#DearCongress

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Tom has spent 38 years in service to our government. He retired from the military with 20 years of service and has been working for the DOD for 18 years. During his military tenure, we lived paycheck to paycheck. Money was always tight, but that was a decision we made. He earned a Masters degree and works hard in support of today's soldiers. After his personal sacrifice, this is how our government treats him and 799,999 federal employees. So this is a message to the men and women in congress who brought us to this point. You're fired!

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Orange Flower in Vase

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Acrylic on paper

Still Life

This is the first time I have tried to paint a still life.

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Now that the wedding is over, I can focus on the things that I like to do or that I want to do again. 

For example, get healthy. Get back to my exercise program. Watch my diet. Reduce stress. 

Start focusing on my future by increasing my contributions to my retirement accounts. I reduced contributions to help pay for the wedding expenses. Finally, I am going to continue to stimulate my gray matter in a creative way with painting and sketching.

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A few months ago I injured my knee (during boot camp, running stairs) add in a bit of arthritis and you have pain. After a couple of visits to the doc and ultra sound therapy my knee was still swollen and inflamed. I finally got my referral to the orthopedic doc and for an MRI. 

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Now this drawing is not of my knee, but of my ankle. When I went to get the MRI for my knee, I stumbled on the last step on my way out of the clinic and turned my ankle. (There was a blackberry involved, but I did not tell my husband that.) Yup. It hurt so bad I almost yakked up my b'fast and passed out. Pretty pathetic.

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Well, when I went to the ortho, I asked if they could look at the ankle too as the injuries are related. Well, they are. The red arrows point to the tendons that I stretched/tore when I turned the ankle. The blue arrow points to some bone chips; however these could be from a previous injury (I fall down a lot). The red lines at the top are the syringe that he is going to jab into my knee in about 2 minutes.

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I walked out of there with a soft splint that would probably pay for a year's tuition at a community college, a cortisone shot in my knee that better reduce the swelling, some fancy x-rays, and a line drawing by my doc. And I only had to spend 3 hours at the drs office.

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Why Do I Hate April?

Federal Income Taxes are Due

Car Tags Need to be Purchased

Pollen

Aside from these few items, this month has not been our friend. We received an [audit] letter from the IRS (dadadadum). We missed 1099 income on our 2008 federal tax return and owed taxes. Following Suze's (Orman) advice, we paid it outright because you don't want to owe them ANY money or risk missing a payment. No penalties, but there was some interest. Don't call, the check is in the mail. Really. 

TOM was outside cutting the grass,threw a rock up and shattered a window. Shattered it good. The inside pane is fine so we don't have to board it up. Of course, it's a special order and it will be 10 to 14 days before we get it. BTW, we have never replaced a window before.

We had to nail sheathing to the undersides of our funiture because Woodstock and Chica decided it was a cool place to play and nap. Tore holes right in the fabric. Actually, that was the easiest problem to fix.      

Work has been crazy busy.

We don't have a vacation planned for the first time in years (oh, that's right, we don't have any money left). Maybe next year.

To quote Woodstock, peace out.

Down by the River

A lot has happened since the middle of February: I was working on a 'special project' that required me to be at work at 4:00 AM three days a week. The company I work for was planning the 'layoff' of around 200 team members. A terminally ill family member took a turn for the worse and we had to travel to Minnesota. I caught a cold. It continues to rain incessantly. Believe you me, the time and  motivation it takes to keep three blogs running is long gone.

On the bright side, the special project ended successfully. I survived the layoff (whew). We were able to spend three days with my family member before she passed peacefully in her sleep. My cold is almost over.

I had ONE nice day to go out for a walk and take some photos before it started to rain again.

And the most exciting news: my son is finally going to marry his longtime girlfriend.

Life IS good. The sun WILL shine. My life rhythm is returning.  

I Hate Reptiles

I know it is not nice to hate God's creatures, but I really can't help it when it come to green slithery things. Reptiles have to be number one on the list of things I don't like.

It all started back when I was in the first grade (yes, I do remember back that far) and I was walking thru my front yard with bare feet. I don't know what made me look down, but there slithering under the arch of my left foot was a garden snake. I know, they are perfectly harmless (until they bite you). I don't think I even actually touched flesh to reptile skin, but it totally grossed me out. I don't like frogs or toads, lizards or salamanders. Geckos (like geico) are ok. Turtles are OK too. I have been known to move them out of the road to the safety of the shoulder.

But I digress, back to the note and the reason for it at the top of this post. Kitty brought a frog into the house. It wasn't quite dead, but was close. TOM was on the road for work so I didn't have anyone to get rid of the frog. (TOM recently instituted rule 37 which states 'the first one to see it has to get rid of it', but I don't follow that rule. The next best thing for frog disposal is my son, it is his cat after all. He works late so I left him a note. I put an ice cream bucket on the frog and a rock on top of the bucket. My son called me at 10:00 to tell me that the FROG WAS NOT UNDER THE BUCKET! I mean where the heck did it go? I thought is was too weak to move the bucket, now I'm worried there's a dead frog in the house. And to top it off, we have a ferret and instinctively he is not fond of reptiles either. I am afraid he will find it and drag it off somewhere. Think it's a toy or something. What a quandary. I'm surprised that I can sleep with all the slithering going on in this house. Maybe Kitty realized how upset I was and took it back outside. I will probably never know, but I watch my step pretty carefully.

OK, I Know I've Been Slacking

I hate slackers don't you? They never finish anything, but they expect you to be at the top of your game. They lack for nothing because they want nothing. Personally, I don't know any slackers. Do you?

On to nicer, happier topics. I really am having a blast with Woodstock. I have started a blog and am planning his movie debut. But how do you script a movie in which the main character is a ferret? We plan to take-off on one or many of the following (real) movies/characters: Indiana Jones, It Takes a Thief, and Mission Impossible. I had a couple of others, but the titles escape me.

And that's another thing. All week long I have been losing snippets of information. Is my hard drive crashing? It's like I have no short term memory. And my notebook is crapping out too. The hard drive is fine but the processor is definitely acting up. Do you suppose my hard drive and the notebook crapping out is systematic of something else, like maybe I spend to much on the computer and too much time at work?

I have been preparing for the notebook replacement. You know doing my research, checking prices, but what do I do about my hard drive? Not so easy to replace. Just can't run down to wally world and pick up a new one.

Maybe I should become a slacker. What do you think?

I Have a Cold

I have not had a cold in three years. Why now? I have been eating right, getting enough rest, and exercising. I feel like crap.

Ditch Digger for Hire

Spent most of the day doing work in the yard. We have a drainage problem in the back yard and with all the rain lately, it was a muddy mess. It was also causing a problem with our septic tank.

We had been discussing putting in french drain for a while, but had not been motivated to do it. We finally decided we needed to give it a shot. When the rain stopped yesterday, TOM got to work. Because the ground was so saturated it made it easier to dig the trench, but some spots were still very hard as we got deeper. (Maybe we should have rented a ditch witch.) We had to dig a 140' trench. That was the hardest part and luckily TOM did not make me help with that.

Needless to say, it was back-breaking work. As far as we can tell right now, it appears to be working. The water is draining off (into our neighbors yard - sorry). We had to take it under the fence to a lower elevation. When TOM is finished they won't even know it's there. He was so funny tho (the neighbor), he kept saying 'your water is in my yard.' Well, officially, it's not our water, it's natures water. And the whole neighborhood is underwater, not just us. (He appears to have a problem in his yard too.) TOM should have talked with him before he started digging under the fence, especially since it will affect him.

I need to go get the tylenol now...later.

Has My Head Exploded Yet?

And that is not just a rhetorical question. I have to say that I have had the worst day in my recent history. It actually started yesterday as I was leaving my place of employment. I am a writer. Sounds glamorous, right? Not really. I don't get to write the fun stuff. I save that for this blog. Anyhoo, I began working a project at the end of 2007. Yes, that's right, about 15 months ago. After research, meetings, programming changes, etc. I had the pleasure of writing a technical document that could be used by our clients to learn how to use the product. That took about 6 months and several false starts. Also, not the only thing I was working on. Finally, in October I hand this document over to 'the platform manager' for an edit. Now having to suffer the suggestions and corrections to a document is part of the job. It's not personal and it doesn't bother me. But this document was different. I put so much effort into this book it was like a child and I was quite proud of it. He took 6 months, almost to the day, to complete his edit. Unacceptable. Then he has the nerve to tell as I am walking out the door yesterday, that it needs some structural changes...what the f---!!! that means a lot more time invested and I thought I was almost finished!!! See somewhere in the middle of his edit we moved from one document format to another which is a pretty big deal. (His edit was supposed to be completed before the big change.) So now I have to make the changes. So, what really pisses me off is this: 1. Why didn't I just incorporate the new format (for the most part I am good to go) but I am missing one essential piece. My bad. 2. How come our managers can get away with crap like this? If I sat on an edit for 6 months I would be in the dog house, no pay raise, no promotion, yada, yada, yada. 3. I feel that his inaction showed a total disrespect for my work. I know he is a manager. He supervises several people and has to edit their work as well, but all he had to do was READ ONE F---N CHAPTER DAY DAY AND HE WOULD HAVE BEEN FINISHED IN A MONTH. And I wouldn't be sitting here feeling like crap right now. And on a Friday too! And then to top things off I live in a small community and for the LAST YEAR they have been working on a street scape project. Traffic has become progressively worse throughout the project and today was the worst. They are finally paving the intersection most affected by all the work. This is a major throughfare from my little city to the city where I (and thousands of others) work and as I come over the bridge today, after having a the most crappy day, I see everyone taking a sharp turn to the right. That is three lanes of traffic trying to turn right. No cop, nothing. Well, I'm smart. I decide to go up an extra block before I try to cross over, but I guess I am not the only smart one in the bunch. Lot of smart folks out here. Anyway, traffic is BACKED UP EVERYWHERE. ALMOST AT A STANDSTILL. You would think the cops would be out directing traffic during RUSH HOUR!. But no, I guess they are all at the local coffee shop eating donuts and getting fat. I have to admit (and I am ashamed of myself) that I laid on the horn when some idiot was trying to go straight across which held us up even longer. What an idiot. Take a right to get traffic moving and then take the next left to get where you need to go. I actually left work half an hour early but got home at the same time. Anyhoo, I have used it all up and I have to stop now.

The Taxman Commeth...Not :-)

We dodged the tax bullet. I am not really sure how, but I may have to redo my taxes just to make sure. WE DON'T OWE ANY FEDERAL INCOME TAXES this year. On the advice of our tax person, last year we increased the tax deduction from my husband's military retirement and put gobs of money into our 401(k). Although we probably lost most of that in the recent financial debacle. But WE DON'T OWE ANY FEDERAL INCOME TAXES this year. Maybe if I keep saying it, I will begin to believe it. Thank you, Shirley's Accounting. This is the first year in 10 years that WE DON'T OWE ANY FEDERAL INCOME TAXES.

Help a Complete Stranger

The reception area of my doctor's office was in chaos. People waiting for assistance, receptionists overworked...not, nothing happening like it should. Contractor's, who have been making major upgrades for the last six months, were pulling ceiling tiles and scraping something ugly from the I beams overhead. Anyway, two elderly ladies (not together) were trying to get to an office for a physician that had moved to another building in the office park. They were both late for their appointments and wanted the receptionist to call to let the doctor know that they were on their way. Remember, this is a generation that knows the value of being punctual, unlike so many people today and they really were frantic. Anyway, the receptionists were not 'receptive' and these little ladies were looking for someone to help them. So my good deed for the day was to give them directins to the new location and the phone number so they could call from their cell phones. Not much, but I think it made them feel better about the whole mess. Speaking of which, this is the mess in the reception area . . .

Rain, Rain, Go Away . . .

. . . come again another day. Noah, where are you when we need you? We are drowning down here.

Tent City

I went out for a walk by the river today at lunch. The sun was shining and the sky was blue. A great opportunity to get some pratice with that new camera : ) As I was heading back to the campus I looked down and saw a small tent city. I saw only one inhabitant, but there was three tents, a clothes line, and a bike. In a less than desireable situation, people are surviving. They were making the best of it. They have a place to live and food to eat and transportation. They have proved that people are resilient and can overcome adversity. I hope some day, they can come in from the tent.

Sign of the Times

Do you suppose they mean morally or financially?

Sign of the Times

It occurred to me today that I am seeing more and more damaged vehicles on the road. You know the ones I am talking about, dented fenders, crushed bumpers, broken taillights. With the economy like it is, people aren't spending those hard earned dollars on car repairs...or car insurance...or the deductible...pretty scary proposition. And this isn't even the worst one I've seen on the road.

Is Blue the New Brown

I have noticed recently that there are more blue M&Ms than brown. It used to be that a package consisted of about 55% brown (dark and light) M&Ms. Now that number seems to be decreasing. And what happened to the light brown M&Ms? When did they go away? You still get only a couple of the green, red, and orange. So is Blue the new brown?

TGIF

I wish I could have few weeks of Fridays. It would be nice to take some time for myself but I don't see that happening. I'm the Mom, I am not supposed to have time to myself. And it is too early in the year to start taking my vacation days.

I am still scanning family photos. And the end is in sight. I have about nine albums left. but the photos of Hawaii don't have to be scanned...they are already on CD!

To make my life easier, TOM bought me an external hard drive to storel all the photos, music, and important documents. 320 gigabites...it will definitely take a while to fill that up. I love it already. I could tell that my hard drive was getting slower. Can't have that.

Anyway, of my recent scans, these are some of my favs...taken 1979 and 1980. Sounds like a long time ago...



Chip and Dale

Sean, about 6 months old

Sean, about 6 months old

Sean, about 6 months old

Post post comment: I no longer wish my days (my life) away. I take each day and appreciate it for what it is.

Today is my Birthday...

TOM had my youngest son buy me some speakers for the IPOD. It is nice not using the earbuds...they are not comfortable at all. And as my hearing is not too good in my right ear so I don't get the full benefit of them. Because it is my b-day, I told TOM that he had to go shopping with me. And he did, with a smile on his face. I have a couple of things to get my youngest. We are going to do a 7 Days of Christmas for him while we are gone so he won't feel so alone. I am going to hide some little gifts around the house. One for him to find each day that we are gone. We are going to have a beer and pretzel day, a sweet tooth day, a smell good day, a movie day, a money day...I still have to think of a couple of themes. But maybe this is enough. It will put a smile on his face. He doesn't do that enough. It is his b-day tomorrow. We will have some cake and ice cream. His brother is coming from Atlanta to see him. He has to work tho, so we won't have much time to do anything else. Maybe go to lunch. In any event, it will be a nice. Today was gorgeous by the way.