Sistah Pat

Up and at it again.  Got to bed very late…got up very early.  Don’t think I would have made it but for the plunge in the spa.  It was hot and bubbly and the trees stood out like old crows against a gray sky.  There’s a light, misty rain falling and the wind is starting to pick up but it’s warm out there.

Today

Very windy. Showers and thunderstorms. Some thunderstorms may be severe. Locally heavy rainfall possible. Highs in the lower 60s. South winds 20 to 30 mph with gusts to around 45 mph increasing to southwest 25 to 35 mph with gusts to around 60 mph in the afternoon. Chance of rain near 100 percent.

They’re saying we can expect some wind damage today because there are still a lot of half broken branches and damaged trees out there and wind gusts of 60 mph are nothing to sneeze at.  Still, I’m feeling a sort of gentle optimism after yesterday evening and getting ready for another long day.  Worked a long day yesterday: Faculty meeting after school with me presenting a 20 minute mini-training to the staff so I didn’t get home until 4:00, dropped the boys off and stayed for ten minutes then headed back to work for the ROTC meeting at 5:00 but no one showed up until 6:00.  At 6:30, I told them I was outa there and got home a little after 7:00 which made for a twelve hour work day.

Today is not as bad.  After work, I teach an ESS session for kids failing classes but it’s over at 4:15 so I can head home and there’s nothing going on after that.  Okay, Dorothy, grab ToTo and let’s get out there! 

5:00 - Home again.  The winds are a-kickin and the lights are a-flickrin!  Lot’s of wind out there.  Hope we keep our power.  Haven’t heard from DS today.  He’s supposed to come over later.  

If you don’t know me, you won’t understand.  If you do, you’ll celebrate with me!  DH told DIL to pack her bags and GET OUT!  I know it sounds terrible for me to be this way but that woman has put him, the kids, and the rest of our family through absolute Hell!  

I got home from our little retreat yesterday and had to go to my credit union to take out money to pay their mortgage.  Why did I have to do that?  Because she keeps taking all their money and blowing it on herself.  I called DH to tell him that I had gotten the money for him and he told me they had an argument because after she stayed out all weekend and spent her entire paycheck partying, she finally came home for a while on Sunday and then went out and got a bunch of new clothes and all new makeup because she somehow “lost” her makeup bag while partying and staying out all night.  He told her to return them and she refused and took off again.  I told him that I would not loan him any more money as long as he put up with her behavior.  I’m done.  I’m done.  Stick a fork in me, I’m done!  I will NOT loan David money for his bills while she goes out on shopping sprees and spends entire weekends partying.  I will not go to my credit union and deplete my savings to support her.   I told him his father and I will do anything to help him and the boys get things straightened out but I would not lift a finger to help her anymore.  I told him he could do what he wanted but I was not going to put up with her behavior one more day.

DH said she came home and she had gotten a manicure and tanning session.  He told her what I said.  She got angry and said it was none of my business what she spent money on and I had no right interfering in their affairs.  He told her he agreed with me and I wasn’t interfering, just refusing to give them anymore money to finance her binges.  He reminded her that I loaned them money for last month’s mortgage and utilities in addition to this month’s and told her he was sick of having to ask us for help when they wouldn’t need help if she’d just do what she’s supposed to do.   She started screaming and yelling and he just told her to pack her bags and get out.  She said she was going to call the police and he told her to go ahead.  They came out and told her it’s his house, he has full custody of the kids, and she had to leave.  They stayed while she packed a suitcase and escorted her from the house with her cursing and making a scene for the entire neighborhood.

This is the first time he has ever told her to get out.  In the past, she’s always disappeared for weeks or months at a time and he’d always take her back.  In all honesty, I won’t be surprised if he takes her back again but I have to give him credit for finally taking a stand.  How long will it last?  I don’t know.  I hope he boots her butt out for good and moves on with his life without her but he’s always let her come back before.  I’m willing to take small victories.  It’s a first step.  A BIG step.  

Go, David!  Go, Baby, Go! 

I wonder if people should just hibernate.  Maybe that’s why I feel so groggy from about December to April.  I woke up early and wanted to go out to the spa but it’s raining.  Don’t mind sitting in the spa in the rain but couldn’t bring myself to go out in the chilly rain to get there and stand in it while I take the cover off.  I went to bed at 10:00 which is kind of early for me and woke up at 4:45 and I feel absolutely sluggish.  Then again, it got up to 70 degrees yesterday and it’s supposed to be 60 today so I guess I really can’t blame the cold.

Uhgg…I’m going to stand in the shower for an hour or so and see if I can bring myself back to life.

6:00 - It came to me as I was getting dressed.  Undies, knee high hose, black dress slacks, black and gold silk blouse,  gold jacket, and heels.  It’s not just the warm weather of summer that I miss.  It’s the whole thing.  It’s being able to jump out of bed and throw on a pair of capris and a halter top, jump into a pair of flip flops, and do whatever I want.  It’s the flowers and the pool and home grown tomatoes.  Long lazy days of gardening and cooking out.  I miss that so much!  It’s warm today and it was warm yesterday but I’m sure everyone would think I was crazy if I went to work in a pair of capris, a tank top, and flip flops.  Sure would be fun to do it, though!

DH and I went to the store yesterday.  He was driving and I was looking.  I remarked to him, “Why do you think everything looks so ugly?  Is it all the limbs and branches piled up everywhere you look;  Combined with the mud and lack of grass and leaves?”

He said, “It’s ugly because it’s winter.”

Wish I had the nerve to go to work in a pair of bright, flowered capris, a bright pink tank top, and pink flip flops!  (hee, hee!)  Bring a little color into the picture.

5:30 - Damn!  Here I sit.  Blogging and twiddling my thumbs while I wait for everyone to get here for the monthly ROTC Booster Club Meeting.  We moved the time to 5:00 two months ago and I got here at 4:45 to find that Sarge told everyone to remind their parents that we had a meeting tonight at 6:00.  This is after I printed the time in the minutes and sent a reminder to everyone about the meeting being at 5:00.  Tell you what…I’m out of here by 6:30.  They better get ready for a fast meeting!

I slept in until 8:00 this morning and it felt wonderful!  I was up late last night trying to get everything taken care of so I could relax when DH and I head for the casino today.

I straightened the house yesterday and then scrubbed our bedroom.  Changed the bedding, cleaned out the drawers and straightened the closet.  Scrubbed the walls, pictures, and mirrors. (The drapes need to be done but that can wait).  Around 6:30, I called it quits but started on laundry.  Watched TV while I ran six loads through the washer and folded or hung four of them.  Then it hit me.  The sleepies.  It was 1:00 am and it just hit me all at once.  “Get up, turn off the TV, and get your sorry butt to bed.  NOW!”  I still had one load going in the dryer and another in the washer.  Left them there.  Now I probably have to redo the load that was in the dryer.  They’re probably wrinkled beyond repair.  As soon as I get them done, DH and I are hitting the road.

The casino is 82 miles from here.  Just close enough, just far enough.  Maybe I’ll win.  I don’t play to win, though.  I just have fun.  Set myself a strict limit and stick with it.  Usually around $50.00.  Yeah, I know.  I’m cheap.  Keep in mind, however, that I’m a math teacher and know the odds are against me.  We’re heading up there in a couple of hours so I’ve got to get the laundry finished.  Hope I can salvage the load in the dryer.  I’m pretty sure there’s a charge for internet connectivity at the hotel so I may or may not be blogging.  If not, have a wonderful Sunday, girls!

  5:00 - Looks like we have free wifi.  Here’s a picture from our window.  We’re all settled in and DH wants to watch “The Beast” before we head downstairs.  Does that have anything to do with this evening’s plans?

9:30 - We went down to the casino for a while.  I turned my twenty dollar bill into forty and DH turned his twenty into seventy five.  Not bad.  Told you we were cheap. Our room is pretty nice.  We got the “Ultimate” package which has the deluxe riverview room, the “luxurious grand bed”, the breakfast and dinner buffets, special bath amenities, and VIP turndown.  The bed is super!  A great big king size bed that’s almost high enough to need a step stool.  It has down pillows, Egyptian cotton sheets, and a down comforter.  The bath amenities are really nice.  Regular size bottles of Portico Spa Eucalyptus shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, lotion, soap, and exfoliating soap.  The buffet was a different matter. It’s one of the worst buffets I’ve ever seen.  I believe our school cafeteria could do a better job.  Maybe that’s a good thing.  I didn’t eat much.   Now it’s time to hit that big old bed and see if “the beast” gets in bed with me.

Nighty nite, girls.

We have a saying in Kentucky.  “If you don’t like the weather, stick around until tomorrow and it’ll change.”  It actually got up to 56 degrees yesterday and we’re heading for 60 degrees today.  I should be able to get outside and do a bit of cleaning up.  That is, if I can walk.

My ankles are killing me today.  I jumped out of bed this morning and shrieked.  They haven’t hurt this much in at least a year.  Funny, I wore a pair of P.W. Minor shoes yesterday.  Paid $150.00 for them last year at an orthopedic shoe store.  Not bad looking for an orthopedic shoe.  A nice brown leather hiking boot.  I was on the run from the time I got to work until I dragged myself home yesterday evening and now I’m paying the price.  It seems like the more expensive shoes do absolutely nothing for my ankles.  I can run around all day in a pair of crocs flip flops but put me in a nice supportive orthopedic shoe and I’m crippled.

It’s Saturday.  Lots of cleaning to do.  Better get to it.

4:30 - The bedroom is clean!  Not a spec of dust or dirt anywhere.  It’s almost too nice to leave tomorrow;  maybe DH and I should just stay in bed all day.  Oh, wait, I remember…no one will let us!

6:30 - I’m calling it a day.  The bedroom is scrubbed top to bottom.  Every single surface is squeeky clean.  Of course, while I was cleaning the bedroom, Jake and Scout pretty much wrecked the family room and kitchen.  We’re watching them today because DIL hasn’t come home from work since yesterday.  She got off at 3:00 yesterday and called DS around 10:00 to say, “Okay, I don’t want you to have any excuse to bitch at me so I’m calling to let you know that I’m out with some girlfriends.  I don’t know what time I’ll get home.”  Now, it’s 6:30 Saturday evening and she still hasn’t gone home or called him back.  She’s been partying for 27 hours.  Turned off the cell phone.  She got paid yesterday and I’m sure it’s all gone by now.  Must be a Hell of a party.  She’s got to be back on drugs or seeing someone.  WAKE UP, DAVID!!!

Wow!  It’s 32 degrees this morning and heading to the upper forties.  Tomorrow, we’re heading up to sixty degrees!  Maybe it’ll melt some of this snow and ice so we can get out and clean up the yard and deal with the downed limbs.  We still have the one hanging over the power lines that’s keeping us from pulling all the way into the driveway.  You can’t do much about cleaning up when all the limbs and junk are stuck in ice. Gotta get that taken care of tomorrow so DH and I can feel okay about leaving on Sunday. Looks like a pretty good weekend shaping up.

I put in another long day yesterday.  Finished the school newsletter and will, hopefully, get it out today. I’m not really responsible for getting it copied and distributed.  My part is DONE!  The principal was really happy about it.  That makes three newsletters down for the year and three to go!

Gotta get to the shower.  It’ll be nice not to have to wear all those layers today.  Think I could wear shorts and a cami?

6:15 - Maybe a cami, jeans, and a jacket.  I love this cami.  Love the color and the sheen but it’s just a little bit too sexy for work.  Or is it?  I go through this every time I want to wear this thing.  Always wondering if it’s just a little bit inappropriate. It’s a pretty clingy emerald green satin with lace at the top of the bodice.  Looking straight on, it looks good.  Looking straight down, there’s just a hint of cleavage.  Perfectly acceptable for the most part but I’m never quite sure that it’s something a teacher should wear.  I found out what to call the colors I love.  I was watching “What Not to Wear” the other night and heard a nice term.  Jewel tones.  I always just thought of them as “saturated” colors but Stacy says “jewel tones” and I like that!  Sapphire blues, emerald greens, and topaz golds and browns.  What a nice term.  Here’s what google had to say:

Jewel tones are rich color tones which resemble well known gemstones, either precious or semi-precious. Typically, jewel tones have a high level of color saturation, which makes them very dynamic and distinctive. There are a wide range of uses for jewel tones, from designer clothing to websites with rich interfaces which are meant to pop in the eyes of viewers. Many colors in this family also have traditional or religious significance, and they often appear in works of art.

Some examples of jewel tones include emerald green, amethyst purple, ruby red,topaz yellow, sapphire blue, tourmaline green, and turquoise blue. Almost any colored gemstone can be replicated with a jewel tone, although some are certainly more famous than others. In general, a jewel tone is very bold, and it exemplifies the classic color associated with a particular gemstone. For example, althoughsapphires come in a range of colors and saturations, sapphire blue is a very distinctive, rich, heavy blue.

Say it again, girls…jewel-tones.  Henceforth; all my plums are now amethyst. That mustard jacket is actually citrine.   

Susan and Ashleigh, you’ve given me an idea.  I can’t wear a patty cam because it might show my cleavage today but I’m going to write down what I do at work and see where the time goes.

4:30 - OMG!  I’m so exhausted!  All I want to do is crawl up on the couch and die.  I tried to keep track of what I did today.  Here’s what I got:

7:30 - 7:45: Checked my mailbox, set up an account on a laptop for the attendance clerk because her PC went down - met with the principal to discuss printing out the newsletter, set up another account on a laptop for one of the counselors whose PC went out.

7:45 - 8:00 - Met with the department head of the graphics program and tried to break it to him (in a nice way) that the principal was NOT going to wait until next Wednesday for the newsletters to get printed and wanted them done on a copier so they could be distributed last period today (1,600 of them).  Dismantled and put away laptop, speakers, and projector used for a training yesterday evening.

8:00 to 11:00 - Checked my email - 23 new messages since yesterday afternoon - answered the ones that were red flagged and put my own red flags on the ones I needed to deal with today.  Set up a cart of 30 laptops for a teacher and delivered them to her room.  Taught my computer class (my kids were sooo good today, bless their little hearts!), met with graphics department head again (guess I didn’t handle the first meeting well because he was really angry and defensive about copying the newsletters and pretty much said he had other priorities today). It occurred to me that I don’t get paid enough to deal with this kind of stuff so I told him I was just the messenger and he’d have to take it up with the principal.  Went to a classroom and fixed a printer.  Met with the principal again because she’s NOT happy with the head of graphics and wants those damn newsletters to go out TODAY.  Asked if I’d show one of the secretaries how to run the newsletters through the copier and get some kids to fold them in half.  Set up the copier with 11 x 17 parchment paper and showed the secretary how to place the front and back pages and run copies.  Showed her how to reverse the paper, place the two inside pages and run the parchment through again.  Watched her until she got the hang of it and then went to find some kids who were teacher aides or office aides to fold the newsletters.  Got the kids and showed them how to fold the newsletters and got them started.  Went to a classroom and showed a teacher and her students how to set up accounts on a really great history site.  Came back to the library to find the kids looking for me because the secretary had done 400 copies with the inside pages upside down.  WTF???  400 pages??? On expensive 11 x 17 parchment paper!  How can you not notice something like that for 400 pages???  And the kids were afraid to say anything.  Okay - I’m sure she feels bad enough.  I go in there and make sure she understands how to do them and wait while she makes another 100 copies to make sure.  We’re in third period now and I need to find new aides to help with the folding.  I get them and head back to the library to discover that the secretary accidently hit the 75% button and ran off 100 copies that have to be trashed.  Got her straightened out AGAIN and showed the kids what to do.  Went to teach a class and came back to find, (I swear to God!) that the secretary put the pages down on the wrong guide and there are 350 new pages with a 3 inch margin at the top and the print running off the page on the bottom.  I can’t stand it.  I really can’t stand it!  Did she not notice this on the first 100 copies?  Surely to God she saw it on the next batch of a hundred!   What was she doing?  Reading a Harlequin romance as the pages floated one after another into the tray?   I decided that I’d better go to the principal and tell her I’m doing the copies myself and break the news that the entire morning has been wasted and we have 850 newsletters that are total trash and about 400 that are good.  I told her I would have the newsletters ready for last period.  That gave me 2 1/2 hours to get it done.

At this point, I gave up on trying to write down what I do all day.  Damn near killed my ass getting 1,600 newsletters printed, folded, and distributed but I got them done and didn’t hardly have enough energy left to drag my butt out to the car and drive home.  Had a carton of lite yogurt today and I’m really too tired to even be hungry.

Don’t have any wine in the house but a couple of dusty bottles of Maui Splash from a couple of years ago. They’re going in the freezer while I throw together a pot of loaded potato soup and then the wine and I are going to the spa.

That’s what they said but my thermometer is showing 6 degrees out there.  But:  Why quibble?  It’s too cold.  Period.  Tomorrow, however, it’s supposed to get up to 54 degrees.  

I put in a long day yesterday and then couldn’t find DGS when I was ready to leave at almost 5:00.  He was visiting with one of his favorite teachers.  As a result of combing the building and finally having to make an announcement to get him up to the library, I walked off and left my laptop sitting on a desk in the library.  I’d had everything ready to walk out the door but got distracted with looking for him and forgot it.  Hope it’s still there when I get to work this morning.

I didn’t eat too much yesterday.  Yogurt for breakfast but I didn’t get a chance for lunch.  DH picked up some fried chicken at Kroger and I had a chicken breast and some green beans for dinner.  Not exactly healthy but at least there weren’t too many calories involved for the day.  Sometimes I don’t understand where the day goes.  I get up and get ready, rush to work, and then get caught up in a thousand little tasks that are so consuming, I can’t even find time to go to the bathroom, much less, eat lunch.  At the end of the day, I realize I’ve put in ten hours and I’ve done a kazillion little things but don’t really have much to show for it.  Someone will grab me the minute I walk in the building because their computer won’t connect to the internet, then I run to my room and make some copies for my students or get their lesson ready and I’m consumed with them.  While I’m teaching, I’ll have a dozen people email me needing one thing or another and I’ll finish with my kids and then tackle all the other tasks.  Hopefully, I can find a few minutes to grade some papers or call a couple parents, and then I pull together some lessons or find websites and resources for teachers.  School ends and I’m still looking at another hour or two when I’m fixing printers or setting up laptops or attending meetings.  At the end of the day, I have to wonder if I really did anything.  So much of my job is troubleshooting and putting out fires.  And it never ends.  A few times, I’ve tried to keep a log of everything I do in a day and it’s actually pretty impressive but it’s usually a swarm of little things each of which, on it’s own, doesn’t seem like much.  At any rate, I’m going to try to find time for lunch today amongst the madness.

DS had to work a long day yesterday, too, so we had to pick up Jake and Scout after school and bring them over to the house.  DIL was supposed to get off work at 6:00 but she’s still not ready to face me so she didn’t come and pick them up.  They were here, demanding attention (as all little ones do) until 10:30 when DS picked them up.  

Time to get off here and hit the shower.

I don’t want to wake up.  It’s already 1 minute past the time I normally step in the shower but I’m sleepy this morning and want to linger over coffee just a little bit longer.  Eleven degrees outside, with snow showers, and I’m not anxious to deal with it.  The paper says there are “only” 256,000 Kentuckians who still don’t have power restored. 23,000 here in town.  Poor souls.  I know most of them are staying with friends or relatives but there are still a lot of them staying at emergency shelters.  We’re supposed to warm up this weekend with temps getting to almost 60 by Sunday.  Whoo Hooo!  Signed up for a personal day on Monday and DH and I will be able to get away and enjoy it.  Still have to get through tonight, however, with a forecast of eight degrees.

Doing my best.  Went to bed at 10:30.  Got up at 5:00.  I’m heading to the shower in a minute and heading back to work.  The forecast is calling for snow today.  Not a lot…1 to 3 inches.  Still, I’m glad it hasn’t started yet because I have to travel a couple of narrow secondary roads to get to work.  So out of practice I don’t have a clue what I’m going to wear today.  Don’t think my PJs and robe are going to be acceptable.

6:30 - Okay.  I’m ready.  Grey slacks, plum and gray striped blouse, plum jacket.  Pretty traditional.  No pizazz today.  It dawned on me that this is the first Tuesday of the month and should be filled with work, faculty meeting, and ROTC Booster Club meeting which would all combine to keep me tied up until almost 8:00 this evening.  I hope not.  That’s a long day and I’m out of practice.

Got my yogurt, got my Lean Cuisine.  Let’s try to do better today.  Wish I had stuff for a salad or some fresh fruit but I’ve been eaten out of house and home lately with all the guests and the cupboards are bare.

11:00 - Taking a quick break to eat my Lean Cuisine.  It started snowing just before I left for school this morning and made for a hair raising trip.  Once it started, it came down quickly.  Cars were slipping and sliding all over the place.  I pulled into the left turning lane intending to stop until the way was clear and then turn but I just kept sliding all the way past the turn and was lucky no one was in the way.

We’re off again today but the paper says we WILL be back to work tomorrow.  I’ll be glad, actually.  I want to get out of the house and get some kind of routine back.  I was watching TV last night.  It was fairly quiet after having all the guests and dogs and chaos of the last week and I just curled up on the couch with the remote control.  Oldest DS brought DGD over about 8:30 with a bag from Mickey D’s.  She has a LARGE carton of french fries and I helped her devour them.  Then she wanted some ice cream so I fixed some for both of us.  Around 11:30, I started wanting some chocolate and started rummaging.  I don’t keep it in the house but I found a (yes, it’s disgusting) can of chocolate frosting, got a spoon and a big glass of milk and set to it.  After about a third of the can, I freaked out, put it in the fridge, and went to bed.

Today’s a new day and I’m aiming for Perfection.  One day of eating well and exercising.  One perfect day.  It seems like all the stuff that’s going on in my life involves food and I’ve got to get a handle on it.  Next Sunday, DH and I will go to the casino with two breakfast buffets and two dinner buffets.  Next Saturday is the twin’s birthday.  The following weekend is my annual “Game Weekend” where ten or twelve of us girls rent a place up in Indiana for playing games, visiting wineries, and feasting all weekend.  I just keeping looking at all the stuff coming up and deciding to hold off “just a little longer” to get back on track.  Of course, we all know, there’s always going to be something coming up.  I don’t want to look at all that.  I just want today to be good. 

Youngest DS brought the boys over for me to watch today while he’s at work.  I asked him if DIL came home last night and he gave me a long sigh and said, “Yes…”  I didn’t want the details so I left it at that.  They brought the Wii and Scout is driving me crazy about Zelda.  DS told him I used to be the “World Wide Champion” at playing Zelda and he’s stuck and has convinced himself that Nana can help him finish the game.  Folks, there’s a BIG difference between Nintendo 64 and Zelda and the fifth generation of Zelda on a Wii.  He’s not buying it.  Guess I’m going to have to try to help him.  Maybe that will convince him that I’m useless.

5:00 - Damn!  No perfect day today!  I’ve been sitting here at my laptop for the last three hours writing the school newsletter and mindlessly eating.  Don’t even know what I ate…a carton of yogurt, then DH fixed grilled cheese and chicken noodle soup for all the kiddos and set some down for me and I wolfed it down.  Then Scout wanted popcorn so I jumped up and fixed some for him and some for me and, the next thing I knew, the bag was empty.  Finally, Jake found a package of Oreos and opened them but I made him leave them on the table so he wouldn’t eat a kazillion and then I ate a kazillion!  What is wrong with me???!!!

5:45 - Thanks for the encouragement, Lady.  Since we’re on the topic of Scoutisms…here’s today’s tidbit:

Scout: “PawPaw, Lift me up to the ceiling!”
DH- “Man!  PawPaw’s getting too old to be putting you on the ceiling!”
Scout (rubbing DH’s rapidly spreading bald forehead) - “Well, if you quit shaving your hair off, you won’t be old.”

Yesterday was interesting.  It warmed up above freezing and the sun came out.  The ice fell in tubes, in shards, in sheets.  It hit the ground and shattered and, this morning, it looks like everything is covered in shards of glass.  The damage?  Lots of debris, limbs that need to be cut up and carried off, a week of school (so far) that will have to be made up, a hole in the shed, two fences that will need repairs, a broken chaise, and another rift with DIL that will make things awkward and difficult for a while.

DS went home for a while yesterday afternoon to get some more clothes for the kids and check on things.  DIL was there.  Sitting in the dark with a kerosene heater.  She spent all her paycheck.  Said it was “her money” after all and she didn’t need to explain where it went.  Told DS she will NOT come back over here because I had no right to judge her.  She’s an adult and she can do what she wants, when she wants, and it’s none of my business.  She may be right.  But then, don’t bring it to my house.  DS told her she could sit at home in the dark if she wanted.  He picked up more clothes and came back over here.

The tooth fairy made it.  Scout’s running around beaming like a little ray of sunshine and clammering for more french toast.  Jake is still asleep.  I know I should get him up.  He may have school tomorrow, after all, but it’s difficult to get into any kind of routine when you’ve been out of school, sleeping on a couch, and stuck at Nana’s for a week.

Everything is still a mess.  450,000 Kentuckians still without power, 122,000 right here in Louisville.  A water main broke down the street last night and flooded the road but we still have water at my house.  I filled the tub and every container I could find just in case.  They’re supposed to make an announcement at 4:30 about whether or not we’ll have school tomorrow.  It’s going to be difficult.  There are still 37 schools without power, shelters are overflowing, and many roads are still impassible because of downed trees.  So far, 21 deaths related to the storm.  Seven of them from carbon monoxide poisoning due to inadequately ventilated generators.

I know how lucky we are but I’m still sick of the entire mess.  The house overflowing with airbeds, blankets, people, dogs, and cats.  Yesterday, DH and I received a flyer from Grand Victoria Casino up in Indiana with a couple of coupons for a free room.  Pay $59.00 and they make it a deluxe riverview room, 2 breakfast buffets, 2 dinner buffets, a luxury room package, luxury bath amenities, and a VIP turndown in the “Luxurious Grand Bed”.  Sounds like just what we need.  It’s good for Sunday through Thursday until Feb. 14th but they sent another that’s good until March 14th.  I’m going to pick a Monday and take a personal day and make a reservation today.  I keep thinking, “I’ve got to get back on track.  Gotta eat better and start exercising again”.  Still, it doesn’t seem important in the face of everything that’s going on.  I’ll be so glad when things return to normal.

10:30 - Okay, so I’ve been fairly productive the last 30 minutes.  Got Jake up and fixed french toast for him and Scout.  Called and reserved a deluxe room and the deluxe package for DH and I next Sunday at Grand Victoria.  We’ll check in Sunday afternoon and stay the night.  I’ll have to take a personal day but he’s off on Mondays anyway.  That leaves another coupon that’s good until March 14th!

DS’s neighbor called him and said their electricity is back on!  He doesn’t seem particularly happy about the prospect of heading home.  Can’t say I blame him.  With DIL still in a manic mood, no telling what will happen.  He knows he doesn’t have to go.  In fact, if school is still out tomorrow, he’ll need me to watch Jake and Scout anyway.  I’m not going to say anything but I think he’s going to wait and see what happens at 4:30.

6:45 - DS finally gave up.  At 5:00, they still hadn’t made any announcement about school so he decided to go home.  Got home and DIL had locked him out.  I call her DIL because it’s easier but they’re not married.  Been together for ten years and have two beautiful children but they’ve never gotten married.  They’ve planned it three or four times but Stacy always seems to have a meltdown right before the date so they always cancel.  Under the circumstances, I don’t push for it.  It’s his house.  He had it before he met her.  He has full custody of the kids following a two year meltdown she had back in 2003 when she walked out on him and the kids and spent 1 1/2 years going from one boyfriend to another and partying followed by 6 months back on her meds and trying to win him back.  She did, much to my dismay, but he still has full custody of both kids and I’m VERY glad that they’re not married.  I suspect, if they married, it would be much more difficult for him to keep things under control when she gets manic.  As it stands, she can’t legally take the kids or take the house.

But: I digress.  She doesn’t like the way bi-polar meds make her feel and refuses to take them.  As a result, she has frequent manic episodes.  We all struggle to get through them.  She’ll come around, eventually, but it’s always much more difficult for us to forgive her than it is for David.  Even yesterday, he said, “You know I love her, Mom.  I’d give my life for her.  But, I get tired of dealing with it.”  I’m not quite so forgiving.  I feel like she should stay on her meds even if she doesn’t like them.  So what?  Is it worth the pain she causes everyone with her mania just because she doesn’t like it?  Her own mother wrote her off a long time ago because she refuses to do what she needs to do.  I’m her mother and my family is her family.  Still, I’d use tough love and demand that she takes her meds if it were up to me.  Unfortunately, as long as DS puts up with it, I need to keep the doors open for the sake of those beautiful little boys.

DS called when he got home.  She’s wasn’t there and had locked the deadbolts on the doors with the key.  She thinks there’s only one set of keys to the deadbolt.  The ones that hang in the kitchen but she doesn’t know that he made duplicates after she pulled the same trick last time she locked him out. She’s not home.  Good.  I hope she stays away for a couple of days.  Maybe she’ll calm down.  The way she behaves when she’s manic is so bizarre that it’s scary.  She does things that are wrong and then she attacks everyone around her in an attempt to deflect attention from what she’s done.  She’s verbally and physically abusive to others and will lie and hurt anyone who stands in the way of what she wants.  After DS got home, they announced that schools will be closed again tomorrow.  He decided to stay at the house but he’ll be bringing the boys over tomorrow for me to babysit.  I HOPE DIL doesn’t come home tonight.  Better for everyone.