We had a wonderful day here and the weather is gorgeous. Need I say more about that!
JEAN I hope you are in an area that isn't going to be hit hard by that nasty weather. I didn't see your area on the weather map last night that showed the most damage but that doesn't mean that you didn't have some being about 100 miles away.
FAYE your mysterious neighbors have me intrigued. If you want to find out more of what is going on you can go to your Tax Assesor or Registor of Deeds and find out who holds the deed to that property. If it is a company or someone you have never heard of maybe it is a safe house or witness protection place for people to hole up while getting a new identy. It makes sense since your state is on a river and borders two different states and the faces of the occupants change.
Maggie: This is what I do know about former tenants of the property. When my dd and sil owned it (this would have been about 7 years ago) the people that owned the property left in the middle of the night, had trashed the whole property, bugs, vermin, rodents the whole nine yards was found inside. My dd was told the people were running from the law. Whomever held the mortgage forclosed on an abandonment clause and the property was put up for sale with no buyers. That is not surprizing considering condos here take at least a year to sell and the surrounding area is no longer a good area to reside in. My dd and sil moved out of this condo after buying a home and used it basically to warehouse goods they sold on the internet for about 2 years. There were NO neighbors in the condo next door during this time until towards the end. We moved in around August of 2002 and there was a black family renting the property who moved out sureptitiously about a week after we moved in I thought because of failure to pay rent, and the next thing you know there was an older woman, a grown son and 2 very young school age children living there. (if you remember I griped about her leaving them locked out of the house in the winter several times and they showed up on my doorstep) They lived there a few months then were gone like overnight though the son would come and get mail and such and this lasted a year or so. The son told my dh one time that his mother had taken a temporary job out of state. About 4-6 months ago, they just showed up again, same older woman but different grown young man, and a little boy about 6, but he was not one of the children that lived there before and the little boy and girl that lived there not living there now. They have now been gone for almost two weeks and I haven't seen anyone at all. Weird, huh? What you suggest makes sense, but it is kind of spooky. I have to admit, except for the children showing up needing me to take care of them, it is not loud or a lot of people coming and going as such so I am pretty sure there is nothing illegal going on. I do remember the little kids calling the woman (who has to be in at least her 40's) their mom, though she could very likely be the grandma but has raised them.
Today has been a lovely day ~ Spring is here. I am getting excited ~ the mechanic that was doing the work on our motorhome called yesterday and said it was ready. We will go June 3rd to get it. That is the first date we have free to make the trip. It is about 3 1/2 hours from where it ran out of juice and we left it to get a new transmission.
FAYE yikes ~ I would rather the neighbors be waiting for a new identy than criminals on the lamb. Be glad they are not at home! Be carefule when they are home too.
We are going down the mountain tomorrow to do some necessary shopping. It is a low point day and I think I will try that new KFC fire grilled chicken ~ they do it without skin ~ for lunch. Or a low point Subway sandwich. We'll see what we are in the "mood" for on the morrow.
Good Evening, Flowers!
I am fighting a sinus headache/congestion/runny nose/scratchy throat since Saturday. I don't have time to be sick during this last week of school -- way too many things to get done yet. It was a quiet day at school today. I think it was either that they were in a la la stupor from the weekend or else they have realized the end is in sight and they'd better get their assignments in before final exams begin on Wednesday afternoon.
My foot has been quite swollen this past week and the instep area of my foot was pretty tender. DH took a look Saturday night and I still had a stitch in between my two toes! He didn't want to try and take it out because he wasn't sure if both ends belonged to the same stitch. I think it was because he was afraid I would kick him with my other foot. I was all set to call my local doctor this morning when I ran into the school nurse and she asked about my foot. Without even thinking I asked her if she could take out stitches and she said, "sure, come on in!" I don't think I was in her office 5 minutes allowing for time to take my shoe and sock off and for her to get out her scissors, tweezers, peroxide, and antibiotic ointment. I didn't even feel it! The swelling is down quite a bit and my foot feels much better. I was supposed to go back to the specialist on Thursday if I couldn't get a regular shoe on and I may just call to let him know he missed a stitch. . . maybe I'll get a refund. I doubt I will be able to get a shoe on yet so he may want to see it.
"Gma" -- We have some noisy party people type neighbors. They will leave for days and shut their cat outside -- he just comes over and eats at our house. They let their dog run and of course he likes to poop in my yard. Whenever I see him I run him off and hope they hear me. When the leaves are on the trees they block our view of their sliding doors and deck -- I love it! Unfortunately the sound still comes through. Their college age kid plays in a band and the music is NOT easy listening. I ordered a military plaque for my dad's monument and it wasn't ready last Memorial Day. I hadn't been home to see it and we have a wedding next weekend plus MIL is coming back. It's a 3 hour drive and we spent about 4 hours there with my stepmom. After I was married a tornado went through the downtown, wiping out my church and grade school as well as many businesses. It never really seemed like "home" after that and when my parents moved into an apartment, it was easier for them to come to us rather than try to keep our kids quiet in an apartment.
Maggie -- We've had rain for three days straight along with thunderstorms. The tornado wiped out a small town about 60 miles from us; we drove by on our way home Saturday but couldn't see anything without getting off the main highway. No one was killed nor hurt so that was the good part. The lake is way up and the rivers are flooding which is not good. There was alot of water standing in the farm fields as we traveled; some will have to replant. Didn't you have a 5th wheel or have you always traveled in a motorhome? I guess I am still thinking of your red pickup.
It is time to head off to bed. Have a terrific Tuesday tomorrow!
Busy day today doing some shopping. Got the things to fill out my menu for the week. I have had a nice OP day and am glad it is coming to an end for I am tired.
JEAN We had a pull type trailer. Didn't want a fifth wheel because they stick up so high and are wind drags. Anyway the motorhome was given to us by a friend. We decided to look for a used older one to fix up after we sold our trailer. Our dear friend found this one and told us about it. We asked him to find out how much the lady was selling it for and we would come down and look at it. He went ahead and bought it himself and did some improvements on it then gave it to us. He put all new tires on it to the tune of something over $1000. The motor had been recently changed before the former owner passed away and only has 500 miles on it. It has been in the shop now getting a new transmission. It will last us quite a few years traveling the blue roads of this USA. It is an older model but when new it was top of the line. We will have it painted ~ it has been sitting out in the weather for those years. We don't have that gas guzzeling beautiful Red Truck that I loved anymore. We will get a Jeep one day to pull behind the motorhome. Once we get it here we can do what remodeling we want to do to the inside to suit our needs. No immediate plans to hit the road again YET.
Jean: Your stitch story reminded me of something I haven't thought of in years. When I was a child, I fell backwards out of my dad's pickup truck. Everyday when he would come down the street, he would stop at the end of the driveway and all the kids would pile into the back and ride up the hill to the garage. This day, I wasn't sitting down and went backwards over the end and put a deep cut in my forehead that needed 4 stitches. When they were taken out, my dr put them in this tiny vial with a stopper and gave them to me. I have no idea when I lost them as I had that vial for years and years and just remembered they are no longer in my jewelry box where I always kept them. I still have the box with my childrens' baby teeth however!
Maggie: Jack would love to buy an RV and just travel place to place after he retires. ICK! I said UH uh. I have no desire to as I am not a camper kind of girl even with something like a top notch rv. Hope when you hit the road you have a spectacular time!
THE POOL COVER IS OFF!!!!!! Guess that means they will get it opened on time, woohoo!
Need to get out and get my exercise in as it is already in the mid-70's.
Good Evening, Flowers!
It's a cold 50 degrees in my corner of the world right now. This weather has got to shape up sooner or later . . . sounds like it might be later. *sigh* We had some excitement at school today. The police came and hauled off a drug user/dealer. I didn't see it but another teacher said they pulled him out of class and handcuffed him in the hall. He's been in trouble for multiple thefts so I don't know if he is gone for good or not. He will lose all of his credits if he doesn't take the final exams unless the guidance office does some fancy footwork to make some other arrangements for him. His family background is not good -- an alcoholic father, a mother who only speaks German, a 9th grade sister who is pregnant, and several other siblings at home.
Maggie -- My dad and mother decided to try out a motorhome and bought one of the OLD Winnebagos -- short and square. It was parked in our driveway waiting for new tires and the kids had more fun playing in it. We got the tires put on and they took it home. My dad was having some back problems at the time and it was a 3 hour drive. Well, they got it home and promptly sold it! I couldn't picture my mother camping but my dad said there was no way that he could sit and drive that thing for any length of time. My kids were so disappointed because they had visions of going along for the ride. You will have to post "before and after" pictures!
"Gma" -- When I had my hysterectomy, they used staples and I saved them for awhile. Now I wish I would have saved the pin from my toe but I didn't even think about it at the time. I just wanted it out! I am not a camper either -- my idea of camping is the Holiday Inn.
I need to finish addressing graduation cards and get them ready to mail. Hope you all have a wonderful Wednesday!
Good Evening, Flowers!
We've been having thunderstorms, wind, and lightning the past few evenings so I haven't been online. Several tornados have been sighted in the area but none have touched down.
I ran some errands this morning and we went to a wedding this afternoon. It was at 3:30 (1/2 hour ceremony) and the reception wasn't until 5:30 so we decided to skip it. Both families are from our area so there will be lots of relatives there, I'm sure.
Not much exciting from my corner of the world and I kind of like it like that. I guess I'm tired from the end of the year hoopla. Tuesday is our last day with any students who still have work to do or detention time to make up and Wednesday is the retirement coffee and checking out by 1:00 day.
I'm going to read the paper and try to stay awake. I hope you all have a nice weekend!
Not much going on here either. We are looking at the MH deciding what changes we want to make on the inside. Definitely need to paint the outside. There is an overhead bunk which comes down and is a single bed. We are thinking of taking the mattress out and using it for long storage. Since the frame has a nice high lip on it with some nonskid it will be great for things that need to be put somewhere long and flat when we travel. Since it goes up and out of the way it is an excellent thing to keep for that since it is already there all braketed tight and snug. It swings down where we will be able to see into it and so we can get rid of the ladder and mattress.
JEANI am so glad that no tornadoes set down in your area. They can really be destructive. Take care and stay safe.
Everyone have a lovely Memorial Day and remember all those who make this country safe for us.
Just wanted to let you know what is happening. I slipped and fell in a restaurant tues evening and was in the hospital until Thur night. I have a personal injury attorney so can't talk much about it, but wanted you to know why I haven't been posting.
I am able to use both hands a little more, but one arm is injured and the other one the emt put my line in wrong and all my meds flooded under the skin instead of through the vein so it has been really swollen and bruised and very very sore so it also has been hard to use and still is. I go to my reg dr on Tues and then on to the others.
I am depressed because I can't exercise, fix proper meals and such and am determined not to gain weight back but it is pretty difficult. I hope to convince the dr to let me get in the pool with Jack's help.
Good Afternoon, Flowers!
We are having a variety of weather again today . . . started out warm and sunny but has cooled down, clouded over, and sprinkled a few raindrops around the neighborhood. It continues to be windy. Today is graduation at the local high school so I'm in hopes that the rain will hold off until after the outside receptions are finished. We have been invited to a couple but sent cards with $$ and congratulations so don't feel obligated to go since we don't really know the kids. None of the students I work with directly seem to have anyone outside of the family get togethers.
Tomorrow we head to Sioux Falls to pick up MIL who will spend the summer in Iowa. I'm hoping that I can do a bit of shopping first so will try to find some stores online and see if they have any hours posted. I'm finishing up the laundry and need to vacuum fur hunks again.
Maggie -- Sounds like you have great plans for your MH! I have a hard time making a mental picture and need examples of how big, how wide, how tall, etc.
"Gma" -- I wondered where you had disappeared to. I'm so sorry to hear about your fall! I hope you are feeling better as each day comes and goes. Good luck with your recovery and I hope it is a speedy one!
I need to keep moving or I will fall asleep while I type! I hope you all have a nice rest of the day!
Oh, Faye, I am so sorry to hear about your fall. I am sure you saw stars! On top of all that what the EMT did was inexcusable! Hope you get the OK for the pool! Water therapy is good for most hurts. Good Luck.
Jean....Wow, school is almost over and you can be free of those troublesome students. Will MIL be staying with you for the summer?
Maggie....The MH sounds like it is in for a make over. I am sure it will be delightful when you are done. Pictures please!!!!!
I have had a sore back for the last couple of weeks. Don't know what happened but I have been having spasms both when I get up in the morning and again when I get in bed at night. I think my bra was too tight but have a couple of new ones and the spasms are much less now. The spasms were right across the back under the strap. I was going to see the doctor but since things are better I will hold off.
The yard has been finished and now it is just getting the deck furniture out and washing it down. That means 6 chairs and lounge and table. Waiting for a real warm day because they will need to be hosed down and I don't think I want to fool with water while it is still cool.
Also have been working on the food items I will need for the last week of June while DS is in the area. Since he has not finalized the details of his visit I am uncertain how many meals I will need to be thinking of. Think I will just prepare things like Lazagna, Mac & Cheese and Maggie's old favorite BBQ Pulled Pork. Then I can just pull out what is needed and heat. Anything left over I will freeze and then take to the Cape.
We have been invited to my dear friend in Falmouth for the Fourth of July and I always like to bring some food items so she can enjoy the time as well as we will.
Gloria in MA....need to get the grill heated for supper. Hope you all will have a great Memorial DaY!
Nice and warm here today. It is 87 degrees as I type at 5:30 pm. We still haven't turned on the cooler but do have the fans going inside. We are not going anywhere tomorrow because we just want to stay home and have a nice leasurely day. I am sure we will have some folks drop in when they see my car in the driveway but that is fine with us. Sometimes it is a Deputy that comes on his off hours to hang out and chat with us. I am glad they feel comfortable with us to come over when they want.
FAYE {{{{{{{HUG}}}}}}}} what an awful thing to happen! I hope you heal properly and fast also. Glad you have an attorney working for you on this problem and I totally understand why you can't say any more at this time. Glad you were able to tell what you did though so we know to pray for you. I want mostly for you to get back to exact.
JEAN how nice that school will be out soon for you. Didn't this year just whiz by fast. You are so good with those little hoodlems in training that you will work them till you do retire. We need folks like you who are willing to work in the trenches.
GLORIA sounds like you have some yummy meals planned that will be easily prepared when company comes. I like doing that alos so there isn't a lot of work to do when they are here and I can enjoy them more that way. We are having a couple of friends over for dinner on Friday and I have Schwans ribs in the freezer I will fix along with a box of aug rotten potatoes, green lemon-lime jello/cottage cheese/pineapple type salad that is a family favorite (I will post the recipe if anyone wants it), grilled French bread and a tossed salad. Dessert isn't yet decided. Maybe a Mrs. Smiths frozen blackberry cobbler.
Later folks. Enjoy tomorrow and say a "THANKS" to the gals and guys that help to keep this US of A free.
Good Evening Flowers!
It's been another cool, windy, rainy day in my corner of the world. The sun played hide and seek in between the rain showers.
We traveled to pick MIL up at the airport today. Her plane was to arrive at 12:30 and it was so terribly windy I was afraid they might fly on to Minneapolis. By 1:00 DH checked the TV and it said the plane was scheduled for 1:05 arrival. Still no sign of MIL, nor anyone else, by 1:30 and the flight # had been removed from the screen. Another gentleman finally asked the ticket agent and he said the plane had landed. Come to find out "someone" had scheduled too many planes coming and going so her plane had to sit and wait for the stair thingy to be attached to the plane. I had a comfy seat to people watch so I didn't mind the wait -- all shapes and sizes as well as many different outfits.
Gloria -- Nice to see you! I hope the new bras do the trick for your sore back. My MIL spends the summer in a cabin/cottage that her father built back in the '40s. When my FIL retired and they bought a house in AZ, for the winter months, they also added on another bedroom and bath to the cabin so that they could have some privacy if there were other relatives around. She is about an hour away from us so we usually spend part of the weekends with her. At 84 she is still playing golf and is in a bridge group so she keeps busy during the week. This will be her 3rd summer without FIL so I'm hoping she will have a good one.
Maggie -- I'm hoping to sort through my desk tomorrow and finish packing away the rest of the room for the summer. We should have one student come to make up detention time and hopefully will work on some of the 30+ assignments she owes. I'm not holding my breath because she was out of class more than she was in class this semester. There will be very few students around I'm sure. The middle school and elementary students will have a fun and games kind of day just to get in that 180th required day of school. Your salad sounds good and I'd like the recipe please. I'm always looking for something new to take to the lake on the weekends.
"Gma" -- Hope you are feeling better today!
I need to fold some laundry and start another load. I think I am #14 to post. Have a marvelous Monday!
Steel Magnolias #20
He didn't want to try and take it out because he wasn't sure if both ends belonged to the same stitch. I think it was because he was afraid I would kick him with my other foot. 
I was all set to call my local doctor this morning when I ran into the school nurse and she asked about my foot. Without even thinking I asked her if she could take out stitches and she said, "sure, come on in!" I don't think I was in her office 5 minutes allowing for time to take my shoe and sock off and for her to get out her scissors, tweezers, peroxide, and antibiotic ointment. I didn't even feel it! 
The swelling is down quite a bit and my foot feels much better. I was supposed to go back to the specialist on Thursday if I couldn't get a regular shoe on and I may just call to let him know he missed a stitch. . . maybe I'll get a refund. 
I doubt I will be able to get a shoe on yet so he may want to see it.
I ordered a military plaque for my dad's monument and it wasn't ready last Memorial Day. I hadn't been home to see it and we have a wedding next weekend plus MIL is coming back. It's a 3 hour drive and we spent about 4 hours there with my stepmom. After I was married a tornado went through the downtown, wiping out my church and grade school as well as many businesses. It never really seemed like "home" after that and when my parents moved into an apartment, it was easier for them to come to us rather than try to keep our kids quiet in an apartment.
from Iowa!
I am not a camper either -- my idea of camping is the Holiday Inn. 
I am on my way to bed but wanted to check in here first. It has been quiet since I was here last.
in Iowa!
I am sure you saw stars! On top of all that what the EMT did was inexcusable! Hope you get the OK for the pool! Water therapy is good for most hurts. Good Luck.
There will be very few students around I'm sure. The middle school and elementary students will have a fun and games kind of day just to get in that 180th required day of school. Your salad sounds good and I'd like the recipe please. 
I'm always looking for something new to take to the lake on the weekends.
