Spring is here (at least it feels like it today). I saw the woman that lives in the house behind me today. She was outside for the first time I've seen her all winter. You remember her. The dog hater. The mean woman.

She's still mean. She was standing on her deck this afternoon talking to someone in a neighbor's yard (loudly) about the fence and the property line and having a surveyor come out. I couldn't catch if she was taking about our fence or hers, or if she was talking about getting a survey now or when we put up our fence. But it doesn't matter. If she is still upset about the fence after all these months, or if she still thinks we encroached on her property, I'm not sure what she hopes to gain by it.

At first I started to get really upset, but then I just realized there is absolutely nothing I can do to change her opinion of me or make her be nice. I have never in my life had to struggle so hard against negative feelings toward someone. I betcha my blood pressure goes up every time I see her. I have no desire to be nice in any way to her, which, really, is not in my nature. I'm normally not hateful toward anyone. So, once again, I need to put it aside and not let her have this power over me. Who knows. Maybe some day I'll be able to see her without such a strong rush of emotion. But like Joe says, "She's old, honey. You'll outlive her." Then, I win. =)

The Beautiful People

I'm watching CSI Miami. The opening segment is showing a busy upscale hotel, and there are only beautiful women wearing mini-skirts and high heels, and well dressed handsome men hurrying through; everyone obviously has M-O-N-E-Y. Is Miami REALLY like that? Where are the old people? The fat people? The ugly people? If I move to Miami, maybe I too, will morph into one of the Beautiful People. Ha!

Another year has exited into history

Man. I cannot BELIEVE how fast 2008 slipped by.

New Year's Resolution? Perfection, of course. Perfect wife, weight, work ethic, house cleaner, budget master, etc etc. I've already failed and it's only January 3rd. =)

The REAL goals are:

1. Lose 5 pounds a month.
2. Don't say anything critical about others.

Both will be a challenge. I'm not sure which will be harder.

Wish me luck, self control and persistence!

Happy New Year.

Karaoke!

Oh my gosh! My cable company has an "On Demand" feature, and one of the options is a Free Spot with different shows that are free. Tonight I was perusing the Free Spot and I saw KARAOKE! Who can resist? So I pulled it up and found a song I thought I knew, "Survive" and loaded it up. I was a little surprised because there are no background singers or anything like that. You are the ONLY one singing. So I jump in and start singing and the first thing I notice is I can't really sing at all. It was in a key that doesn't work well with my voice. I KID YOU NOT, the dogs went nuts. They both started barking and running around like the house was coming down upon them. It was a little embarrassing and I'm glad no other humans were here. I did try another one, and it was a bit better, but both the dogs still wanted to go outside. In the pouring rain. Deep down inside I am confident that I will never do karaoke in public.

Cooking

Today, I'm cooking lasagna & goulash for meals later in the week. It smells like Italian! Lovely! Tonight I'm trying a new recipe using round steak.

It's a a dreary, rainy day which is perfect for cooking. I wonder if the weather is an effect of Ike?

Labor Day

I know Labor Day is supposed to be a day of rest from labor, but that is far from what my day was like.



Laundry

Changing sheets

Grocery store

Helping Sarah clean the house she's shacked up in

Making homemade ice cream and supper

Working on the budget

Working on work stuff



I didn't even get a nap. Oh woe is me!



Sarah called while I was making the ice cream base. She was sneezing and snuffing. She said she was trying to clean, and it was so dusty her allergies were acting up. Before I really had time to think about it, I asked her if she wanted me to come help her clean. Even as I was saying it, I was thinking, "What am I doing???" And, she gratefully accepted. I've never been there. So, I loaded up cleaning supplies and trotted over. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. It looked about like her room. Eric is a "saver". The number of glass jars, plastic containers, egg cartons, bits and pieces of this and that was remarkable. So, I'm remarking on it. Reminds me of Jon's Grandma Force. Nothing was EVER EVER thrown away if something could be done with it "someday". But at least you can say, "They lived through the Great Depression" and sort of understand it. Eric is just a pack rat. Period. A couple of hours later, the furniture was vacuumed, the floors were vacuumed and everything was dusted. Hopefully Sarah won't be so miserable. Just in case, I gave her some Alavert.

Hope your day was more relaxing....

Good News

I got a letter in the mail yesterday. My blood is free of Babiosis, so it wasn't me that caused the man with the liver transplant to die. What a relief.

Oh what a day

I spent the ENTIRE working day on one file. One. And even now, I'm not done. Tomorrow will be another long day. Oh the working life. I can hardly wait for tomorrow to get here. HA!

Saturday Eliz and the kids and I are going to the Greenwood mall to see Hello Kitty. Sofi is a big fan. Hopefully I'll remember the camera to take pictures & I'll post one or two.

Olympics

Anyone watching the Olympics? Last night I was up until after midnight watching swimming and the men's gymnastics qualifying rounds. Can you BELIEVE the Chinese on the pumel horse, rings and paralel bars? OMG! They are AMAZING to watch!

On a whole different subject, today, for the first time in months, probably, I put in my hearing aids. EVERYTHING is so loud! If it wasn't for the need to hear people I wouldn't wear them. I can live without hearing the clock tick. =)

I may have killed someone UPDATE

I called the blood bank and asked if the results were in yet. She said they had to send the blood off to the CDC for complete testing. I'm not sure if that's good or bad. On the one hand, they'll probably run it for every disease known to man to see if it may have affected that poor man. On the other hand, what if they find something that didn't hurt the guy, but isn't good for me?

The lady said she should know something in a week or two and she promised she would call me with the results either way. As soon as I know I'll pass the news along.

Hummingbirds and other lovely things

We have a hummingbird feeder that is well loved by both the local hummers and me. It's amazing how fast they can eat (drink?) the feeder empty. I make my own syrup which is MUCH cheaper than the store bought mixes, and better for the birds, too. So far, I can tell there are at least 3 different hummers that eat at the feeder. They are a pretty, shimmery color of green. And one ruby throated hummer. They are so pretty and amazing to watch.

Today I was driving down the street and one of my neighbors had a bunch of stuff at the end of her drive with a Free sign. To my joy, she had a medium size Weber grill... Nothing wrong with it at all. I thanked her and trotted home with the grill. I can't wait to make steaks on it. Yes, we have a gas grill. But does anything really rival the taste of charcoal grill flavor? And it's so much easier to use hickory chips and other such flavorings with charcoal grills. So tomorrow we'll celebrate the new find and grill some steaks. YUM!

I may have killed someone

I'm not having the best week. Last week I got a call from the blood center. Apparently TWO YEARS ago I gave blood that was subsequently was given to a guy who had a liver transplant. The guy died because blood he was given was tainted with Babiosis which is mainly passed on by ticks and is similar to Lyme disease. So I live in the Midwest, and who that lives in the Midwest has not at some time in their life been bitten by a tick? Anyway, most healthy people don't get sick from Babiosis, but if you are immuno-compromised it isn't a good thing. They told me this last week and asked me to go to Columbus Indiana to give a blood sample so they can test it to see if I'm the one that did the guy in. I said, "That's 40 miles away! Can't I just have my doctor's office take a sample and send it to you?" She said no, but that she would check with the hospital here and see if they can do it. She called me back Friday and said I could go to the hospital this am and they will take the sample and a courier will pick it up. So, I did that this morning.

**OK. I KNOW. I may have killed someone with my blood and I'm worried about driving 40 miles. How selfish and self-centered am I? Well, truthfully it was a knee-jerk reaction, and I wasn't thinking about it. The price of gas is that bad.**

Back to why it's still a bad week. When I was giving the blood, the gal needed FOUR tubes. She got the first one just fine. Her hand was shaking slightly. Hangover? Nervous about Babiosis? Inexperienced? I will never know. The second tube didn't go well. She pushed just a little too hard and went right through my vein. ouch. She tried to adjust the needle. Ouch again. She slid the needle back a little and blood spurted out of my arm, but not into the tube. Oh joy. So, we had to try the other arm. Do you think it's Karma for being a butt about not going to Columbus?

Here's the REAL kicker. I'm on call. Someone died in an accident in southern Indiana. Guess where I had to drive right through? That's right. Columbus. Two times today.

I'll update you when I find out if it was me or not. I don't think it was my blood, but you never know. I hope it wasn't.

How Old Do You Think I Am?

Yesterday, Sarah and I took a road trip to Goodwill. Normally when we go to Goodwill, it's to take stuff, and I just pull up to the drive-thru and drop stuff off. But yesterday, we went inside in search of pants for Sarah. She had three pairs of pants to her name, all of which are pants that aren't pants that should be worn in public. Two have holes big enough to make them obscene to wear, and the other is a weird orange-y color. One of her bosses made her promise not to wear one of the pairs of pants to work anymore. I decided action was in order.





So the good news is that Sarah found 3 pairs of pants and two pairs of socks for $14.95. What a deal! And no holes, stains, or weird colors!



The not-so-good news is that as we were checking out, the kid ringing us up (he looked like he was maybe 25 tops) gave me the total. He then looked at me and said, "People 55 years and older get a 50% discount today." I looked stunned, felt stunned, WAS stunned. Then I started laughing. I looked at Sarah, and she looked appalled. I said, "Well, maybe I SHOULD start dying my hair again." Poor kid, belatedly realizing what he had done tried and tried to make it right, but there was just no going back. Stuttering claims of "I ask everybody." are unbelieved.



Maybe I should sign up for that show "10 Years Younger", and go back to see that boy after the makeover. We'll see then if he "asks everybody". HA

Back In The Day

The night before last it was really cool outside, so we turned off the air and opened the windows. Yesterday it was still fairly comfortable so we left the air off and the windows open. Today, the same. But I'm lying on my couch taking a nice Siesta this afternoon, and if it wasn't for the ceiling fan, I'd be miserable.

Which made me think about those movies I'd seen as a kid where women would be lounging on their couches wearing flowing white floor length dresses, not a drop of sweat to be seen. Two or three boys or men wearing only some sort of white wrap around their waist, but not floor length, would be standing around the (Egyptian, I'm assuming) woman fanning her with some sort of large tropical leaf. If it was me and I was the "fanner", I'd find some way to get some air going for me, too.

Further reflection brings to mind my child hood and how there were no ceiling fans, box fans, stand fans or air conditioners in my home. My room was upstairs (heat rises, remember....) and I can remember nights that it so hot and the air so still, that falling to sleep was just about impossible. We had a HUGE industrial strength fan that Mom would put in the window at the top of the stairs. She would set it to blow air out the window, and hopefully to draw the cooler outside air into the house. I don't recall it making much difference, other than sounding like an airplane engine was in the hallway outside my room. Or, maybe it did make a difference, and goodness knows how horrid it would have been without it.

Anyhow, the dogs and I are still laying around, and all of us are grateful for the ceiling fan, waiting for the cool night air to come back. Where's that darn Egyptian boy? He could at least bring me a cool drink...

Yawn

Two of my siblings are making me tired. Teresa is moving Wednesday. Ray is moving later in July. Just the thought of moving exhausts me, since a mere 5 months ago I moved.

The crazy neighbor is now putting up her own fence. She only has to put in one long side, since my fence provides a long line in her back yard and the neighbor on her right has a fence already up. I noticed she put the posts "close to" but not "tied to" my fence and the other neighbor's fence. At first I was really distressed by this. But then, I realized - yet again - that she's crazy. There's just nothing you can do about crazy except shake your head at it and try not to get sucked into crazy yourself.

I'm supposed to be getting a prescription for a c-pap machine sometime soon. I'm anxious to see how that's going to pan out. I really hope it works because I'm tired of being tired. :::yawn::: Maybe if I wasn't so tired, my siblings' impending moves wouldn't be so draining. ha!

Another Crazy Neighbor Story

We found out that our Crazy Neighbor thought we put our fence on her property. She said "someone" moved the boundary markers. The boundary markers are buried deep in the ground for that very purpose...so no one can move them. Even if the top is taken off, the surveyors use a metal detector to find the pen.

So, she had her land surveyed, and she has decided to put up a fence of her own. She is going to put it so there is one foot between our fence and hers because she wants to be able to "walk the land" and go behind her fence. She's nuts.

The neighbor to our left talked to Crazy Neighbor and told her she thought it was very nice that we put up a fence to avoid conflict with her. She said we are all supposed to be looking out for each other, not feud. Maybe that will help her calm down.

Ah, the joy of home ownership.

Maizy at 2 months and 6 months

I have a crazy neighbor.

OK. My neighbor behind me is apparently dog-phobic. We moved here in January. She has spoken to us a total of three times, despite our efforts to say hello and try to be friendly. She literally turns her back on us and walks away, except for the three times she has "talked" to us. All conversations having to do with our dog, Butch.

Butch went into her yard shortly after we moved here. The back door was open and I didn't realize it and Butch went out. She yelled at me, "PLEASE keep your dog out of my yard. I don't like dogs and dogs are supposed to be tied up." I apologized and tried to talk to her, but she turned around and walked away. The second time Eliz & the kids were here, and everyone was outside. Butch started over toward her yard, and I called to him to come back to me. He hadn't even made it to her yard yet. She came out on her deck and literally screamed at me, right in front of Eliz & the kids. On and on and on.

THEN, she called the sheriff and told the sheriff that Butch was pooping in the neighbor's yards. He hadn't pooped in anyone's yard but ours. We told the sheriff that that wasn't the case, and the neighbor apparently just doesn't like dogs.

SOOOOOOOO. We decided to put up a fence and put an end to the whole entire matter. The fence went up today. And it's right on the property line. Joe came home from work, and we went out to look at the fence. As we were walking around behind the fence, the crazy neighbor came barrelling out of her house and started pointing at me and telling me to stay off her grass. I was taken aback and said, "Excuse me?" She started going on about my dog and how I didn't listen and keep the dog tied up and I am to stay off of her grass. I just didn't even know what to say. Joe tried to talk to her, and she just ignored him. She told us we have three weeks to stain the fence or do whatever we have to do to it, and then we are to stay off of her grass!! She turned around and started to walk away. I said, "Ma'am. we put up the fence so that our dogs won't bother you!" She just repeated herself and I said, "I am really sorry you feel this way. I don't know what else to do." And I turned around and left.

Joe decided to stand on her yard since he has three weeks to do so. Apparently, our effort to end the war didn't work, and has just heated up the battle.

Butch, hair, sleep

Butch is getting so old. We went for a walk today - maybe 2 miles. I thought I was going to have to carry him the last block. Poor guy. Long walks are a thing of the past for Butch I think.

I got my hair cut today. The old color is almost gone. We are getting very close to no artificial color hang-over. Which means we are mostly gray now. It's a lot of work going gray. I keep wanting to DO something about it. But if I do, I'll just have to start all over again some day.

I'm signed up to do a sleep study on June 9. Joe tells me I need to get checked for sleep apnea. When I was in Louisiana with Suzanne, who says she can sleep through anything, she told me I need to get tested for sleep apnea. Apparently, I snore like a freight train and wake myself up trying to breath. I'm not really sure what to DO about it if I have it. Can I sleep hooked up to some machine? Will I need surgery? My dad says that surgery is horribly painful. A guy I work with got it and was pretty much knocked on his butt for a month.

Brown Headed Cow Bird

We have Brown Headed Cow Birds in our neighborhood and they frequent my bird feeder. Cow birds are really sneaky. And lazy. They lay their eggs in other bird's nests and let the other birds raise the young. Most of the time the babies quickly outgrow their nest mates and the "real" babies starve to death because they are pushed out of the way by the Cow Birds.

Anyway, I just heard a bunch of racket outside, and saw 4 birds land on the bird feeder shepherd's hook, and a smaller bird land on the suet feeder. The smaller bird was getting food from the suet feeder and flying up to feed the "babies", that were already bigger than it was! Geez. poor thing!