the picnic supper too! (For that, I'm kind of thinking of trying a new recipe I found for a crisp made with strawberries and rhubarb -both things I love, you see! The recipe I found looks easy enough to pass muster for me as it looks to be dirt simple and fast too -both items I require of any recipe! So, hopefully it will actually work out that way!

And, also -on Wednesday, the game plan this week became that Mandy is coming up that day and will then be taking the kids back to Middletown with her! Now that part of this week's activities has me a tad upset as initially she had told me that the kids could stay here with me until July 28th and now, she's taking them away a little over a week before I had figured on our parting!

But with the passing this morning of my  cousin's husband and the impending funeral, it may just change her plans a trifle.

Okay -I can dream that might be the way things will work out and I'll get my extra week with my special grandkids then, can't I?