I owe my poor husband an apology. I had thought he'd installed one of our roof vents improperly but the workmen who removed them to install new ones brought the offending vent for me to see. There was indeed a screen under it but the squirrels had chewed it aside. The vents were made of aluminum and no one would believe a squirrel could chew chunks out of the frame but they did. it looked like someone had taken metal snips to it.
My handyman put a trap inside the attic to catch any vagrant squirrel who was living up there. He then installed the new roof vents which he promised would be a better deterrent to invaders. I'm not so sure about that because they're plastic but I have to trust they'll work.
I've been told that the squirrels will go crazy if they get caught in the trap so I probably won't sleep tonight waiting to hear nutso squirrels carrying on over my head. The other fear is that the squirrels had all gone out for the day and will do whatever necessary to gain access to the attic again. Time will tell.
There was great progress in my house today. The bathroom tile was completed and I spent a bit of time cleaning up the dust and grime. The cable company came and hooked up my telephone so now I have one bill for T.V., internet, and phone. The basement flooring was repaired and my massive pile of flea market stock was put back in place. I gave my handyman a list of other less pressing items I'd like to have done this spring and he's fine with that. He even said I was a dream customer (probably because I'm easy to work for and I pay my bills promptly). Before he left he cleared away all the 1000 lb. wet leaf bags from the driveway, too. Am I lucky or what??
Now to wait for tonight's episode of "Squirrels Gone Wild".
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
How the Squirrels got into the Attic
Many years ago my husband installed 4 roof vents in an effort to help discharge some of the hot air that built up in the attic. Great idea if he'd finished the job 100% but my husband was the kind of man who was never afraid to tackle a job but tended to make do with what he had on hand instead of going out to get what he needed.
Apparently when he installed the roof vents he only had enough screening for 3 of them. Wouldn't you know that those smart little squirrels would discover the one vent with no screening, claw their way into a nice warm attic for the winter, and cause me trouble.
I'm happy that the entry point was discovered but I wonder how much rain and snow followed the squirrels through the hole they opened up. My good old handyman will place a trap in the attic to catch any unwanted guests and then seal the entrance once he knows no squirrels are left inside. I've read that squirrels are territorial and will probably try to return so I hope they don't do more damage.
There's nothing else for me to do but pay the bill.
Apparently when he installed the roof vents he only had enough screening for 3 of them. Wouldn't you know that those smart little squirrels would discover the one vent with no screening, claw their way into a nice warm attic for the winter, and cause me trouble.
I'm happy that the entry point was discovered but I wonder how much rain and snow followed the squirrels through the hole they opened up. My good old handyman will place a trap in the attic to catch any unwanted guests and then seal the entrance once he knows no squirrels are left inside. I've read that squirrels are territorial and will probably try to return so I hope they don't do more damage.
There's nothing else for me to do but pay the bill.
Home Grown Terrorists...Native Canadians
Natives are stirring up the pot again against the rest of us Canadians who work, pay taxes and respect our neighbors. The police and government representatives we tax payers support do nothing to protect us from native terrorists.
I'm beyond wondering why these lowlifes are allowed to hold whole communities hostage to their ridiculous demands. It seems as though we have nowhere to turn to exact justice from these people. How can we respect them when so many of the demonstrators have no real jobs and look as though they just crawled out of the local hotel?
The reason for the demonstrations is that the natives love the excitement of participating in them. It gives them a sense of power to rant and rave in front of impotent cops who do too good a job of holding back irate citizens who still have a respect for the law of the land. Since few natives have proper jobs, they have plenty of time to cause trouble. And blocking highways isn't very hard work or they'd never do it.
There's no question that failure of our government and law officers to deal fairly with ALL citizens will end in disaster.
Just recently the OPP closed a section of highway so that the grieving family of a native lady killed on the road could hold a religious ceremony honoring her. Would they have done that if a Catholic, Anglican, or Jewish lady had run across the highway and been killed? It's verging on the insane to see how natives are disrupting all of our lives.
When you allow an unruly child to call the shots you are asking for trouble. The unruly child will grow and become a monster adult. Stop it now before these unworthy few cause more misery to the hard working people of Canada.
I'm beyond wondering why these lowlifes are allowed to hold whole communities hostage to their ridiculous demands. It seems as though we have nowhere to turn to exact justice from these people. How can we respect them when so many of the demonstrators have no real jobs and look as though they just crawled out of the local hotel?
The reason for the demonstrations is that the natives love the excitement of participating in them. It gives them a sense of power to rant and rave in front of impotent cops who do too good a job of holding back irate citizens who still have a respect for the law of the land. Since few natives have proper jobs, they have plenty of time to cause trouble. And blocking highways isn't very hard work or they'd never do it.
There's no question that failure of our government and law officers to deal fairly with ALL citizens will end in disaster.
Just recently the OPP closed a section of highway so that the grieving family of a native lady killed on the road could hold a religious ceremony honoring her. Would they have done that if a Catholic, Anglican, or Jewish lady had run across the highway and been killed? It's verging on the insane to see how natives are disrupting all of our lives.
When you allow an unruly child to call the shots you are asking for trouble. The unruly child will grow and become a monster adult. Stop it now before these unworthy few cause more misery to the hard working people of Canada.
Monday, April 28, 2008
Troublemaking Myths on the Internet
I receive a lot of e-mails about missing children, rabid terrorists, and other items which are false. Today I received one about a university in Kentucky that supposedly removed mention of the holocaust because it offended Muslim students who don't believe it happened. Something about that e-mail didn't ring true so I followed up with a search on the internet. I was right...it was false.
It got me wondering why the person who originated that e-mail would waste his/her time trying to stir up more anger and suspicion towards the Muslims. We live in a state of nervousness about these people already but what we need are truth and facts about them so we can understand them better. We always fear what we don't understand.
I also wonder about the masses who prefer to believe the holocaust never happened. It was one of the most horrendous examples of human depravity that has ever happened on this earth. We should all share in the shame of what we human beings are capable of committing against one another when we allow ignorance to rule us. We need to be constantly reminded that human beings can be dangerous. And if being reminded keeps another holocaust from happening then I hope the reminders never stop.
Human beings are not perfect. Some kill, some molest, some rob, and the list goes on and on. But there are gems among the germs. I've seen love, compassion, and caring a million times more than I've seen nastiness so we know we can do good if we choose. But we can't let ourselves forget the past...we need to learn from it.
It got me wondering why the person who originated that e-mail would waste his/her time trying to stir up more anger and suspicion towards the Muslims. We live in a state of nervousness about these people already but what we need are truth and facts about them so we can understand them better. We always fear what we don't understand.
I also wonder about the masses who prefer to believe the holocaust never happened. It was one of the most horrendous examples of human depravity that has ever happened on this earth. We should all share in the shame of what we human beings are capable of committing against one another when we allow ignorance to rule us. We need to be constantly reminded that human beings can be dangerous. And if being reminded keeps another holocaust from happening then I hope the reminders never stop.
Human beings are not perfect. Some kill, some molest, some rob, and the list goes on and on. But there are gems among the germs. I've seen love, compassion, and caring a million times more than I've seen nastiness so we know we can do good if we choose. But we can't let ourselves forget the past...we need to learn from it.
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Something Is In My Attic
When my furnace went out this past winter my son-in-law was here trying to fix it and he said he heard something moving around in the attic. When I arrived home a few weeks ago I listened carefully but heard nothing so I thought he might have just imagined strange settling noises in the quiet house.
Yesterday morning I heard some odd noises early in the morning and went outside to see if anything was on the roof or eaves but saw nothing. This morning I couldn't ignore the fact that something was really scrabbling around over my head. And it sounds big. Now is my tenant a racoon, a squirrel, or a possum? I'm very upset about this, first because it could get into the house and then because I wonder what kind of opening allowed it inside the eaves in the first place.
Today is Sunday so I can't even call in a service to get rid of these critters. Why do most emergencies happen on a weekend or in the middle of the night, damn it?? Tomorrow I have 2 workmen finishing off the bathroom tile and now I'll have to get someone in to remove the critters. I'm becoming very sick of this house.
Yesterday morning I heard some odd noises early in the morning and went outside to see if anything was on the roof or eaves but saw nothing. This morning I couldn't ignore the fact that something was really scrabbling around over my head. And it sounds big. Now is my tenant a racoon, a squirrel, or a possum? I'm very upset about this, first because it could get into the house and then because I wonder what kind of opening allowed it inside the eaves in the first place.
Today is Sunday so I can't even call in a service to get rid of these critters. Why do most emergencies happen on a weekend or in the middle of the night, damn it?? Tomorrow I have 2 workmen finishing off the bathroom tile and now I'll have to get someone in to remove the critters. I'm becoming very sick of this house.
Saturday, April 26, 2008
My Baby's Turning 50
My baby girl will be 50 years old on May 30th this year. It seems like a million years ago that my husband and I brought that humungous baby (9 lbs. 8 oz.) home from the hospital. Poor Kimmie was our first and she was laid into the naive hands of a 17 year old (almost 18 years old) mother and a newly turned 21 year old father. It's amazing that she survived.
Kim isn't too happy about turning 50 and I remember back when that dreaded birthday came my way. I was depressed for 6 months before and after but no birthday has hit me that hard ever since. It's such a milestone...half a hundred when you think about it.
My Kimmie doesn't look 50 but then few people today look their age. Not unless they're heavy drinkers, smokers, or drug abusers. She's had a really horrible year what with the death of her husband, a serious car accident, and now this nasty 50th birthday on the horizon. I think if she can get past all of this she could easily rule the world.
Just remember Kim...no matter how old you get you'll always be my baby. Love ya forever!
Kim isn't too happy about turning 50 and I remember back when that dreaded birthday came my way. I was depressed for 6 months before and after but no birthday has hit me that hard ever since. It's such a milestone...half a hundred when you think about it.
My Kimmie doesn't look 50 but then few people today look their age. Not unless they're heavy drinkers, smokers, or drug abusers. She's had a really horrible year what with the death of her husband, a serious car accident, and now this nasty 50th birthday on the horizon. I think if she can get past all of this she could easily rule the world.
Just remember Kim...no matter how old you get you'll always be my baby. Love ya forever!
The Morning After Root Canal
Other than my tooth feeling sensitive to brushing, it feels perfectly normal. There's no pain at all, just a bit of tenderness from the toothbrush. It makes me wonder what all the fuss has been about whenever root canals are mentioned.
Someone told me I'd have a terrific headache when the freezing wore off so I did take a precautionary Tylenol when I got home. That's it and I don't know if I was one of the lucky ones or just have a high tolerance to discomfort. Since I'm known as a first class whiner when I'm hurting I don't think that's the case.
Anyway, so far so good.
Someone told me I'd have a terrific headache when the freezing wore off so I did take a precautionary Tylenol when I got home. That's it and I don't know if I was one of the lucky ones or just have a high tolerance to discomfort. Since I'm known as a first class whiner when I'm hurting I don't think that's the case.
Anyway, so far so good.
Friday, April 25, 2008
Things Seem to Work Themselves Out
Just a little note about how things seem to work themselves out sometimes.
Don, my handyman, noticed the 13 or so wet bags of wet leaves lying in my driveway and offered to cart them away. Now Don is here to do his own job for which he'll be paid for his time and expertise but this very busy man saw that I had a problem and quickly offered to right it for me.
My next door neighbor had also offered to remove the offending leaf bags, too, so I am grateful every day for the great people I have in my life.
Good family. Good Friends. Good neighbors. I'm one lucky SOB.
Don, my handyman, noticed the 13 or so wet bags of wet leaves lying in my driveway and offered to cart them away. Now Don is here to do his own job for which he'll be paid for his time and expertise but this very busy man saw that I had a problem and quickly offered to right it for me.
My next door neighbor had also offered to remove the offending leaf bags, too, so I am grateful every day for the great people I have in my life.
Good family. Good Friends. Good neighbors. I'm one lucky SOB.
My Experience With a Root Canal
I didn't sleep well last night, probably a tiny bit worried about my root canal this morning. At 7:30 A.M. the phone rang and it was Don, my handyman, asking if it would be okay to regrout the tub ceramic tile today...he could be here around 8 A.M. Of course I said sure and then hightailed it in for my shower before he got here.
One of the tiles had fallen off over the winter and I had a worry more would follow if I didn't do something about it...hence the regrouting. Don showed up before 8:30 and left his helper, Dan, to do the work. I sort of meandered around fretting about the upcoming root canal and suddenly there was a crash. Dan told me that more of the tiles had fallen off before he could catch them and smashed into the tub. There's no way of getting a color match to the tiles because I had chosen a weird shade of rusty beigy brown one day about 30 years ago when I must have been out of my mind. I'd often thought of replacing them with a nice neutral ivory but didn't do it because of the expense. Well, the time had now come for change whether I was ready or not. I told them to go ahead and retile. It should be done in about 3-4 days because this is Friday and Don and his workers don't work 7 days a week.
Off I went to the dentist and began what I'd accepted would be a miserable 1 1/2 hours. My dentist is really sweet and did everything he could to keep me calm and explain what he was and would be doing. The first freezing didn't take completely though, and I couldn't tolerate having this piece of rubbery thing put around the tooth. It's there to collect what comes out of the tooth and what the dentist will put into it. He had to refreeze before starting work.
I have to say that the experience was no picnic but it wasn't terrible, either. It felt like a very lengthy drilling and filling. There were a few moments when I felt him hit the nerve slightly and that did hurt quite a bit but not enough to require more freezing. We got through it anyway and it was all over and done in a bit more than the 1 1/2 hours. He doesn't want to put a crown on the tooth for at least 6 months to make sure the root canal was a success. Apparently, pain or the lack of it will be my clue.
When I got home Dan had removed most of the tile and said it was a miracle more hadn't fallen because the glue was so dried out. It's all going to be replaced with simple ivory tile with a pale mint green border to break up the height. I'm kind of looking forward to the way the lighter color will brighten up my little bathroom.
Sometimes we get a surprise like this that is going to cost us money and get depressed. I have learned to roll with the punches and just figure it was meant to happen today instead of 2 or 3 years from now. My handyman is very reasonable when it comes to cost so I know I can count on him to do the job as economically as possible.
Right now I'm eating my first meal of the day...homemade bean soup...and then I'm going to take a nap to catch up on the sleep I lost last night. Things could be worse, couldn't they?
One of the tiles had fallen off over the winter and I had a worry more would follow if I didn't do something about it...hence the regrouting. Don showed up before 8:30 and left his helper, Dan, to do the work. I sort of meandered around fretting about the upcoming root canal and suddenly there was a crash. Dan told me that more of the tiles had fallen off before he could catch them and smashed into the tub. There's no way of getting a color match to the tiles because I had chosen a weird shade of rusty beigy brown one day about 30 years ago when I must have been out of my mind. I'd often thought of replacing them with a nice neutral ivory but didn't do it because of the expense. Well, the time had now come for change whether I was ready or not. I told them to go ahead and retile. It should be done in about 3-4 days because this is Friday and Don and his workers don't work 7 days a week.
Off I went to the dentist and began what I'd accepted would be a miserable 1 1/2 hours. My dentist is really sweet and did everything he could to keep me calm and explain what he was and would be doing. The first freezing didn't take completely though, and I couldn't tolerate having this piece of rubbery thing put around the tooth. It's there to collect what comes out of the tooth and what the dentist will put into it. He had to refreeze before starting work.
I have to say that the experience was no picnic but it wasn't terrible, either. It felt like a very lengthy drilling and filling. There were a few moments when I felt him hit the nerve slightly and that did hurt quite a bit but not enough to require more freezing. We got through it anyway and it was all over and done in a bit more than the 1 1/2 hours. He doesn't want to put a crown on the tooth for at least 6 months to make sure the root canal was a success. Apparently, pain or the lack of it will be my clue.
When I got home Dan had removed most of the tile and said it was a miracle more hadn't fallen because the glue was so dried out. It's all going to be replaced with simple ivory tile with a pale mint green border to break up the height. I'm kind of looking forward to the way the lighter color will brighten up my little bathroom.
Sometimes we get a surprise like this that is going to cost us money and get depressed. I have learned to roll with the punches and just figure it was meant to happen today instead of 2 or 3 years from now. My handyman is very reasonable when it comes to cost so I know I can count on him to do the job as economically as possible.
Right now I'm eating my first meal of the day...homemade bean soup...and then I'm going to take a nap to catch up on the sleep I lost last night. Things could be worse, couldn't they?
Thursday, April 24, 2008
A Lot Done Without Much Effort
There are always a lot of big and little jobs to be done around the house in April and I like to do them in small increments. It's necessary to do some first and that's where I start, getting to things of lesser emergency as I feel like it.
One necessity was put behind me yesterday when I saw the hematologist and was told my bloodwork had actually improved and they still aren't sure what, if anything, is actually wrong. They took more blood and then told me I'll only need to see them once or twice a year just to keep an eye on the problem...they aren't sure what the problem is and that's why they want to keep draining my blood! There's a slight abnormality with no symptoms and that's all the excuse they need. Thank heaven for OHIP.
Next I rented another table at the flea market for the summer because my diningroom was beginning to look like one (flea market, that is). I took a ton of stuff out there today and I'm starting to feel as though I'm accomplishing something.
The handyman who will repair the basement floor came over this morning at 7 A.M. and I gave him a list of small projects I'll need him to do and now I can only hope he won't take too long. At least the plans are in the works.
It's so gorgeous out, warm and sunny, so I set up the patio furniture on the patio instead of the deck where they actually go. The deck is another project needing attention but I also have made plans for that. My grandson, Matthew, will power wash it and put stain/sealer on the floors while I put stain/sealer on the rest of it. That's just a one day job and there's no rush to get it done.
I feel pretty good about what I've accomplished in the last few days but I'm lucky enough to have good family and reasonable hired help around me. There's no way I could manage looking after this house without help. That's one of the reasons I was tempted to sell and move into an apartment or condo but I'm still okay for this year.
Item of note: As I was carting stuff into the flea market this morning one of the dealers there asked me if I was having fun. You know, I really was!
One necessity was put behind me yesterday when I saw the hematologist and was told my bloodwork had actually improved and they still aren't sure what, if anything, is actually wrong. They took more blood and then told me I'll only need to see them once or twice a year just to keep an eye on the problem...they aren't sure what the problem is and that's why they want to keep draining my blood! There's a slight abnormality with no symptoms and that's all the excuse they need. Thank heaven for OHIP.
Next I rented another table at the flea market for the summer because my diningroom was beginning to look like one (flea market, that is). I took a ton of stuff out there today and I'm starting to feel as though I'm accomplishing something.
The handyman who will repair the basement floor came over this morning at 7 A.M. and I gave him a list of small projects I'll need him to do and now I can only hope he won't take too long. At least the plans are in the works.
It's so gorgeous out, warm and sunny, so I set up the patio furniture on the patio instead of the deck where they actually go. The deck is another project needing attention but I also have made plans for that. My grandson, Matthew, will power wash it and put stain/sealer on the floors while I put stain/sealer on the rest of it. That's just a one day job and there's no rush to get it done.
I feel pretty good about what I've accomplished in the last few days but I'm lucky enough to have good family and reasonable hired help around me. There's no way I could manage looking after this house without help. That's one of the reasons I was tempted to sell and move into an apartment or condo but I'm still okay for this year.
Item of note: As I was carting stuff into the flea market this morning one of the dealers there asked me if I was having fun. You know, I really was!
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Ritilan...Big Mistake
I saw on the news that it's been discovered that Ritilan shouldn't be given to children who have or might develop heart problems. I wonder if the people who are saying this now are the same people who are responsible for offering the drug to armies of children for years.
One of my grandchildren was a problem child in school. He was difficult to handle and impetuous to the point of lunacy at times which made his teachers (not trained doctors, by the way) pressure my daughter constantly to put him on Ritilan. It would make their jobs easier, don't you see!
How could we adults have not understood that drugging a goodly portion of the children in the classroom in order to create a more peaceful atmosphere might not be a smart thing to do? How could we have fallen for the hype built up around a drug aimed at keeping children in line? Thank heavens my daughter (and I) saw the wrongness in drugging a little boy to make him docile and refused to allow it.
And now our esteemed medical geniuses have found a fly in the ointment. The drug that countless thousands of children took into their bodies on the advice and insistence of their teachers has been found to be dangerous for the child's heart.
They already knew Ritilan could stunt the growth of a developing little boy or girl and still pushed for it's use but maybe possible heart damage might get a few people worried about lawsuits.
Personally, I think every child who was put on Ritilan to control bratty behaviour should sue the pants off the government which allowed such a dangerous drug to be sold. They should also sue their local Board of Education if the drug was given because of teacher/principal pressure.
I'm sure anyone reading this can understand how I feel about the new vaccine being pushed on young girls to help prevent certain cancers caused in part by sexual activity. It terrifies me how easily we're swayed to accept giving new and not necessarily proven medications to our children.
At 21, my grandson is still a brat but he's matured a bit and should be calm and capable of making better choices in another 50 years or so. All in all, I'm still grateful he wasn't subjected to Ritilan when he was just a little boy.
One of my grandchildren was a problem child in school. He was difficult to handle and impetuous to the point of lunacy at times which made his teachers (not trained doctors, by the way) pressure my daughter constantly to put him on Ritilan. It would make their jobs easier, don't you see!
How could we adults have not understood that drugging a goodly portion of the children in the classroom in order to create a more peaceful atmosphere might not be a smart thing to do? How could we have fallen for the hype built up around a drug aimed at keeping children in line? Thank heavens my daughter (and I) saw the wrongness in drugging a little boy to make him docile and refused to allow it.
And now our esteemed medical geniuses have found a fly in the ointment. The drug that countless thousands of children took into their bodies on the advice and insistence of their teachers has been found to be dangerous for the child's heart.
They already knew Ritilan could stunt the growth of a developing little boy or girl and still pushed for it's use but maybe possible heart damage might get a few people worried about lawsuits.
Personally, I think every child who was put on Ritilan to control bratty behaviour should sue the pants off the government which allowed such a dangerous drug to be sold. They should also sue their local Board of Education if the drug was given because of teacher/principal pressure.
I'm sure anyone reading this can understand how I feel about the new vaccine being pushed on young girls to help prevent certain cancers caused in part by sexual activity. It terrifies me how easily we're swayed to accept giving new and not necessarily proven medications to our children.
At 21, my grandson is still a brat but he's matured a bit and should be calm and capable of making better choices in another 50 years or so. All in all, I'm still grateful he wasn't subjected to Ritilan when he was just a little boy.
To Move or Not To Move
Mary, Faye, and I met out at the flea market today so I could clear out my showcase. I decided the best thing to do with it was to sell it because it's too heavy for me to carry when I close my table at the end of September.
I lost money all winter on my flea market table so I'm not bothing with it in the winter anymore. They'll find me a table in the spring when I come home from Florida and then I won't have to count on others to take care of it for me.
After doing a bit of cleaning up we ladies went to a terrific chinese buffet and ate heartily. I don't know how we keep finding things to laugh about but we manage. It's often a matter of just laughing at ourselves.
After lunch we went to look at an apartment building that was being turned into condos and I was simply amazed at how beautiful they were. I could have lived there very happily and they're only about a minute drive from my flea market.
All the way home I thought about the sensibility of selling my house and gearing down to such a gorgeous apartment but something stopped me. When I arrived home one of my sweet young neighbors came over for a visit and we talked about how wonderful our other neighbors are...how extra special our little community of neighbors on our street are in our everyday lives. I looked around my comfy, if just a bit too big for my needs, house and decided it wasn't time yet for me to leave.
Throughout our lives we come upon times for change and sometimes the reason for change is quite evident. There will most certainly come a time for me to leave my house and move into something a bit easier to handle but today isn't the day. Who knows what tomorrow will bring but today I'm nestled among wonderful neighbors and it's apparently where I'm meant to be. For a while yet, anyway.
I lost money all winter on my flea market table so I'm not bothing with it in the winter anymore. They'll find me a table in the spring when I come home from Florida and then I won't have to count on others to take care of it for me.
After doing a bit of cleaning up we ladies went to a terrific chinese buffet and ate heartily. I don't know how we keep finding things to laugh about but we manage. It's often a matter of just laughing at ourselves.
After lunch we went to look at an apartment building that was being turned into condos and I was simply amazed at how beautiful they were. I could have lived there very happily and they're only about a minute drive from my flea market.
All the way home I thought about the sensibility of selling my house and gearing down to such a gorgeous apartment but something stopped me. When I arrived home one of my sweet young neighbors came over for a visit and we talked about how wonderful our other neighbors are...how extra special our little community of neighbors on our street are in our everyday lives. I looked around my comfy, if just a bit too big for my needs, house and decided it wasn't time yet for me to leave.
Throughout our lives we come upon times for change and sometimes the reason for change is quite evident. There will most certainly come a time for me to leave my house and move into something a bit easier to handle but today isn't the day. Who knows what tomorrow will bring but today I'm nestled among wonderful neighbors and it's apparently where I'm meant to be. For a while yet, anyway.
Monday, April 21, 2008
One Thing Accomplished
Some older people do crossword puzzles or Sudoku to keep their brains active. Me, I play on the computer. I swear that this computer, with all the problems I encounter on it, is responsible for keeping my poor old brain more active than it should be.
I had been able to get pictures transferred from my camera to the computer but wasn't able to save them. A little notice would keep coming up that a problem had been incurred during the process. I decided to try downloading the program from the Kodak website once more just to see if that would work and damned if it didn't! The program is slightly different from what I'm used to but at least it works now.
Then I decided to see if I could find the whole dock with the adapter available on Ebay and damned if it wasn't! There were a few and I lost the bid on the first one I tried for because I was too cheap to bid high enough. Now I've bid on another one and will find out on Thursday if I got it. Using the dock is so much more efficient but I can get by without one if I have to.
I used to get terribly frustrated while trying to learn things on the computer but I seem to have come to terms with it. Either I'll master the problem myself or one of my buddies will help me with it. It's never the end of the world and sooner or later the sun will shine again. I do know that I'd miss it something awful if it wasn't there.
Now for something cute. I had coffee with my sister yesterday and she told me the cutest story. She does day care in her home and had one of her older children just for the day last week. Josiah is 5 years old and graduated from day care when he started school in September. I don't know why Sharon had him for the day...maybe it was another PD day which allows teachers to learn what they had plenty of damn time in the summer to learn.
Sharon cares for 2 other little ones, aged 17 months and 3 years, so she took all 3 children out to play in the backyard. She filled 3 sippy cups with juice and handed them to the children. Josiah, 5 going on 50, looked at the sippy cup with disdain and said, "A sippy cup!!! You've got to be kidding!!". Isn't it sweet how children know what is age appropriate?
Just a thought, though...I happen to have a friend named Gail who uses a huge sippy cup for her "golden sunshine" (vodka and orange juice).
I had been able to get pictures transferred from my camera to the computer but wasn't able to save them. A little notice would keep coming up that a problem had been incurred during the process. I decided to try downloading the program from the Kodak website once more just to see if that would work and damned if it didn't! The program is slightly different from what I'm used to but at least it works now.
Then I decided to see if I could find the whole dock with the adapter available on Ebay and damned if it wasn't! There were a few and I lost the bid on the first one I tried for because I was too cheap to bid high enough. Now I've bid on another one and will find out on Thursday if I got it. Using the dock is so much more efficient but I can get by without one if I have to.
I used to get terribly frustrated while trying to learn things on the computer but I seem to have come to terms with it. Either I'll master the problem myself or one of my buddies will help me with it. It's never the end of the world and sooner or later the sun will shine again. I do know that I'd miss it something awful if it wasn't there.
Now for something cute. I had coffee with my sister yesterday and she told me the cutest story. She does day care in her home and had one of her older children just for the day last week. Josiah is 5 years old and graduated from day care when he started school in September. I don't know why Sharon had him for the day...maybe it was another PD day which allows teachers to learn what they had plenty of damn time in the summer to learn.
Sharon cares for 2 other little ones, aged 17 months and 3 years, so she took all 3 children out to play in the backyard. She filled 3 sippy cups with juice and handed them to the children. Josiah, 5 going on 50, looked at the sippy cup with disdain and said, "A sippy cup!!! You've got to be kidding!!". Isn't it sweet how children know what is age appropriate?
Just a thought, though...I happen to have a friend named Gail who uses a huge sippy cup for her "golden sunshine" (vodka and orange juice).
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Update on Wet Leaves
How do I tell my precious grandsons that all their work last fall bagging tons of leaves from my backyard has turned into a problem for me? The sweet, well meaning guys raked up about 14 paper bags of leaves but made the mistake of letting them sit in the driveway all winter where they were subjected to rain and snow. Let me tell you that paper yard waste bags will not stand up well to much rain and snow. The leaves become saturated and heavy. The bags become saturated and the bottoms rip out.
I spent many hours yesterday transferring the heavy, soggy, stinky beyond belief leaves into plastic bags but I'm not sure the garbage collectors will take them in those bags. Also, they're so heavy that I can't even lift them. My only hope is that somehow the leaves will dry out and I can finally get rid of them.
I am very grateful to my wonderful boys for trying to help me but I'll just have to explain to them that the bags must be put out in the trash immediately. Then I have to hope they'll still want to rake leaves again next fall.
I spent many hours yesterday transferring the heavy, soggy, stinky beyond belief leaves into plastic bags but I'm not sure the garbage collectors will take them in those bags. Also, they're so heavy that I can't even lift them. My only hope is that somehow the leaves will dry out and I can finally get rid of them.
I am very grateful to my wonderful boys for trying to help me but I'll just have to explain to them that the bags must be put out in the trash immediately. Then I have to hope they'll still want to rake leaves again next fall.
Stopover in Savannah
About 10 years ago I spent an evening and morning in Savannah, Georgia and found it so enchanting that I've ached to go back again. For many reasons I couldn't do this until this April on my way home from Florida and, again, loved the place so much that I think I could even live there.
My ex sister-in-law, Mary, came down to stay with me in Florida for about a week before I headed home. We had a great time doing some sightseeing, shopping, and sunbathing before packing up for the drive home. As usual, my car trunk and back seat were packed to overflowing but we got everything we needed into the car and first headed over to Cocoa Beach. Cocoa Beach is another favorite spot for both of us because it's the very first place we ever stayed when she, her husband, my husband, and I came to Florida back in the mid 70's.
We got the very last suite (livingroom, 2 bedrooms, kitchen, and dining area) available at the Kahulla Inn. One night with all the discounts cost us $80 and that's a real bargain. Even though it was post season the Inn was packed. We couldn't get into our room until after 4 P.M. so we changed into our swimsuits in the lobby restroom, struggled to remove 2 folding chairs and a beach umbrella from the car, and happily set ourselves up on the hot, sunny beach for the afternoon. It was heaven. The beach umbrella belonged to another sister-in-law who had lent it to us for our trip home and I found it so useful that I know I have to buy one for next year.
We decided to leave for Savannah the following morning and it turned out to take longer than I'd thought. The weather was excellent and the traffic wasn't too bad but the distance was a little more than we'd expected. Of course I had lots of maps but Mary had to take on that responsibility.
We arrived in Savannah in the early afternoon and, using the coupon books found at the Welcome Center, booked into the Ramada Inn. This time we had to pay $75 per night for 2 nights. The motel had seen better days but it was clean and offered a nice breakfast in the morning. Mary and I dumped what we needed into the room and drove into Savannah right away to enjoy as much of it as the day allowed.
After a few wrong turns we found our way down a ridiculously steep and narrow brick ramp to the waterfront shopping area. It's really picturesque with quaint little shops, restaurants and small waterfront parks where you can watch the barges traverse back and forth. We shopped, naturally, but just got a few little trinkets for gifts. At dinnertime we left to buy fast food and take it back to the room. We watched a bit of T.V. and then went to bed early. No nightclubbing for us!
The next day we packed up the car again and drove back into Savannah where we took a trolley tour of the area. We chose "Ogilvie Tours" because it only cost $10 each and seemed to offer the same quality as other tours which cost twice as much. As we waited for our trolley to arrive we were treated to the screams and scrabblings of the family from hell. 3 grown women and 4 kids ranging in age from 2 to about 10 were also going to take the tour and we hoped desperately that they'd be seated far away from us. They ended up sitting at the back while Mary and I took front seats and we were very grateful. The tour guide continually reminded the demon family that they must be quieter or the other paying customers wouldn't be able to enjoy their tour. Of course, the adults in this group had no control over the kids so our wonderful tour guide did something that made me fall in love with him. He kicked them all off the trolley. Unbelievable! I can't believe how many times my meal or something else was ruined by other people's rowdy children and now a knight in shining armor (tour guide t-shirt) had actually done the right, if not the politically correct, thing and removed the people who were ruining the tour for everyone else. I love this man!
Old Savannah has been laid out with about as many blocks of parks as there are blocks of lovely old homes. The architecture of the large homes and row houses is beautiful to see. Government buildings are another story but even most of them are old, historic buildings.
Our tour guide told us of a restaurant where locals like to grab their lunch so Mary and I followed the well drawn up map we'd received from him and found this little hole in the wall restaurant called "Zusys" (I can't remember exactly but it was something like that). It was packed with locals ordering lunch to go because there are no tables. Mary got a special hamburger that included an egg and I got Cottage Pie (Shepherd's Pie) with a salad. We took them up the block to one of the parks where we sat on a bench and chowed down. The food was excellent as promised.
We did a lot of walking that day and took the last trolley back to home base around 5 P.M. We then drove back to the Riverside Walk and found a great little restaurant bar that advertised seafood strudel and a glass of wine for $8.95. Now the seafood "strudel" is what caught my attention but add that to a glass of wine and it caught Mary's attention, too. In we went to a very nice bar where we were seated at a table immediately. We placed our orders and waited mere minutes before our wine and a large basket of bread was delivered to the table. Minutes later we were each brought a dinnerplate which held 3 philo wrapped seafood concoctions that turned out to be delicious. By the way, the restaurant is called "The Shrimp Factory" and I wish it was in my own home town because I'd go back again and again.
There was still room in our tummies for some home made Italian ice cream so we got that at a nearby store. We got back to our room before dark, watched some T.V., and then hit the sack for a good night's sleep.
If I'd had to drive back home from Florida by myself I would never have taken these side trips so I'll always be thankful that Mary made the trip with me. She's been a good friend for many years...during her marriage to my brother-in-law and after their divorce. True friendship always stands the test of time, doesn't it?
My ex sister-in-law, Mary, came down to stay with me in Florida for about a week before I headed home. We had a great time doing some sightseeing, shopping, and sunbathing before packing up for the drive home. As usual, my car trunk and back seat were packed to overflowing but we got everything we needed into the car and first headed over to Cocoa Beach. Cocoa Beach is another favorite spot for both of us because it's the very first place we ever stayed when she, her husband, my husband, and I came to Florida back in the mid 70's.
We got the very last suite (livingroom, 2 bedrooms, kitchen, and dining area) available at the Kahulla Inn. One night with all the discounts cost us $80 and that's a real bargain. Even though it was post season the Inn was packed. We couldn't get into our room until after 4 P.M. so we changed into our swimsuits in the lobby restroom, struggled to remove 2 folding chairs and a beach umbrella from the car, and happily set ourselves up on the hot, sunny beach for the afternoon. It was heaven. The beach umbrella belonged to another sister-in-law who had lent it to us for our trip home and I found it so useful that I know I have to buy one for next year.
We decided to leave for Savannah the following morning and it turned out to take longer than I'd thought. The weather was excellent and the traffic wasn't too bad but the distance was a little more than we'd expected. Of course I had lots of maps but Mary had to take on that responsibility.
We arrived in Savannah in the early afternoon and, using the coupon books found at the Welcome Center, booked into the Ramada Inn. This time we had to pay $75 per night for 2 nights. The motel had seen better days but it was clean and offered a nice breakfast in the morning. Mary and I dumped what we needed into the room and drove into Savannah right away to enjoy as much of it as the day allowed.
After a few wrong turns we found our way down a ridiculously steep and narrow brick ramp to the waterfront shopping area. It's really picturesque with quaint little shops, restaurants and small waterfront parks where you can watch the barges traverse back and forth. We shopped, naturally, but just got a few little trinkets for gifts. At dinnertime we left to buy fast food and take it back to the room. We watched a bit of T.V. and then went to bed early. No nightclubbing for us!
The next day we packed up the car again and drove back into Savannah where we took a trolley tour of the area. We chose "Ogilvie Tours" because it only cost $10 each and seemed to offer the same quality as other tours which cost twice as much. As we waited for our trolley to arrive we were treated to the screams and scrabblings of the family from hell. 3 grown women and 4 kids ranging in age from 2 to about 10 were also going to take the tour and we hoped desperately that they'd be seated far away from us. They ended up sitting at the back while Mary and I took front seats and we were very grateful. The tour guide continually reminded the demon family that they must be quieter or the other paying customers wouldn't be able to enjoy their tour. Of course, the adults in this group had no control over the kids so our wonderful tour guide did something that made me fall in love with him. He kicked them all off the trolley. Unbelievable! I can't believe how many times my meal or something else was ruined by other people's rowdy children and now a knight in shining armor (tour guide t-shirt) had actually done the right, if not the politically correct, thing and removed the people who were ruining the tour for everyone else. I love this man!
Old Savannah has been laid out with about as many blocks of parks as there are blocks of lovely old homes. The architecture of the large homes and row houses is beautiful to see. Government buildings are another story but even most of them are old, historic buildings.
Our tour guide told us of a restaurant where locals like to grab their lunch so Mary and I followed the well drawn up map we'd received from him and found this little hole in the wall restaurant called "Zusys" (I can't remember exactly but it was something like that). It was packed with locals ordering lunch to go because there are no tables. Mary got a special hamburger that included an egg and I got Cottage Pie (Shepherd's Pie) with a salad. We took them up the block to one of the parks where we sat on a bench and chowed down. The food was excellent as promised.
We did a lot of walking that day and took the last trolley back to home base around 5 P.M. We then drove back to the Riverside Walk and found a great little restaurant bar that advertised seafood strudel and a glass of wine for $8.95. Now the seafood "strudel" is what caught my attention but add that to a glass of wine and it caught Mary's attention, too. In we went to a very nice bar where we were seated at a table immediately. We placed our orders and waited mere minutes before our wine and a large basket of bread was delivered to the table. Minutes later we were each brought a dinnerplate which held 3 philo wrapped seafood concoctions that turned out to be delicious. By the way, the restaurant is called "The Shrimp Factory" and I wish it was in my own home town because I'd go back again and again.
There was still room in our tummies for some home made Italian ice cream so we got that at a nearby store. We got back to our room before dark, watched some T.V., and then hit the sack for a good night's sleep.
If I'd had to drive back home from Florida by myself I would never have taken these side trips so I'll always be thankful that Mary made the trip with me. She's been a good friend for many years...during her marriage to my brother-in-law and after their divorce. True friendship always stands the test of time, doesn't it?
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Frame of Mind
It's interesting to note that we can choose to let everyday problems bring us down or we can choose to rise above them.
Case in point...I still can't get my Kodak Easy Share program to work properly which means I can't list anything on Ebay. I probably need to buy a new furnace for my house. The laminate flooring in the basement awaits repair. I'm definitely having a root canal next Friday.
These are 4 of my major life problems at the moment but I've made the wise decision that they aren't the worse things in the world to have to worry about. I've been through much worse in my life and, believe me, these are really minor glitches.
Years ago I read that we make our own choices about whether or not to be happy and that struck me as so darned true. It's one of the reasons I don't believe that depression is necessarily a chemical imbalance in the brain. When I suffered from depression years ago it did take many years of counseling and drugs to bring me out of the miasma of misery I'd allowed myself to sink into but what if I'd decided early on that I wasn't going to let circumstances destroy me? What if I'd made the choice to rise up instead of sink like a stone?
I think we make our decisions on how to handle the day when we wake up in the morning. If we allow ourselves to be in a lousy mood then the day will not go well. If we say to ourselves, "well, things could be worse so enjoy what you can", then we have a good chance of a happy day. It's all in your frame of mind.
I have to admit that sometimes it feels good to give into a bad mood for a while and curse our demons but letting ourselves wallow in darkness isn't good for the soul. My daughter has a motto she seems to live by, "Live, Love, Laugh", and I agree with that wholeheartedly. Life is too short to waste on unhappiness.
Today I'm going to go out and rebag last fall's leaves and forget about cameras, furnaces, root canals, and flooring. The sun is shining and the air is warming by the minute. My precious grandsons bagged all the backyard leaves last fall and left them in the driveway where they got wet and ripped. No problem. It's a lot easier to rebag them than to rake them up so I'm still a happy camper.
It's all in your frame of mind.
Case in point...I still can't get my Kodak Easy Share program to work properly which means I can't list anything on Ebay. I probably need to buy a new furnace for my house. The laminate flooring in the basement awaits repair. I'm definitely having a root canal next Friday.
These are 4 of my major life problems at the moment but I've made the wise decision that they aren't the worse things in the world to have to worry about. I've been through much worse in my life and, believe me, these are really minor glitches.
Years ago I read that we make our own choices about whether or not to be happy and that struck me as so darned true. It's one of the reasons I don't believe that depression is necessarily a chemical imbalance in the brain. When I suffered from depression years ago it did take many years of counseling and drugs to bring me out of the miasma of misery I'd allowed myself to sink into but what if I'd decided early on that I wasn't going to let circumstances destroy me? What if I'd made the choice to rise up instead of sink like a stone?
I think we make our decisions on how to handle the day when we wake up in the morning. If we allow ourselves to be in a lousy mood then the day will not go well. If we say to ourselves, "well, things could be worse so enjoy what you can", then we have a good chance of a happy day. It's all in your frame of mind.
I have to admit that sometimes it feels good to give into a bad mood for a while and curse our demons but letting ourselves wallow in darkness isn't good for the soul. My daughter has a motto she seems to live by, "Live, Love, Laugh", and I agree with that wholeheartedly. Life is too short to waste on unhappiness.
Today I'm going to go out and rebag last fall's leaves and forget about cameras, furnaces, root canals, and flooring. The sun is shining and the air is warming by the minute. My precious grandsons bagged all the backyard leaves last fall and left them in the driveway where they got wet and ripped. No problem. It's a lot easier to rebag them than to rake them up so I'm still a happy camper.
It's all in your frame of mind.
Friday, April 18, 2008
Why is Nothing Easy?
I hate to come all the way home and find time to do my blogging only to bitch about my problems but here it is anyway.
I bought the battery charger for the camera and it did charge the batteries so I could take pictures. Now I had to connect the camera to the computer in order to transfer those pictures to the hard drive. I wasn't sure how to do the transfer but decided if I clicked on the "share" button of the camera that might work. It does but the Kodak program in the computer is now different from what I'd used before. Never fear...I tried a few things and got the pictures transferred but when I tried to save them a message popped up on the screen saying an unexpected error had occurred.
I "persevered" and attempted to list an item on Ebay (no problem but there were some new changes for listing...what's new??) but couldn't find my pictures to upload to the listing. Now I'm fed up for the moment and will attack the problem later.
On the plus side, the weather is spectacular with sunny skies and warmish air. It's one of those perfect Spring days that lifts your spirits with the promise of Summer to come. I'm going to drive out to my flea market, pay my bill (I know I'll owe them and not vice versa), and do some cleaning and rearranging out there. Then I just might take a slow drive along the Grand River and enjoy watching the land coming back to life on this gorgeous day.
It's been so long since I've woken up to a day that was free of problems, big or small, that I don't know how I'd cope with a problem free day. I'd probably be bored because there wouldn't be any challenges. Well, there's no danger of me being bored in the near future...or the far future...but I'll keep on trucking!
I bought the battery charger for the camera and it did charge the batteries so I could take pictures. Now I had to connect the camera to the computer in order to transfer those pictures to the hard drive. I wasn't sure how to do the transfer but decided if I clicked on the "share" button of the camera that might work. It does but the Kodak program in the computer is now different from what I'd used before. Never fear...I tried a few things and got the pictures transferred but when I tried to save them a message popped up on the screen saying an unexpected error had occurred.
I "persevered" and attempted to list an item on Ebay (no problem but there were some new changes for listing...what's new??) but couldn't find my pictures to upload to the listing. Now I'm fed up for the moment and will attack the problem later.
On the plus side, the weather is spectacular with sunny skies and warmish air. It's one of those perfect Spring days that lifts your spirits with the promise of Summer to come. I'm going to drive out to my flea market, pay my bill (I know I'll owe them and not vice versa), and do some cleaning and rearranging out there. Then I just might take a slow drive along the Grand River and enjoy watching the land coming back to life on this gorgeous day.
It's been so long since I've woken up to a day that was free of problems, big or small, that I don't know how I'd cope with a problem free day. I'd probably be bored because there wouldn't be any challenges. Well, there's no danger of me being bored in the near future...or the far future...but I'll keep on trucking!
Thursday, April 17, 2008
I'm Back Again
I arrived home from my winter in Florida on Monday evening and, boy, do I have some stories to tell about the trip back. All in good time, though, because I've had a rough day today and am just too tired to do them justice.
I had thought for quite a while that I should get the bundle service offered by my local cable company and took the plunge today...I'm on a wickedly fast internet now and absolutely loving it. My telephone service will be turned over to cable at the end of the month, too.
Now for a bit of a problem. I think I wrote a few months back about spilling nail polish remover on my camera and dock. In a panic I bid on the identical camera and dock on Ebay and won it. At about the time I won the bid my original dock becan working again so now I have 2 identical cameras and docks. In my wisdom it seemed a good idea to leave one set in Florida and bring one set home. Well, sometimes things are not what they seem and I discovered that dock #2, which I brought home, does not have the adapter for plugging it into the wall...and they are no longer available. Crap!
My sweet young lady neighbors from across the road dropped in while I was trying to figure out what to do and between us we decided I should just buy a battery charger for the camera. This isn't as easy as using the dock as battery charger and for transferring pictures to the computer but it will work. Anna and I went off to Walmart and found the proper battery charger so I'll find out in an hour or so if I can still transfer pictures from the camera to my Kodak program on the computer. I hate having to learn how to do things a different way!
Oh yes, I went to the dentist today and I need a root canal.
See, things really can always get worse but we just have to persevere. It's either that or crawl under a blanket and not come out. Myself, I'll get through the rough stuff one way or another.
I had thought for quite a while that I should get the bundle service offered by my local cable company and took the plunge today...I'm on a wickedly fast internet now and absolutely loving it. My telephone service will be turned over to cable at the end of the month, too.
Now for a bit of a problem. I think I wrote a few months back about spilling nail polish remover on my camera and dock. In a panic I bid on the identical camera and dock on Ebay and won it. At about the time I won the bid my original dock becan working again so now I have 2 identical cameras and docks. In my wisdom it seemed a good idea to leave one set in Florida and bring one set home. Well, sometimes things are not what they seem and I discovered that dock #2, which I brought home, does not have the adapter for plugging it into the wall...and they are no longer available. Crap!
My sweet young lady neighbors from across the road dropped in while I was trying to figure out what to do and between us we decided I should just buy a battery charger for the camera. This isn't as easy as using the dock as battery charger and for transferring pictures to the computer but it will work. Anna and I went off to Walmart and found the proper battery charger so I'll find out in an hour or so if I can still transfer pictures from the camera to my Kodak program on the computer. I hate having to learn how to do things a different way!
Oh yes, I went to the dentist today and I need a root canal.
See, things really can always get worse but we just have to persevere. It's either that or crawl under a blanket and not come out. Myself, I'll get through the rough stuff one way or another.
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