Saturday, July 31, 2004

Outside today

I was outside today in the garden and took a picture of one of Brook's sunflowers. When I downloaded it I was amazed at what I saw. Does that stem look blue to you and hairy?

When speaking to children

When speaking to your children,

say what you mean,

mean what you say,

but don't be mean when you say it.

Worth a visit

There is a journal I have been reading that I really enjoy. It is called Dad'sTomatoGardenJournal . It is written by a man that lives in Tennessee. It is not all about tomatoes or even his garden. There is not a lot of politicial talk or sports talk. Just about everytime I go there I leave it with good thoughts.

As promised

Here it is my new haircut. They cut 11 inches off this time. My ponytail was donated to Locks of Love . This is the second time I have donated my hair to them. The first time was almost 2 years ago when I donated 22 inches. Brook donated 14 inches earlier this year. It was her first haircut and that was what she wanted to do. So here it is, my new hair!

Pimping

Want to see First entries of a whole lot of journals? Well this is the place to go to. AOL First Year Hall of FAme In honor of AOL first year Pam has put this together. The only requirement to get your first entry listed is to register your journal in her directory and to give her permission to use it. I have 2 entries there =) HERE AND HERE . Alot of great journals there. I think I will skip over there and see who I want to go visit!

 

Friday, July 30, 2004

The meaning of success

"To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others; to leave the world a little better; whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is the meaning of success."


-Ralph Waldo Emerson

All things new

New clothes, new shoes, new haircut, new stuff, new teacher, all things new this year for first grade. Brook is so excited about school. We bought a few new outfits, not a lot because the cold weather clothes were not out yet. The best thing of all is new haircut! I got one too. (More on that later after a new picture is taken.)

The picture does not do her justice. After resizing they seem to lose a bit of something. I may start uploading the picture before resizing. Takes longer but may be worth the wait.

Yesterday was good

Yesterday was a great day! Cleaned house in the morning and did laundry. Pat decided that he was not goingto work ( it was his day off after all ). We just fiddlesd around the house, played a few games, generally just goofed off. We then went to Tae Kwon Do. Brook is having a ball with it. Unfortunatly this would be the time she gets hurt. She gets her nose bopped. She is okay it was really nothing. Sure it was sore but it was really no big deal. She did not cry just kept rubbing it. Of course after the class was over she ran  to her Papaw's arms. He feels that she is too young to do this. I feel that she is the perfect age to start doing this. So we disagree of this. ( I win LOL). After that was all over with we stopped at the Dairy Dip and got some ice cream. Next on  to the school for open house. I filled out some forms and met Brook's new teacher.  School starts Monday. All in all in was a realy great day! No argumenets, no fussing with Brook, just a good time doing ordinary things.

My float

Okay my float! Don't laugh. I can draw WITH A PENCIL!! LOL

Yesterday's entry posted today

Woke up thus morning at 6am without the alarm clock. I love getting up at this time. It is so quiet outside. Working on getting myself ready for when Brook goes back to school. She starts Monday and she has to be up by that time so she can be ready in time for the bus.

On Monday school starts. I will start my walking again after the bus picks up Brook. The mornings are cool and I can do it without overheating. I like walking and I have missed it. I let myself become lazy. I allowed the excuse of it being hot to stop me. No excuse, just lazy.

Yesterday I went to see an surgeon about a growth I have on my eyelid. It is something that has come up in the past couple of months. He said that from the looks it is a basal cell skin cancer. That is not the bad kind. Basically what that means is I have an overgrowth of basal cells. He is going to remove it in his office on August 25th. I have another that is in the corner of the same eye. He said that he can remove it but would rather have an eye doctor do it. I will be going by the doctor’s office today and will tell them so they can set up an appointment for me. It is not vain. If it was vain I would have ALL the moles removed from my face. I do have a number of them.

Time to wake up the little one and take the garbage out to the front. LOL I also need to let in whoever is beating my door down.

Wednesday, July 28, 2004

Something to share

This is an poem that I recieved and I wanted to share it with you. Right before I read this I was thinking about the very things it is talking about. My life is good.

 

Drinking from my saucer

I've never made a fortune, and it's probably too late now.
But I don't worry about that much, I'm happy anyhow.

And as I go along life's way,
I'm reaping better than I sowed.
I'm drinking from my saucer,
'Cause my cup has overflowed.

Haven't got a lot of riches,
and sometimes the going's tough.
But I've got loving ones all around me,
and that makes me rich enough.

I thank God for his blessings,
and the mercies He's bestowed.
I'm drinking from my saucer,
'Cause my cup has overflowed.

I remember times when things went wrong,
My faith wore somewhat thin.
But all at once the dark clouds broke,
and the sun peeped through again.

So Lord, help me not to gripe,
about the tough rows I have hoed.
I'm drinking from my saucer,
'Cause my cup has overflowed.

If God gives me strength and courage,
When the way grows steep and rough.
I'll not ask for other blessings,
I'm already blessed enough.

And may I never be too busy,
to help others bear their loads.
Then I'll keep drinking from my saucer,
'Cause my cup has overflowed.

When I think of how many people
in this world have it worse than I do.
I realize just how lucky most of us really are.



Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures

To all my friends

To all my friends in J-land, I give this to you.

 

Tuesday, July 27, 2004

=(

I have been waiting 20 years to play Canasta with someone. Today POGO released a Canasta game. No one would play with me.

 =(

Soup's on

It has been raining off and on all day today. It has stayed cool but humid. Right now it is almost 4pm and is only 79 degrees. I wish it would stay this temperature. The sun keeps peeking out from behind the clouds, soon it will become July again! LOL

I got up this morning and decided that this was the perfect day for making soup. So out came the crockpot and the cutting board. I had made a roast earlier this week in the crockpot so I had tender beef to put in the soup. Then I started looking in the fridge and pulling stuff out. That stuff went in 1 of 3 places, crockpot, dog dish or garbage. Then to the freezer because the pot was not full yet. In the freezer I found a few things that had like 1/2 cup of stuff in it, so into the pot. I diced several tomatoes from the garden and put them in. So let's see what all is in it.... beef, green peas, white corn, red potatoes, celery, onion, brussel sprouts,yellow corn, lima beans, green beans, carrots, tomatoes, garlic, crowder peas, basil, orgengo and a bay leaf. My house smells so good now!! A pan of cornbread and I am good to go! Yes, you read it right, no salt, no pepper.                                                 

Hummm. I think I will get started on that cornbread ( made with skim milk).

 

The speeches last night.

Last night I was listening to the speeches give by the Clintons at the Democratic. National Convention. Very powerful speeches. Both Clintons are good speakers. I can picture Hillary running for President some day. I am not a party liner. I have voted for Democrats, Republicians, and Independents. I try to vote for the person. Yes I know that they go with what the party says but not always. They are not all clones of each other. Unfortunately,  the choices are usually which of the candidates is the lesser of two evils. Sometimes there is not a clear cut choice. Don't laugh but in those cases I have been known to toss a coin.

All I have to say is get out there and vote when it is time. It is my opinion that if you do not vote then you should not complain about how the government is ran.

Monday, July 26, 2004

A Thought For Parents!

A Thought For Parents!

We, as parents, should pay close attention to how we raise our children, as they are a reflection of ourselves!

Shopping

Yesterday we went shopping. Yep that's right, to Walmart. It is time to buy school supplies. Brook starts back to school Monday and she is excited about it. So very carefully she picked out all her supplies. Went thru several boxes of Kleenix just to find the right boxes for school. Picked thru the folders and finally decided on which 2 she wanted. 30 minutes was spent on picking out a backpack. She decided on a Lil Bratz backpack. Sometime this week we will go shopping for some new clothes. Probally this weekend. Georgia is having a tax free weekend to help offset the cost of school stuff. We only have a 7% tax rate but I will tell you this... every penny helps. Of course the people in TN will come across stateline to shop. They pay 10 cents in Chattanooga for sales tax.

I don't know which of these 2 had the most fun.

 

Today has been a day. LOL.  My hunny got up apoligizing to me. He was out of sorts yesterday due to a problem at work. I took it in stride. It is nothing new. As a matter of fact I did not think he was bad at all. He worrys about the bills and that always puts him on edge. I try to reassure him. I know that if he left his job and went somewhere else that we would be okay. He is afraid to. He won't admit it though. This job has him so unhappy. It really puts a strain on our relationship. I have encouraged him to look for another job. I will be honest... it scares the hell out of me to think of him without a job. I know that I cannot make enough money to pay our bills and eat. I used to be able to when I was working in respiratory. I made twice as much as him. The mental strain was more than I could take. It is a hard job for someone that gets emotionally involved. I should have never left retail work. That is the only job I will ever do again.

So anyway I fixed him breakfast and he decided to ride his horse. I encouraged him to do so . He usually feels better after he does that. I figured that I would get on the computer while he did that. I did not get to stay on very long. We had a couple of visitors to the farm. Unwelcomed visitors. 2 dogs, one of which was a puppy came up to the house. Stinker, Brook's dog was thrilled to see them. Crystal, Pat's horse was not happy to see them. She does not like dogs. Susie, our own she-cat from hell, was VERY UNHAPPY! She proceeded to whip up on all 3 dogs. You would have thought WW3 had broke out in my front yard.  All 5 pounds of Susie was tearing those dogs up! They did not know what had hit them. She is spitting and yowling, brook is screaming and crying, Belle is tearing the ground up with her hooves, dogs are yelping and the poor puppy is crying so hard and loud that Pat came flying up on Crystal! He jumps off the hose and goes running up to Brook wanting to know what was wrong with his baby! She is crying Susie. He thought that Brook had gotten hurt by Susie. He is saying where is she I will kill her and is asking Brook where she is hurt. It was a mess. Susie used to attack Brook everytime Brook would walk by her that was the cause of Pat's responce. Anyway I got the mop out and got Susie off the puppy before it got hurt anymore by her. I then put her in the house. Everything finally got all settled down. I do not know where the dogs arenow. Probally still out there.

I hate when someone just dumps animals off. They think that because it is a farm that sure we can take care of them. Well excuse me we buy our food just like you do. We have to get them shots and stuff just like you do (or like you are supposed to do) Most of the time these dogs end up being shot by someone or killed by a car or picked up by the dog catcher if someone calls them out. They are rarely taken in by anyone. We have a kill shelter. No animals are left in there over the weekend. I hate for an animal to go there but it is better than the alternative. Have you ever seen a dog that has starved to death? I have. I have seen bags of puppies and kittens thrown off on the side of the road or in a creek. And they were alive when they were put in the bag. Sorry I am rambling.

After that I got Pat off to work and Brook and I got ready for Tae Kwon Do. She is doing well, I think. I hoe hat she continues to want this because I have signed a year contract.

 

My snack. Bing cherries dipped in sour cream then dipped in black cherry jello powder. I know it is not exactly whatsomeone trying to lose weight should eat but I only get this once or twice a year. I am using the light sour cream.

Sunday, July 25, 2004

  "Unless we think of others and do something for them, we miss
      one of the greatest sources of happiness."
      By:  Ray Lyman Wilbur

Saturday, July 24, 2004

The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity.

The optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.

Looking out my window

I took a look out my window and someone was looking in! Not a Peeking Tom but a Peeking Belle! I opened  up and gave her a treat.

See the pink on her nose? White horses get sunburnt! After Pat gets home I will put some sunscreen on her. She does not like it so Pat has to hold her.

This mornings view

Someone was hard at work last night!!!!

 

 

Doctor called

My doctor just called. She had the results for the MRI already. The MRI showed no bleeds or cysts or tumors. It was iffy on the vestibular membrane rupture. So Monday she is going to set me up an appointment with an ENT doctor. She wants to make sure that Meniere's is not missed if that is what it is. I have a history of dizziness. With any luck it will just be bad sinuses that can be fixed.

Friday, July 23, 2004

My computer buddy

This is pup-pup or putt-putt I am not sure LOL. Brook named him. He is a sweetie pie. Hard to believe he comes from a she-devil. He crawled up in my lap and kept going, then laid down and went to sleep. LOL He knows where the soft places are!

 

View from my window

Window view  while sitting at computer

Thursday, July 22, 2004

MRI

I went for my MRI this morning. I will find out the results next week. I have a headache from it. It was the open view kind. It would not have mattered to me if it was the closed one. I do not get scared of close in places. It was so cold and noisy. I had to lay there for 20 minutes not moving at all then I get stuck with a needle and given contrast and then lay there for another 20 minutes without moving. I hope I do not have to repeat that anytime soon.

Wednesday, July 21, 2004

   I have a horse in my backyard. LOL the good thing is I do not have to mow my back yard!LOLOLOL Save on gas. Belle is now in my backyard. With everything that is going on it is impossible to keep her in her stall and let her out to graze. So today we put up a temporary fence  in the backyard. She has plenty of room , lots of grass ( I have not cut the back in a couple of weeks ) water and shade. As for shelter she can go under the carport or in the haybarn. I can put up with shoveling poop up out of my backyard for a while.

   So anyway she has discovered the window. It is right beside my computer. I wish I had my camera turned on when she was there looking in. She has to raise her head up because the window is higher than she is LOL. I opened the window and fed her some carrots. She is not real happy because she is by herself. i hope she stays and does not jump or go thru the fence.

I went to my doctor this morning. She has me set up for an MRI in the morning. These early days are killing Pat. He is not getting enough sleep. I will keep everyone posted when I find out what is going on. She is hoping that it is only fluid in my ears and not Meniere's Disease or a stroke. The MRI will shaow what we need to know. I have lost 2 pounds since last week so that is good news LOL. I am down to 171. I was 200 at Christmas. Wanna know how I did it? Nope no fancy diet just quit eatting seconds and thirds.

Tuesday, July 20, 2004

Last night and now today

Yesterday started as a very uneventful day but it sure did not end that way!

Brook and I left for her tae kwon do class and on the way we saw my friend K. Well we stoppd and chatted for a few minutes the country way. Don't know what the country way is? Well it is where you stop in the road one car one way the other the other way and roll down windows and talk. You don't move sometimes until a car comes up behind you! Any way she asked that I come over after Brook's class and we go eat.

Every thing was going just fine. The class is growing and the Master had some help, a red belt and a black belt. 2 very talented boys with a world of patience to deal with these young children. brook broke her second bord with her hand and it only took 2 tried this time. Her form improves everytime she attends class. She is asking to go to open class on the other 2 days a week that she does not have a class. I may take her in the future but not now.

After class we go to K's house and then leave from there to go to Don Lolo's for dinner. The food ther is good. We enjoy eatting there. I had Chili Colorado. fter dinner I had to go potty. Well I get in there and my world turned upside down! Literally! I am just sitting there and BAM everything goes to spinning, I am having pain in my chest and gut. The world is getting brighter and brighter. Everything is turning white and glaring. Then it disapperars. I am in a cold sweat and can feel that I am white as a ghost. I catch my breath and go back to the table. People are looking at me funny, a cop walks by and looks at me but continues on. I sit back at the table and BAM it hits again. Only this time I do not pass out. I feel like I am going to be sick and go to pottyroom again. This time I get violently sick. I canot remember the last time that happened to me. I thought okay I will be better now. I just ate too much. Then out I went again. I think the black outs only lasted a few seconds but I really do not know. I had no watch on and no one else was in there. I finally get the bill paid and we leave. Back at the apartment I passed out again. I am sitting still when this happens. Well K decided that she was taking me to hospital no matter what I said. Monday night in the ER what a wonderful place to be. It was crowded. Mostly with people that should have gone to Doctor in the morning. (I used to work in ER so yes I do know that.) Afyrt a little over 2 hours I finally got back there. I almost went home but like I said I have worked there before and I knew that my symptoms were a possible stroke and /or heart attack. I know you are saying but you are only 45. I remember 1 night in ER we had 2 fatal heart attack victims both of whom were 42! After blood work and an EKG I was sent for a CT scan. The blood work did show a few things but nothing surprising. My blood test for heart attack actually showd that I had some cardiac enzymes but not enough to warrent further testing. The EKG showed a mild RBBB. Nothing serious. The CT scan did not show any large bleeds. It was inconclusive for small bleed. ( They did not know that I knew how to read a chart and left it in my room. ) The Doc gave me a diagnose of vertigo. He said possibly caused by fluid in ear but he feels that it may be more than just that. One of the reason that they checked so strongly on the stroke and heart attack is earlier in the week I had jaw pain and that goes along with heart attacks. And Sunday I had a severe case of tremors in both hands that would not stop. It lasted for more that an hour. This along with occasional numbness for no reason  are signs of a stroke or an impending stroke.

So anyway after getting home at 2 am I am tired. I got up this morning feeling all woozy and wiped out from that pill I was given last night. There is still some spinning if I move my head too fast and overall I fell like a newborn kitten, weak. I have an appointment with my regular Doc in the morning and we will discuss what needs to be done and if other tests are needed.

I AM TOO YOUNG TO FALL APART!!!!!!!

My hunny has been so wonderful. He would not even let me go to the bathroom by myself! Thank goodness he has left for work!!! LOL

Saturday, July 17, 2004

And the weekend starts

I guess today will be a busy day. I have to go buy some fence posts and more electric wire. We will be putting up a new fence. Just a small one about 6 foot high. I am going to make a small corral for Belle. She has decided to jump the fence again . We locked her in the barn and maybe one minute after we let her out she jumped the fence. Every time we put her back in the pasture she goes right to the fence and over she goes. I have thought about hobbling her but what if she tries to jump while hobbled? She could possibly cause herself serious injury. I am so frustrated with this.

While I am out I will go see my daughter. I need to take her some inserts for her shoe. It is the only thing I am allowed to bring her. They are required to buy what hey need from the jail store. A travel size bottle size of shampoo is $2.50. Since they do not have inserts and she needs them because of having one leg shorter, I am allowed to take her some. Brook enjoys these visits. She will be home September 29th to start the next chapter in her life.

Time to get busy. See everyone later. Have a wonderful weekend!

Friday, July 16, 2004

Happiness

Happiness can be thought, sought or caught, but never bought: the best way to keep happiness is to share it.

ATTACK!!

Attack of the killer kittens!

I took this last night before putting them out for the night. Have no fear, the trash basket has been killed!

Warning to dog owners

I was reading my mail this morning and in it was a letter from the ASPCA. It contained a warning to dog owners about the dangers of eatting grapes and raisins. I never knew about this. I knew that they should not have chocolate and of course anti-freeze is not the prefered drink for them. But grapes? WOW! Here is the link to the story. Dogs and The Grapes of Wrath This study was just about dogs. It is possible that maybe grapes and raisins will do the same thing to cats and other animals. They do not say that in the story, it is just a thought that I had. Just to be on the safe side no grapes for any of my animals!

Thursday, July 15, 2004

Early day today. Had to take the garbage out to the road this morning then off to the store to do my grocery shopping. I hate spending money on groceries. Everything has gone up so much. After I got back I saddled up Crystal for Pat. He had to go get the runaway again. I don't know what I am going to do with her. This is 2 days in a row. Oh well. Hopefully she will stay for a while now. Eyeore is back and she likes him.  Precious, poor thing always has a fit when Crystal leaves. I think she suffers from separation anxiety now. She calls for her the whole time that Crystal is gone. This never happened before the incident with the stud. She was tearing the field up with her running and calling. I hate seeing her so torn up. I wish I had one of those American or English saddle so I could have ridden her too. I am going to see is I can't find a bareback pad so I can ride her some. The place on her back is still puffed out so I cannot put my saddle on her. I miss riding her.

A mistake only becomes a failure when you repeat it.

Wednesday, July 14, 2004

A poem by Lao Tzu

We join spokes together in a wheel,

but it is the center hole

that makes the wagon move.

We shape clay into a pot,

but it is the emptiness inside

that holds whatever we want.

We hammer wood for a house,

but it is the inner space

that makes it livable.

We work with being,

but non-being is what we use.

25 SIGNS THAT YOU'VE GROWN UP

 1. Your house plants are alive, and you can't smoke any of them.     2. Having sex in a twin bed is out of the question.     3. You keep more food than beer in the fridge.     4. 6:00 AM is when you get up, not when you go to bed.     5. You hear your favorite song on an elevator.     6. You watch the Weather Channel.     7. Your friends marry and divorce instead of hook up and break up.     8. You go from 130 days of vacation time to 14.     9. Jeans and a sweater no longer qualify as "dressed up."     10. You're the one calling the police because those damn kids next door   won't turn down the stereo.     11. Older relatives feel comfortable telling sex jokes around you.     12. You don't know what time Taco Bell closes anymore.     13. Your car insurance goes down and your payments go up.     14. You feed your dog Science Diet instead of McDonalds leftovers.     15. Sleeping on the couch makes your back hurt.     16. You no longer take naps from noon to 6 PM.     17. Dinner and a movie is the whole date instead of the beginning of   one.     18. Eating a basket of chicken wings at 3 AM would severely upset,   rather than settle your stomach.     19. You go to the drug store for ibuprofen and antacid, not condoms and   pregnancy tests.     20. A $4.00 bottle of wine is no longer "pretty good stuff."     21. You actually eat breakfast food at breakfast time.     22. "I just can't drink the way I used to," replaces, "I'm never going   to drink that much again."     23. 90% of the time you spend in front of a computer is for real work.     24. You drink at home to save money before going to a bar.     25. You read this entire list looking desperately for just one sign that   doesn't apply to you..........and can't find a single one to save your   sorry old ass.     PEOPLE MAY NOT REMEMBER EXACTLY WHAT 'YOU DID, OR WHAT YOU SAID,     ~BUT ~ THEY WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER HOW YOU MADE THEM FEEL.  
 

I went to visit my daughter last night. She is really looking forward to coming home. She does know that the job market will be scarse. There are not a lot of places that will hire a convicted felon especially one that has a drug conviction. She is being realistic about that. She is required to have a job or go to school. DUH>>> in order to go to school she will have to have a job. I feel sorry about the mess she has made in her life. I will do what I can to help her. She is my daughter and I love her. The way the system is set up there is no wonder so many end up back in jail. They tell you okay now you have to get a job, maintaine your family nad come see me every week and pay me some money for seeing me. O yea and the fine has to be paid too. Now lets see well that is $133 a week. And by the way you do not get any help, you are totally on your own. Now how does that work out? Get paid minimum wage after taxes you bring home $145. Sure they can afford an apartment for $12 a week and buy food and take tha baby to the doctor and pay child care. Luckily my daughter has a home to come to but what about those that do not? What happens to them? Back to a life that will pay them and then back to jail. Sad.

Today is too hot. It reached 103 awhile ago. It just had to do it when I was outside. It felt so good out so I decided to walk to the back field. That was not smart. By the time I got back to the house sweat was pouring off of me.I came inside and cooled off. Signed on and the temp said 103!!! I tell you what I think I better check the weather before I do that again! It is down to 98 and we are now under a severe thunderstorm watch. We were hit with one last night, no rain just high winds. We had stuff all over the yard. Limbs broke off of trees and were on the road when Pat came home from work last night. He said a couple times he had one go flying in front of him. Some how I managed to sleep thru it all. Thank goodness. I hate certain type of storms. You know the kind that can make you realize that this isn't Kanas no more. Except in my case it would be Georgia.

Tuesday, July 13, 2004

The Secret of Success

Key to Success is only one. “Be honest to yourself.”

Monday, July 12, 2004

So far today...

So far... today has been good. This morning I went out in the garden and picked some pesa and beans and corn!! I love it when I pick corn. I get itchy from walking in the corn rows and of course I get bugs all over me. I really DO like picking the corn. I don,t know how many we hucked this morning. I have it all put up in the freezer. This fall and winter we will enjoy those ears of corn. It always brings back memories of my garden. And the taste is far superior to the so called fresh corn you will get in the store come winter time.

You know I really do need to get busy. I have a bit of a lazy streak. I just realized that doing the corn is almost all I have done today. It did take about 3 hours to do though. wait a minute I did do something else. I made fresh blueberry pancakes to eat for breakfast. And washed dishes. And I helped a friend long distance over the phone fix her computer.

 And now it is almost time to take Brook to her tae kwon do classes.

Here are some pictures of the first bucket of corn I picked this morning.

Weekend

As far as weekends go it was okay. Saturday was a fairly lazy day as I had an earache and was getting dizzy when I turned my head. Sunday was much the same.

Pat asked me if I would like a wine cooler and the idea really sounded good. I have not had one in several years. Georgia does not have alcohol takeout sales on Sundays so we had to drive to Chattanooga. Right after we got back we picked corn and husked it. Talk about working up a sweat! It was hot! We only got 2 dozen ears put up last night. Afterwards we drink a couple of coolers and well..... I was tipsy! It sure does not take much! The rest of the evening was spent watching TV.

Saturday, July 10, 2004

"Character cannot be developed in peace and quiet. Only through experiences of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, vision be cleared, ambition insured and success achieved."

... Helen Keller ...

Weekend assignment #14

Weekend Assignment  #14: Write a haiku about your most cherished snack food or carbonated beverage

My favorite all time snack food is not something most people consider a snack.But it is for me!!!!  

 

 Frosty fall nights

Cinnamon and orange shells

 Pumpkin pie, oh my!

Friday, July 9, 2004

McDonalds

Have you heard the news? McDonald's sued over it's french fries. It is a crock in my opinion. They did not change thier cooking oil enough to suit this one woman so she sues. The oil has transfat in it. So what. Yes, I know it is not good for you. What right does she have to tell them how to cook? They switched from peanut oil as did a lot of other places because of the possibly of someone having a fatal allergic reaction. They do not hide the fact that there is transfat in the food. IF YOU DON"T WANT TO EAT THEM THEN DON"T!!!!

Come on now. Be responsible for yourself. No one makes you eat what you eat. You open your mouth and you place your order. If you do not want to eat transfat then do not order food that has it in it. I wonder....if I was to look in this ladie's fridge woukd I find all healthy foods?

Thursday, July 8, 2004

Full day

I got up early this morning and got right to work. First thing I did was take the garbage out. This is not a simple walk to the curb this is over 1/8 of a mile dragging an over 4 foot high 2 foot wide can down an unlevel partly graveled driveway, through a puddle that is about 8 inches deep today. The walk is over a quarter of a mile. Now that is easy except when dragging that can!

Next I started some laundry and cooked breakfast. After breakfast I went out in the garden and pulled weeds and picked some tomatoes. They are not doing good. Too much water. The corn is ready to pick but not today. After I did that for about an hour or so I wwent and got Precious out. I brushed her down and then sprayed her for flies. I then took her and placed her in the back field. That did not make her happy. She does not like being separated from the other horses. It is neccessary to do so. The front field does not have enough grass to allow all 3 horses to graze it all the time. And.... since Belle will not stay in a field by herself we have to remove a horse everyday to the back section. When the donkey was here we could place 2 horses back there. we cannot put Belle back there at all because she will get out. She can get out where she is when she wants. It just is not as easy as it is in the back. Plus we can keep an eye on her in the front.

 We fiddle farted around a little more outside. Then I went and filled the truck up with gas and I also filled up a coupkle of cans. When I got back Pat played games and I folded laundry while watching tv. It is just about the only time I watch anymore. Then I fixed lunch and Pat's dinner and off we both went.

I went to my friend's house and set up her computer for her. That is an ordeal. She has way to many wires and gizmos on her computer. She uses none of it. She has used the scanner maybe twice in 4 years. She won't use the printer because ink costs too much, the speakers are always turned off, the webcam has never been turned on and the mic never used. The only thing she uses regularly is the digital camera. I just keep putting it together for her. everytime she moves it, I am the one that puts it together. After that off to tae kwon do for Brook. After that Walmart for groceries then home again.

Dinner and now I finally get to go online!!! And where do I go to first? My mailbox! Everybody wrote today I do believe. I had 74 AOL Alerts on journals today. LOL.

I hope everyone has a good evening, or rather night now LOL. I am off to POGO.

 

Wednesday, July 7, 2004

Belle got loose

Belle got loose during the night. We had a storm and I guess she got scared. Pat went and got her again today. Eyeore the donkey was nowhere to be found. I supposed he went home. I just do not understand why that little hussy will not stay home. I posted some flyers on her in the feed store and tack store. Hopefully someone will want her and can give her what she needs.

Reminds me of my daughter. I was never able to satisfy her needs or wants. She went her own headstrong way and to hell with the rest of the world, especially me. She ended up learning, at least I hope she learned, the hard way. i am hoping that Belle does not end up learning the hard way. It would ruin her. She has such high spirits. I pray that whoever gets her does not destroy them.

My sister's day

Today is my sister's birthday. She turns 50.  I am proud of my sister. She has done a good job of raising my niece. She has stayed married for 24 years now in spite of all the ups and downs. She was the main caretaker of our mother while she was alive. She is a strong woman.I sent her a balloon and cup bouquet. We have never done anything for each other's birthday but I just felt the need to do it.We do not have the best relationship but I do love her. I would love for my family to be close. I love each and everyone of them.

Keep your words soft and sweet.......You may eat them some day.

Monday, July 5, 2004

The day after

Today I fixed my ribs. Had to do them in the oven as the grill was out of gas. I put them on at 9 this morning. then started getting the house ready for company. LOL they got here wayyyyyy before I was ready. Oh well. I am a messy cook and a messy housekeeper. But I sure can cook up a storm!!! Don't get me wrong, I can clean house. I used to do it for a living at one time in my life. I hate it though. I had a good talk and visit. It was my hunny's cousin and her husband and kids from Flordia. She calls him uncle. The kids played with the donkey and dog and cats. Pat saddled up Crystal and let them ride her.

After they left Pat went to get his mother. I put dinner on the table and left to take Brook to her Twa Kwon Do. It seems that I No matter what I do something gets screwed up when I have her for dinner. Luckily dinner was ready when she walked in the door. LOL and I walked out the door. After we got back Brook and I ate and then we cut up the watermelon. It was soooo good, sweet and juicy! Pat was feeding me pieces that he picked the seeds out of them. That man can be so sweet sometimes.

Now the day is over and all is quiet. Pat left to take her mother home, Brook is in bed and I am here. Just me and my shadow and all these kittens climbing over my feet.

Sunday, July 4, 2004

4th of July

Today is the 4th of July. It has been a wonderful day. We got up this morning and I cooked breakfast. I then started on fixing dinner. Well I never did cook it. My hunny said how about we go fishing!? So I said sure! We loaded up, dug some worms from out of the barn and then headed to Walmart to get some crickets. Then he said why don't we stop at Kentucky Fried Chicken and get a bucket then you won't have to cook.

So off we went to a picnic and a day of fishing. it was so hot!!! The fish were not biting and we were sweating!

We were so happy to head home. It was a relief to get in the cool! But you know what, it was so nice to just get away with my family.

I hope everybody had a happy fourth!

Saturday, July 3, 2004

First Year!!

 Celebrating 1 year Aol Journals! Pass the torch on in celebration!

 If you'd like to help pass it through AOL-J Land, please just copy and paste it into your journal (don't go through the bother of putting it in your FTP space --unless you want to do that).

If you do put the torch in your journal (whether it be in an entry or in a sidebar). Please click here  to email me the URL of your journal and where you're located (as much information as you're comfortable with giving ...city, state, country) so we can keep track of where the torch has been."


Fireworks

 

Last night we went to see our hometown fireworks. The town always puts them on on Friday night before the 4th of July. I tried out my new camera and took pictures. They came out alright. I have one problem though. The movie I took was saved as a .MOV file and it only plays on Quicktime. If anyone knows anyway that I can fix it so that I can play it in another media please let me know.

Thursday, July 1, 2004

Yesterday

Yesterday was a full day. First thing I did was take Brook to her friends house for a sleepover. She lives about 20 minutes away. After getting home I went out to the horses. Belle was missing. Craps!!

Inside I went and woke up Pat. We got Crystal out and saddled her up to go get Belle. Pat rode to the back fence, I drove the truck. We have made a temporary gate on the fence for just this purpose. I waited at the fence while he rode to find Belle. I was looking through the binoculars and spotted them coming back. Belle was trailing along behind Crystal then tried cutting her off.

She was not alone. She brought her friend with her, Eyeore.

We got her home and locked her up in the barn while I worked on the fence. I put electric wire at the 5 foot mark hoping that will keep her in. I wasjust getting it tied in to the other hot wire when a commotion arose. Precious and Crystal were chasing that poor little donkey. Belle was having a fit in the barn! She was hollaring and kicking. She then tried to jump through the door opening at top. pat ran over there and let her out before she hurt herself. The donkey was running towards the gate with the other horses behind him, Belle was heading straight to him at a dead run. i hollared at Pat to plug in the fence! He ran to it and hooked it up just as Belle reached the short space between Eyeore and Crystal. The donkey kept running throught the gate. He is just short enough to go under it. Belle spun around to keep from hitting the gate. She stayed there between Eyeore and the other horses. She wanted on the other side so bad. She kept smelling the fence but would not touch it. Eyeore was calling her but she did not follow. He came back in the field and stayed right next to Belle.

 I thought that is enough for today, well........ not so.

I went down to my friend's house after Pat left for work to help her finish up the packing. Her ex figured he would ride around on his tractor and watch us. He rode around in a circle for about 30 minutes, mowing the same spot over and over again. He does it that way and the police will not do a thing even though he is in violation of retraining order. He is able to get away with it if he is doing "work". HA! we got all that done and she needed to go into bathroom. The door was locked. So I proceeded to take the knob off as it was to tight a fit to jimmy the latch. Afterwards she asked me if there was anything that I could not do. LOL. I know there are things I cannot do but when it comes to a lot of things I can figure out what to do. Comes out of neccessity. I can wire a house for electicity or a phone. I can fix a toliet or replace one if needed. I can install locks and knobs, lay tile and remove wallpaper. I can repair holes in the walls and lay pipes for plumbing. I can put in fence poles and string barbwire. Change the oil and replace a starter. Shoot I do not know what all I can do. I had to learn.

So I go home and hop on the computer. LOL After all I am alone and can do what I want. Well I had just gotten into playing a game when the phone rang. It was Brook. She was crying, her head hurt and wanted to come home. I spoke to Sara and told her that I would be there as soon as I could. I have a certain degree of nightblindness so I was going to have to drive SLOW!! This was at 10 pm.

Was this the end of my exciting day? NO!!! I picked her up and we were on our way home when the acelerator got stuck on the van! Now that was scary! I am on a road that I do not know very well and the van is moving faster. It finally eased off and we made it home safely. We got back at 11:30.

I went to bed!!