Sorry. I tried to think of a heading and remembered our New Orleans girls.

Hope it's settled what kind of car Wabby is getting. A big old Buick!

Bagzie, your story was sad and shocking. I've come to tell a happy happy story. Makes me cry actually. There's this retired couple who are politically active. They went to a political rally in south FL and heard the governor say that everyone should be a mentor. The governor is mentor. He said sign a card and pass it back in. So they did.

When they got home they got a call from the school system and were given a boy to mentor. One day, they were in the school person's office talking about the boy and mentoring, etc. when she mentioned she had more kids and one in particular (another race too Muffie) she was having trouble finding a good mentor for.

They exchanged looks and said "We'll take him."

I was somewhere the other day when this boy, age 16, played piano as entertainment. He started lessons two years ago. These people have paid for every lesson, bought his instrument AND they drive about an hour to pick him up once a week, take him an hour back to the music teacher, and bring him home. It was just incredible. He sounded sooooooooo good and was so smiling and confident. The boy is living with extended family because his immediate family can't care for him. He was definitely an "at risk" child who has been saved. He went on a trip with the school chorus this past year and while he was singing, looked into the audience and saw his mentors.

That's it. I have a headache. I went to the dentist this a.m. He made my front bottom 6 teeth taller. He thinks this is good. I think it's weird and it cost a fortune.

Big smushy hugs to you all.

Should I ask for these at my next dentist appointment?

That is a wonderful story, Peachie. Good people.

We missed the deadline to sign DD up for the Johns Hopkins online writing course this summer. I got tired of waiting for her to decide what she wanted to do and stopped keeping on top of things. She suggested we bribe the post office to postmark it back to the right date. Great. I'm bringing up a white collar criminal.

I have a migraine. ppppbpbpbpbpbpb

Kiwi

Just a nasty cold. DS had it first, DH got it next, and I was feeling very smug because I never get colds. Apparently I do.

We have a new Home Depot here in town. They have 6 packs of annuals (the really nice big ones) for 99 cents. I've spent a fortune on them, but I can't stop myself because they're soooo cheap. I keep telling myself that I can't afford not to buy them. I also need to remember that I will have to water them once they're planted. Somebody stop me.

That was a sweet story, Peaches. Sometimes just knowing that somebody cares about a kid is enough to keep them straight, not to mention what taking an interest in this kid is doing for the retired ppl. Everybody benefits.

Kiwi, at least the DD is persistent.

What a great story, Peachers! Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Pictures of the long teeth, please! How short were the old ones?

My thongs are turquoise with big blue flowers on the front. And they're on my FEET. Whatever happened to Cookie? Her home page doesn't work any more.

You did the right thing, Wabby. You can't afford not to have a beautiful garden. I'm torn between buying more or just letting it go 'cause we're on holiday in two weeks anyway and when we come back we usually find that mil wasn't all that good at watering and everything had turned brown. She's supposed to feed the fish too

Kiwi, do you think the guys at the post office would even be able to turn back their little stamp thingy? The ones around here don't even know what day it is anyway.

We're going strawberry picking tomorrow. Yum. Finally something that's (mostly) fun, tasted great and doesn't make you fat unless you eat 'em with large spoonfuls of whipped cream.

My mantra of the day is "I will not drink Diet Pepsi, I will not drink Diet Pepsi, I will not drink Diet Pepsi". I'm reading an ancient copy of The Silva Mind Control Method that I found in our bookshelf. Can you tell ?

Yes,I do remember the big brou haa haaaa about the thongs---now they are mainstream---I find them in my laundry all the time and I don't ask any questions---Abercrombie and Fitch sell them for KIDS!!!! Thank you for my condolences---the funeral was a bore and my girlfriend and I whispered all through it how we thought Charlotte would be MAD at how BORING it was---she would be swearing her Cape Breton head off----she was VERY funny---in the eulogy they said---"Stories about Charlotte will be told in years to come and there will be NO NEED to embellish them!" that I LOVE!!!----thank you for the happy story PEACHBUNS!!!! hows the Herbmeister and your darling ds???what's up for Summer Vacation---OMG!!!!! TIME TO GET THE GIANT[YES WABBY THAT'S THE BABY WITH THE PLUGGIE IN THE STROLLER!!} BOY READY FOR SCHOOL!!! TALK LATER KISS KISS

School ended here on May 24. DS is in Pennsylvania now with his dad. Herbie is herbiesque. My life is very boring. You may whisper through my life.

All of our children are so good-looking. How old is the boy now. I'm so bad at math.

Kiwi doesn't it get tiring managing the lives of unappreciate kids?!?! DS probably will take online courses at high school while he's there! They're probably better than the real teachers. Well, come. How did you like the one last year? His would be from an online high school.

It is so hot here. I am miserable. Sugar, where are you going on vacation? Come here. Just watch for sharks.

We get out on June 21 and go back the Tuesday after Labour Day----Our summer is very short and has not yet begun---It is still COLD and RAINY!!!!!! I am trying to finish planting my garden but I have a tee shirt,a sweat shirt and a fleece jacket on while I am working that makes me very MAD!!!!!Classes end tomorrow at the highschool and exams are next week----The grade twelve graduation is the following week,as well as THE PROM!!!!!! I will have to send a picture of the prom girl for sure!!!!! lots of excitement around here!---YES,SUGAR ARE YOU COMING TO CANADA FOR YOUR HOLIDAY?????I see Lush has deserted us again It was fun having her for a while----remember when she used to post EVEN WHILE SHE WAS TRAVELLING ALL OVER THE U.S.!!!!!kIWONK!!!!are you getting this crap weather as well????WABBY!!!! HOW DO YOU STAY SO SLIM WITH ALL THE EATING YOU HAVE BEEN DESCRIBING?????DO TELL!!!!----gotta go make supper,tanks.xoxoxoxo sow cow

My secret is that I haven't been staying slim while eating all this food. I've gained 4 lbs. since I fired the dietician. I'm just about ready to get back on the wagon, though. Eating a ton of food is kind of boring. Nothing satisfies nearly as much when you aren't absolutely starving all the time.

I have a rant, so scroll if you wish. - My DS and his girlfriend left a mess in the family room a couple evenings ago. Dirty dishes, pop cans, etc. I gave them the standard "I'm not your maid" lecture. Then yesterday they came home with food to make their own dinner (DH, DS and I had already eaten, of course DS was going to eat a 2nd meal- he's a bottomless pit) The GF had her friend with her and the 3 of them [I]swore[I] that they would clean up every last speck, since I'd already done my dinner dishes. This morning I walked into my kitchen and it was a disaster. I am sooooo p*ssed! I told DS not to bring the GF around for a week because I'm so angry with them. He thinks I'm wicked and unreasonable. Too bad.

Florida gets out of school too early and NB gets out of school too late. Maine is Juuuuuuuust right. Graduation was last weekend and the rest of the school is done tomorrow. Today I went to the middle school and made them add DD's records of the online writing course she had taken to her file. Also the certificates indicating how fabulously she did on the 7th grade SAT. About dang time, don't you think? The day before she is out of middle school forever?

I asked the guidance counselor if DD would be able to place out of a year of high school English if she continued to take these (college level) online courses in the summers. She thought not. What a ditz. She also thought every kid in school would have to take beginning computers next year in order to graduate from high school. Of course every single one of them has been using computers since kindergarten and have taken "keyboarding" twice. I begged to differ and pushed the issue, so she went to the high school GC who said No, we expect most kids are fluent in using the computers when they get here and they won't need that course. Meanwhile most of the 8th grade signed up for the silly thing. DD signed up for a higher level course. Honestly. Not impressed. At least the woman made the effort to help; got to give her that. She may be clueless, but she's helpful

Hey Wabby, feeling any better?

Poor Peachie, missing the kidster. I am still going to sign DD up for the next writing course (online), even though we are past the deadline. Worst that can happen is that I will lose $40 of application fee. The actually bigger problem will be in trying to find a laptop computer that DD can borrow while we are in NC, because she will have to turn in 3 assignments while we are gone. She is willing to do it, so that's half the battle.

I think she got a lot out of last year's online course. It suits her style--she is one to go at an assignment and get it done, doesn't need somebody nagging at her (usually). And she likes to do it in her own way when she feels like it. As opposed to the regimentation of the classroom, y'know.

Well, I've blathered on long enough.

Cheer up PeachPie. Bagz, we are getting pretty good weather finally; maybe it's heading your way too. Not quite "warm", but warmer than it was.

Kiwi

Took me so long to write my message that I missed yours. Lord, I hate it when other people's kids make a mess at my house, cuz you don't want to like scream at them or anything, but you feel like it.... Good for you for letting them know you are pissed off, I'll bet they wouldn't dare do that again. I just found out the other day that one time a year ago when DD had a friend over, they spilled rubber cement all over the living room rug They had previously gotten plenty of **** for making messes, so they cleaned it up -- so well that I didn't even know it had happened. So, it works

Kiwi

Kiwi, it's so nice to read about your DD. Can I adopt her?

Hello! I have been lurking but I haven't been able to post much. A coworker has the week off, which almost doubles the workload of the two of us who are left. But I can't complain. I'm taking a week off at the end of the month.

Bagzie, I'm sorry about your friend and I'm sorry her funeral was boring.

Peachie, my older ds is up at the lake for the summer, so we're missing him. That's a great story about the mentors.

Kiwi, your school people would probably fit right in here...
We just found out he did not qualify for Algebra next year (8th grade.) The lazy idiot teacher couldn't be bothered to let us know he was missing assignments until he almost failed the first term. (He had done the assignments, just forgot to turn them in.) Kids have to have good grades in each term to get into Algebra, regardless of their potential, regardless of whether they made a turnaround, as he did. He did get into the talented and gifted program, though. He should have been in it all along, but we're in a really bad school district with teachers who don't care whether the kids succeed academically... as long as the football team is number one, they're happy.

Wabby, I hate it when my work is messed up. I cleaned the basement yesterday, but I know it will be trashed within a week of when DS1 gets home. (He's the one who trashed it this time.) I'd like to make it so they can hang out down there, but they mess it up so badly!! It's frustrating!

I'm actually getting a lot of cleaning done because I don't have DS1 following behind me messing things up. He's a messie like me, bless his heart.

I'm sore... I've been walking a lot in the past two weeks. Aiming for three walks a day, plus a workout tape or a treadmill jog. Not seeing much of a difference... still 188. I dragged out my small summer clothes, though. Wishful thinking I guess.

Hi Wabby and Sugar P!

I have to go... still have work to do tonight.

Ciao!
Cherry

Kiwi, we had a similar experience. DS was automatically enrolled in a keyboarding class. I called the guidance counselor who's not entirely lazy and thick, but who is supposed to deal with 9th graders, and she said he could take something else since he already types with all his fingers. But to get the schedule worked out, I had to call the lazy, thick one (LTO).

I called LTO and said he'd be away much of the summer. Should we set up an appointment now to talk about his schedule?

She said "no" she'd just mail it out.

"Then we'll call you and change it?," I said very pleasantly.

Her tone got a bit harsh and she said, "I hope you don't want to change it."

"Oh yes," I purred. "We want to change several things about it." and I started with keyboarding.

She said about 6-8 times "Keyboarding is a school requirement."

Finally, I said "Who has the authority to waive this requiement?" and she suggested I could talk to the principal if I wanted. By the time I called him, she was in his office. He called me back and SAID "Peaches, we can do just about anything you want to do."

DS is skipping keyboarding for probably an equally dumb class on using EXCEL Powerpoint and other stuff like that. He will get out of p.e. in the gym and take something online about health. He has the options of taking the online courses (AP sometimes) instead of being in the classroom and he may take classes free at the local college except they'd have to be at night.

He came back last night. Had a good time with his dad but told me poignantly that in the airport they had about 10 metal detectors for passengers to pass through. He was unaccustomed to seeing that many and was looking for a tray for his stuff like they do here. He was being slow. The last words he heard his dad say were "What's wrong with you?"

Wabby, I bought that magazine with the cover story about the girls in your town who were taken. I wonder it it's the same guy who took the Utah one. So scary. And I think you should take your belt off and chase those young'uns around the house a few times.

Peaches, that made my heart ache. Poor DS to have to put up with an insensitive oaf for a Dad. The question should be what's wrong with him (Dad)????

This is a scary world where kids can be snatched right out of their own homes. I have a feeling that this is a different perpetrator, than the local case here, though. I don't know why, I just feel like the girls here were taken by someone who had gained their trust, and that they knew.

I didn't whup those kids, but DS can't bring the GF over to our house for the rest of the weekend. I'm really enjoying the break.

Cherry, you gotta hand it to us - we just keep on trying, I always feel like housework is like trying to string beads with no knot on the end. And it's so durn perpetual. Just goes on forever.

school officials wouldn't have anything at all to do. DD described the guidance counselor that has a No for every question as someone who memorized the Guidance Counselor Book but didn't learn anything else (like how to solve problems). Nice, but ineffective. Today was the 8th grade awards ceremony, and one of the things I found out was that said GC will be this class's advisor right through senior year! With her Can't Do mentality, it might be a struggle. Although I found it quite easy to go over her head...

So, my little dear was an academic hot shot today. There were other kids who got more awards in different areas, but no one who exceeded her brain work -- She got a book award for honors in Social Studies, a plaque for Highest Honors (only one other kid got that), and Ta-Da--the President's Award. Also certs for participation in band and chorus. And a mention for being 2nd in the state in her early SAT thingie last year. Good girl.

Just had to brag. Now off to dance recital. Tata

Kiwi