My book report

What has the book lady read this year? Well I have been keeping track of my reading in a little notebook and have read a grand total of 70 books this year. So here is what I read:

5 Dean Koontz books, they are usually just for a distraction for me from more serious reading, oh, and for the treadmill reading.
I read most of Janet Evonovich's Stephanie Plum books. I don't usually read much mystery but she is a hoot.
I say I don't read mystery but I see that I read several of Jeffery Deavers, Kathy Reichs, and Tess Garrison.
Some of my favorite reading for the year were: Ken Follett's A Dangerous Fortune, and World Without End and A Place Called Freedom. I enjoyed, Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski , Lost Symbol by Dan Brown, A walk to Remember, & The Rescue by Nicholas Sparks.

Just finished The Fifth Sacred Thing by Starhawk, a Utopian novel and Not Between Brothers, a book about Texas and its rise to statehood, a very good book. I enjoyed Bridges of Madison County enough to watch the movie again.

Plans for the new year: I would like to re-read my favorite series by Diane Gabaldin. (7 big books) The Outlander Series. Historical romance of a woman who is transported back 100 years to live in Scotland. Awesome series. Plus I have at least 10 waiting for me. Just like old friends. I could easily live without TV, but don't take my books!

Thought for the day: If you don't have a sense of humor, you probably don't have any sense at all.

Is it just me?

Christmas is over so guess I can stop feeling grouchy and get my act together to start the new year with some zip and a new attitude.

I was coming back home after visiting someone near and dear to my heart and it suddenly dawned on me how we waste so much of our time moaning over little hurts and slights that maybe others didn't even know existed for us. Our own mind can make things so much bigger than they are. I think I find that often from trying to "read my husbands mind". I feel hurt when I don't really know what he is thinking or not thinking as the case may be.

And what a waste of time all this is. You don't know this stuff when you are young. You are ready to do battle to prove YOU are right come hell or high water. I like the saying: "Pick your battles." Now my mantra is "Let it go" Just take a deep breath and let it go.

Another mantra I like is "Its not about ME" And so often that is so true. Others carry burdens we don't know about and when we feel slighted we magnify it often and don't even try to put ourselves in that other person's shoes. We are all made up of our own life experiences and no one else really truly can know someone Else's reality. We are each very unique.

Life is short or at least as we know it in this time/space. We shouldn't waste it our time, the clock really is ticking.

Thought for the day: It's not about Me

Getting REAL

I meet the nicest people in my store. And if you listen they tell you all kinds of things. Guess we always look for someone to just listen to what we have to say. (maybe that's why so many people blog) A gal was in last week and found a book on the shelf and was so excited. It was The Velveteen Rabbit. She said it has so many lessons for life in it and when she got home she would e-mail back the quote from it. I really liked it so want to share it here:

"You 'BECOME' the horse said to the rabbit. 'It doesn't happen all at once. It takes a very long time. Generally by the time you are REAL most of your hair has been loved off and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But those things don't matter, because you are real, you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand.' "

Thought for the day: Listen to your friends

web site to read the little book. http://digital.library.upenn.edu/women/williams/rabbit/rabbit.html

Car commercial

A couple comes running out of the house, hand in hand, very excited, then they see the car in the driveway with a huge red bow on top. They jump in and seem so thrilled to have a new car, like they can't believe their good luck. Then they look up and see a new Buick driving by and they look at each other and their smiles fade away and they seem so disappointed with "their" new car. Like someone just burst their bubble.

What the heck kind of commercial is that?? Are we so materialistic that we could buy into that kind of propaganda?

Thought for the day: Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift

Winter Blahs

I promised a new friend I would attempt to do a post about winter. So this is my personal opinion and no one elses.

As most people who know me very well know, I do not enjoy the Christmas holiday. It sort of goes way back for me to my "previous" life. I remember how we celebrated Christmas as a family and now that that "family" is no more, at least as it was back then, I always get the Christmas blues. I think others feel that way too. I know that is not the true meaning of Christmas so I try to just get beyond that and look forward to the new year. (maybe this should have been the Christmas Grinch post instead of Winter blahs) But I will forge ahead.

So winter has the cold, snow, sleet, slick roads, and cold feet. The landscape looks miserable, cold, no leaves, naked trees shivering in the cold. Even the air looks unhappy, gray and cold. So what is the good that I should be able to see and enjoy about winter??

Well lets see. It is a time to put on warm cozy socks and sweaters that I couldn't wear all summer. Time to enjoy the fireplace, (I am lucky enough to have one). Time to get together with family and friends. Time to maybe reflect on the year and make plans for the coming year.

So maybe winter should be seen as a time of slumber before the awakening of spring. A time for the landscape to rest and regenerate itself for burst of green and color to come.

Maybe we should look at our lives the same way and look forward to the new year and spring to come. Maybe ponder some of our past mistakes and look for ways to make life richer and show those we love what they mean to us.

Thought for the day: Experience is what you learn just after you need it.

Gonna be a Bear

In this life I'm a woman. In my next life, I'd like to come back as a bear. When you're a bear, you get to hibernate. You do nothing but sleep for six months. I could deal with that.

Before you hibernate, you're supposed to eat yourself stupid. I could deal with that too.

When you're a girl bear, you birth you children (who are the size of walnuts) while you're sleeping and wake to partially grown, cute, cuddly cubs. I could definitely deal with that.

If you're a mama bear, everyone knows you mean business. You swat anyone who bothers your cubs. If your cubs get out of line, you swat them too. I could deal with that.

If you're a bear, your mate EXPECTS you to wake up growling. He EXPECTS that you will have hairy legs and excess body fat.

Yup, gonna be a bear!

Thought for the day: Familys are like fudge, mostly sweet with a few nuts!

Love your pet

http://silverandgoldandthee.net/V/J_S.html If you have time go to this site and listen to Jimmy Stewart read his poem about his dog named Bo. Just click on the site listed and it will take you there.

I mention this today as it was sent to me yesterday and just by chance we had an incident that made this very appropriate.

Hubby had to take his sister and her little dog to the vet yesterday late, it was the 3rd trip this past week. End result was that he had to be put to sleep. This is her second dog to lose this year. The sister dog died in July. And of course a year ago we had our dog put to sleep so we are a dogless home now. No more dogs for us. It is too hard to lose them.

So I hope you will watch this little video and if you have a pet, give them an extra ration of love and that "pat on the head" while they are still there.

Thought for the day: Sometimes we find answers when we didn't even know we were looking.

OK you lurkers!

How do you like my redo on my blog site? And I have a counter on it so I know how many times someone checks me out. I made it easier to leave comments or at least a check box to indicate you thought it was interesting.

Project for the next couple weeks: transfer 3 boxes of floppy disc photos to the computer then compile them in some order and transfer to disc. Will this be sort of like getting all the photos out of the shoe box and putting them in an album? I still have the big plastic box full of about 10 years worth of pictures before I went to digital.

So you lurkers out there and you know who you are, leave a little message if you have time.

Thought for the day: What is remembered lives

Nursing Home?

Double click on this picture so you can read the words. I cracked me up when I got this. As I used to work in a prison I see the logic here.

Are my nails to long?

I saw a lady in the store the other day with these VERY long fingernails. Like the right hand they were 3 inches long and the left they were at least 6 or 7 inches long.

Now I am thinking, how does she wipe her butt!

Then a little voice had to pipe up and say:


Vaweeeee carefully

Whats in my ear as I walk?

My cheeks are nice and cold and rosy from my walk this morning. Did about 2 miles, sunny and cold out. Going to get a cold front come in tonight so will probably have to hit the tread mill. Have a good Dean Koontz book hanging on it, it helps me keep going.

I enjoy my I-pod while I am walking. I probably don't listen to jazzy music like I should. My walk isn't always about burning calories, usually more about my inspiration for the day. I still love my Enya music. I feel nice and mellow and enjoy the birds and squirrels as I walk. Saw a tree full of cedar waxwings this morning eating some kind of berries in a big tree. They used to come into the farm in the late summer and gobble up the mulberries.

Thought for the day: You always feel like you have lost weight after you have worn the same pair of jeans about 6 days!

OK, just one more!

I wasn't going to do this but again I had a dream and have to put this one down here. Hey does everyone dream? Hubby says he rarely does. I just can't imagine as I dream every night.

Anyway the dream: I was in a large room with desks and people working. Next to me was a gal that I used to work with named Lisa and I was going over some Dr. orders to process (yea, I'm an old nurse) when I looked over and saw a guy sitting on a chair and he stood up to come toward me. I thought he looked familiar then realized he was my husband but was much younger than when I met him. He was wearing a cream colored corduroy 3 piece suit.
Then the dream sort of rambled on and I don't remember much of it.

When I came into the kitchen later I asked my hubby if he ever owned such a suit and he said yes he did but it was alot of years ago. I got goose bumps!

Thought for the day: I'm not a complete idiot, some parts are missing.

The Hands of God?

OK I promise not to make this blog a place to recite all my dreams, and I don't intend to offend any ones personal beliefs. But since this is MY blog I guess I can say what I want, right?

I wrote down what I could remember of this dream yesterday. It was amazing and it all seemed so clear.

I dreamed that I was standing somewhere and suddenly everything around me sort of folded in on itself till there was nothing left. Then I saw that there were several "worlds" and I was looking down on them and was able to see and "know" that the smaller dense world was Hell and that as the worlds extended outward they became larger and lighter and almost seemed to float in their light. I realized that the different worlds were a way for me to understand that when we die we move up or down in these worlds to live new lives. Nothing is lost or wasted. As we progress in our evolution toward God we get lighter. We choose to go forward or backward with each rebirth so that we can learn what ever it is we still need to learn to be able to get closer to God.

I think it was in a book I read by Echart Tolle: A New Earth, that he wrote that heaven or hell will be for each of us what we believe it will be. Each religion has a different view and that each will have what they believe. That sort of makes sense to me because I really hate it when people think that their religion is the only one that is correct with God, and so everyone else will be just skipping off to hell.

Thought for the day: Do you think that maybe our dreams are the real world and that our "real" world is only a dream?

More Dreaming

When I woke up this morning I thought I had just had the best dream. It seemed like an idea that was so creative I was amazed that I dreamed it and thought WOW. Of course as the morning wore on I forgot alot of it and the wow sort of fizzled.

Now what I can remember of it was that I had figured out a way to organize a huge garage sale and be able to sell everything. By putting stuff in these big color coded mesh bags, people could just walk around and pick up a bag. Blue for $2, green for $3, red for $5. Then they checked out and everything was put into a plastic bag to take home. The mesh bags would be used over and over. Wellllllllll, when I first woke up and it was more clear in my mind I thought it was a really great idea.

Business is very slow, (slower than the usual slow) this week, I figured it would be so I just play on the computer, and sit in front of the heater and read.

Got the gas fireplace going at home, it makes the room cozy, but we still miss the wood burning fireplace. Hubby threatens to get the gas unit removed and convert it back to wood heat. I thought we should at least burn up the propane in the tank first.

Thought for the day: Every path has a few puddles

What are you thankful for?

On my FB I have been trying to write something that I am thankful for each day. It really isn't very hard because we have such an abundance of things to be thankful for, from the big stuff to the little everyday things like a smile or friendly word.

How do I ward off all the gloom and doom that we see on TV. I try to not listen to it. I think it depresses us and we forget all the good things. I mean if North Korea is going to blow us all up it is hard to be thankful for my "stuff" or maybe it should actually make me more thankful. Now that is a thought. We need to live each day like it is our last and find joy in it.

I have 2 extended family members that are fighting terminal cancer and both are only in their 40's How sad for them and their families, but I feel that they are accepting it and the families are finding their joy in having that person for as long as they can and will be able to let go when the time comes. That is probably the hardest thing any of us will face. LOTS more important than being thankful for our creature comforts.

Thought for the day: That love is all there is,
is all we know of love
--Emily Dickenson

Getting old and the merry go round of Doctors

My sister in law will be 86 Monday. For her age she is in excellent health. Did fracture a hip about 4 years ago but is doing great, very independent. Has arthritis, and some problems with dizziness if she moves to quick. Oh, and a mitral valve leak that she has had for many years. Only takes one very low dose BP med. Mentally still sharp and handles her own business.

Now the problem, she seems to have gotten caught up in making the rounds with all the specialists that there is. Her primary Dr. is an internist and he has referred her to the following Doctors and they in turn have to see her 2 or 3 times and order all these tests and procedures: Cardiologist, Pulmonologist, Neurologist, Rheumatologist. Numerous blood tests, MRI's, ultrasounds, CTscans, pulmonary function tests, just to name a few. When we ask her what she will do if they want to put her on medicine she says she won't take it!!! She will look up all the side effects, and of course they are numerous to say the least so she won't take meds. Just drives her nuts that she has to take the one. She could take something for the arthritis but won't take over the counter stuff so I know that Dr. is going to want her on something! I have trouble seeing what the point of all this is. Her comment is that the Dr. wants her to have the evaluations!

My thoughts as a retired nurse is why doesn't her primary Dr. sit down and do his own comprehensive evaluation and give her an honest opinion and tell her some options and listen to her feelings about treatments. It makes her mad if they tell her it is changes due to the aging process. Well you think? Seems these are the cases that are running up the medicare cost.

I liked my Dr. I had back in Co. He took care of his patients himself, he was just a family Dr. but I liked his philosophy. I think I have found one here that is conservative also.

Oh, and guess who takes her to all these appointments???? My poor hubby has become "Driving Miss Daisey".

Thought for the day: With every leaf that falls, we are that much closer to winter sleep.

Fairy Ring and old buildings

I took this picture last week when I was doing my morning walk. Makes me think this used to be a real home to real people and all that is left is the shed and a ring of marigolds as a sort of memorial to the life that was lived here. There are many places in this little town like this. I especially like the "big" houses that must have been on the upper class side of town at one time. The old wrought iron fences and dormer windows. Maybe I will take a series of pictures of these homes and post them here. Oh, the history if they could talk. This used to be an old mining town. Had an old gentleman come into my shop yesterday and tell me he used to flip hamburgers as a kid in the early 40's in the kitchen area here. This building was the local tavern for about 50 years, so I get all kinds of comments about it. One lady told me how she used to sit on the steps and wait for her Dad so she could make sure he got home OK. A lady today said she remembered when there was an outhouse out back and wondered why folks didn't break their neck going down the back steps. She said she got married the day after graduation and left town as fast as she could, as there was nothing here for her in this old mining town. See I have a real historical building here!

Thought for the day: THIS is not a dress rehersal.

Where did all the bloggers go?

Am I being old fashioned for hanging in there with my blog site? Seems all the family that was blogging a few years ago have stopped, and I sure miss it. Must be that Twitter or FB thing that is easier with all the portable devices. But I enjoyed reading the stories and thoughtful incites that were left for all the world to see. I know I go for dry spells and don't have much to say then sometimes I have to much to say and can't find the words to put it down. A blog site can be a place to record your thoughts, aspirations, hurts, and dreams. But sometimes they seem to personal to be sharing.

Of course you notice that so many people don't "talk" to each other any more. Its words on text messages. Everywhere you see people walking with their heads down working that little phone. I thought a phone was to talk on. Gee now you can do everything but scramble eggs on it. And it seems that we all need to be available all the time. What is wrong with leaving a message or answering your message later. Saw a couple at a resturant the other day and both were sitting there typing away on their phones. Wonder if they were texting to each other?

Thought for the day: I knew exactly where it was, I just couldn't find it.

A dilly of a dream

I have mentioned before that I have wild dreams. I have already started to forget alot of the one I had last night, but I remember I was holding a baby in my lap and it was my daughter, then it changed and there was a young boy that I know who is a son of a friend. The boy had this puzzle in his hand and somehow someway my daughter had be changed into that puzzle and when he picked it up the puzzle pieces all fell apart on the floor. In the dream I knew it meant that my daughter was somehow lost in these scattered pieces and I woke up with this feeling of devastation that was hard to shake.

Thought for the day: Just because you'r paranoid doesn't mean everbody still isn't out to get you.

Its that time

Would I want to be 20? Maybe if I could and still know what I know now. But to be 20 in todays world and not have the insight of years of experience I sort of think not. Now maybe 40 would be good. I know I don't have enough years to read all the books I want to read. I would still like to take some college classes. Probably they won't charge me for them now. Have to check into that.

Have started another "I Am" list. If I can I will link to the one I did a few years ago here. Can't figure out how to copy it, computer won't let me, but if anyone is interested it is in my archives, Aug of 2005. Can find it on the right side here.

Thought for the day: Good judgement comes from experience, and alot of experience comes from bad judgement.

Hello Dr. Atkins, my old friend

OK summer is gone, wonderful fall is here at least for awhile. Time to get in gear and get rid of a few pounds (again). I have had success with Atkins in the past and decided I would give it another try. My problem is staying in the maintenance zone when I have lost. Anyway each of us has our "rock bottom" with excess weight. Mine is when I am 20 lbs over my normal. So that is my goal. Right now I am doing the strick 14 day induction of severely restricted carbs, then I will start adding some good whole grains back. So I stocked up on cheese, shaved turkey and ham, cream cheese, eggs, and celery and lots of lettuce. Eating out is no problem, I just order a bunless burger. Last night at pizza nite, had lots of salad and only ate the top off of 3 slices of pizza. Didn't realize there was so little topping on a slice! About a tablespoonful was all. When I lost 20 lbs doing this before, I remember it being the easiest weight I ever lost. Have done the calorie count, fat count, and I know my body, I am a carb addict!! When I get real restricted on carbs I feel so good. So thats my song and dance for today.

Had a suprise BD party for my sister Sunday.Her daughters did most of the work. Sort of a surprise, she knew there would be a party but just not where and all. Rented a building here in town and over 25 came. We did chili and potato soup with a couple breads, and of course cake and ice cream.

Oh, and she told me that she had a brain scan Mon. and they didn't find anything. (Here's Your Sign!)

Thought for the day: Life may not be the party we hoped for but while we are here we might as well dance.

When your forgetter runs faster than your rememberer

Each month we say "Boy this month went by fast" Well of course it has, after a certain age it is all down hill and of course time must run faster, right?

Tue we were having our weekly pizza and salad bar and commented on how good the beets were. Then I said they were better that the ones the other day that we had. We both sat there for at least 20 minutes trying to remember where that was and it was just on Saturday!! Finally it clicked and "I" remembered. One point for me!

Getting ready for a big birthday party for my "big" sister tomorrow. Going all out and rented a building and her daughters are decorating and proving the cake and the rest of us are bringing crock pots of soups and such. Making my elk chili. I was asked to host it at my home as I have the most room but I decided I didn't want 30 people in my home. Just funny that way.

Book store is up and running but running very slow. Economy? Seems the ones buying books look like the ones that can least likely afford to be spending money on books.

I am the only used book store in the county now as the one in the town where I live, the co. seat, has closed down. Another business on the square closed. Eventually it will just be all senior apartments. The court house brings in the traffic but the small businesses are struggling. Maybe it is time to do some advertizing again soon.

Thought for the day: Some days the only good things on T.V.are the lamp and clock

Hello! Anyone there!

Always wonder if any one reads these blogs or are we just talking in the wind, (better than spitting) IF you are there leave me a comment. :-)

The Running of the Chipmunk

We sounded like it was the running of the bulls yesterday. Hubby hollered to me that a chipmunk had just run thru the living room and up the 4 steps to the bedroom area. We armed ourselves with brooms and headed out. Where was the rawhide music here??

Got him cornered in the master bedroom so closed off the hall door. After loosing him we checked the bathroom and he was behind the dryer. Oh Ha! Shut the bathroom door. That narrows things down. After shaking the dryer and scarring the poor thing out (twice) hubby accidental swept him back under the dryer in his zeal to get him. End results we got him and he won't be sneaking back in.

Now the mystery of how he got in. Hubby had seen him last week in the flowerpot on the front porch, so we think that one morning while I was carrying stuff out to the car and left the front door open he was in the pot and hopped out and headed inside. Silly chipmunk!

Thought for the day: Sometimes I make up my mind, other times my mind wanders, and every so often I lose track of it entirely.

Natalie MacMaster fiddles in reel time | Video on TED.com

Natalie MacMaster fiddles in reel time Video on TED.com


Words to the song: Blue is a River
Blue remembers
Blue like a planet to a spaceman
Blue river of my tears

Like the heather on the hillside
As they drove us from the highlands
Like the iceflow from the Artic
Where we landed in Newfoundland
There's a colour to my sorrow
There's a name for all this sadness
Like the ocean in between us,
I am blue.

Blue is a river
Blue remembers
Blue water running clear
Blue like a planet to a spaceman
Blue river of my tears

So I came here to the city
Where the dream burns like a furness
And I dazzled in these dark streets
Like a diamond in a coalface
Till the cold wind from the islands
Blew a storm cloud across the new moon
Like the gunsmoke above the houses
In my home.

Blue is a river
Blue remembers
Blue water running clear
Blue like a planet to a spaceman
Blue river of my tears
Blue river of my tears.

The history about this song of the Scottish Highland is that during the potato famines of the late 18th and 19th centuries, out of the goodness of their hearts, many English landowners offered their Scottish peasant tenants free passage to the New World on hired cargo ships. No mention of course was made of the fact that this "offer" was commonly delivered by pressgangs, and that the real purpose behind the clearances was to convert the lands into fine sporting estates where the land owners and their London friends might shoot grouse and fish for trout.

Copied from the post by Chris Anderson

Rest in Peace

This is the view from the final resting place of hubby's mother's ashes. We made a trip to her birth place in Saratoga Wyoming then went up the mountain (Medicine Bow Mt.) the top of it seen here. This was her wish and so we finally made the trip while my SIL is in good enough health to make the drive. She said that is where she wants to be also. Her husbands ashes were scattered here at the same time. Hubby says it would be fine for him also. Good thing we know where this is located as there are good landmarks.

Visited with hubby's cousin and learned some of the family history of his grandparents coming to Saratoga from Iowa in a covered wagon and settling in Saratoga, building a hotel and butcher shop. Hubby's mother grew up in the hotel and had to work as a maid till she ran off with her husband when she was 19 and never looked back. It was a very hard life back then.

Thought for the day: Humor is a reminder that no matter how high the throne one sits on, one sits on one's bottom.

Back on line

A view from a corner of my book store. Love my little store!! Had 2 nice write ups in the local papers and got a call to do a stint on a talk radio station the end of the mo. Whoopy I am a star!

Broke down and got Internet service at the store. So 3 days a week I can play as long as I want on line again. I have my old e-mail address back from when I was on line here before. Seems funny. Got to do some work on the computer so I can find stuff again. Feel a little rusty. Happy Labor Day to all. Has cooled down some now, got alot of rain last week, well almost a flood. Over 6 inches in one day then another 1/2 inch the next day. Everything was getting crispy. Well short and sweet here. Be back soon.

HOT in the midwest!

Opened the book store alot sooner that I thought I would. Only open 3 days a week. Hey I am retired! Doing some advertising, been sooooo hot that folks aren't getting out much. But have had several old customers come by or call. Love my little store. Even getting some weaving done again now that I have room.

Good news, SIL sold her house, closed last week, and same day we got an offer on ours and we accepted (not much choice) and will close the end of Sept. Yea, glad to have that all behind us and to move on. I love love love my home. I feel very fortunate to be where I am.

Now if it would just cool off some please. Planning a few days in Sept to take SIL to Wyoming for a few days. Should be nice and cool fall weather by then, especially where we will be going.

Thought for the day: Guess no thoughts, too hot for that today

Wow there is life after the Internet!

We are getting settled into the new house, a very busy time. Movers unloaded us one week ago. Most of our boxes are at least empty, still finding where things should go.

But it is true there is a life without the computer. I decided that for me I will just take my laptop to the library once a week for an hour or so and catch up, look up, and what ever.

It is good to be back in the Midwest. We really are small town people and hubby missed all his chat friends, (his chat room is the doughnut shop, the bank, or anywhere he meets up with folks he had known for years) I am glad for him. Living in a bigger city and not knowing anyone it really takes a long time to feel at home. We should have just stayed put 18 months ago!

Well gotta go and check out some blog sites I have missed out on.

Thought for the day: Its always darkest before I open my eyes.

On the move again. I think I just like to pack!

Can't believe its been so long since I posted anything. Guess when so much is going on you sort of don't know where to start. I have quit my job. I drug it out as long as I could. Gave them 4 wk notice with an understanding that if they hired my replacement I would be glad to work a few days to help train. Well they have dilly dallied around and have not hired anyone. I think what is happening is that they are merging 2 parts of the company into one and trying to reorganize the current employees to make things work without hiring new staff. So that's OK. No more calls in the middle of the night. But I will miss the residents.

I think I have mentioned that we are moving back to the Midwest, actually just a few blocks from where we lived last. Have bought a house as a joint ownership with hubby's sister. She is 85 and time that she didn't live alone anymore and it is too much for hubby to manage 2 houses so we came up with the brilliant idea of getting a house together and splitting everything. So we went house hunting in April and found a nice home with a full finished basement that has a front door that opens onto a porch and sidewalk to its own driveway. There is a nice kitchen, Dining Room, large living room, bedroom, 2 baths and utility room, plus a huge family room! Great for her and all her stuff to spread out. The upper level is 3 bedroom with family room and a huge deck. The family room and kitchen area are all as one Great room with gas fireplace. That will be where we spend all our time. It is on 1 acre so we are back to using a riding mower. Going back next week and I will stay 2 or 3 weeks to do some more cleaning and a little painting. Will be fun to spend some quiet time before we move, probably in late June.

We have our homes here in the west for sale, some lookers but no offer yet. But I just feel sure that something will happen soon. Mainly because we lowered our price a little and they will be a good deal for any new homeowner. What we lose on our home here we will more than make up for on the new home, more space and privacy. Not to wild about this close living in a subdivision like we are. Guess we like a little elbow room. I will post a picture looking of our front porch of the home we bought in the Midwest and you will see why we love the place.

So there, I have done an update. Will share new address with friends and family later.

Thought for the day: "The past is really almost as much a work of the imagination as the future."

Gee, I miss my bunny slippers!

I think I mentioned that I sort of gave my notice at work, actually the resignation was left with date to be determined. But I have an understanding that the 16th is "sorta" the last day. I will need to be gone a couple weeks and I have offered to help train the new person, but they really haven't started doing any interviews yet, Not sure what the hold up is. The LPN that runs the day to day stuff is frustrated as she needs help to get the new DON started. (even though she wasn't much help orienting me) Oh well they had a month's notice.

What is the shame, is that now that I am on 3 days a week and no more evenings (started that last week) I actually am really liking my job. I wish I had gotten into the Assisted Living management years ago. It is so rewarding to be a part of these folks lives. I have always found older folks very interesting. We have one lady who has climbed mountains all over the world, another who worked in Washington DC under J Edgar Hoover, and another who married a sheep rancher in Utah, her sister married his brother and they all lived together and raised their kids together, and they even lived together in the Assisted Living Home till the other sister died a couple years ago. Some of the families are so wonderful and some are bickering idiots, always trying to one up the other with who has the most power of attorney.

Can't figure out why sometimes this won't let me seperate my post into paragraphs. I have tried 3 times to edit it to create spacing, and all I get is one huge paragraph. Probably no one will read it anyway!

Thought for the day: We all have our stories to tell, will anyone listen? (this is my thought, not borrowed)

My fork in the road

Been away tooooo long. Alot going on. Seems like the busier I get and the more thinks to write about, the less time I have to sit down and write.

I have been notifying friends and family about us selling out again and moving back to the midwest. I joked that it was getting spring and time to clean house. Guess there is more fact than fiction there. Lots of reasons and will get into that another time. Just wanted to get a note in here.

Work is busy, trying to figure out when to actually quit. Might as well work as long as I can. Don't know if they are going to replace my boss. Makes me wonder if she really quit or was told to quit. Am finding out she was not well liked by the residents families. She was quick to find fault and slow to praise any good that was done.

Maybe spring is coming, just got back from the midwest last Wed. and looked at houses in snow on the first day of spring then drove over the mountains in the snow.

Thought for the day: On every journey you take, you are met with options. At every fork in the road, you make a choice. These are the decisions that shape your life.

Here Come Da'Judge!

GUILTY!

That was the verdict! Had jury duty Fri and got picked to sit on the jury for a fast trial. This gal had been charged with resisting arrest when the officers came to pick up up on an arrest warrant. Of course we were not allowed to know what she was being arrested for. Quite interesting. We felt the witnesses were poor and the prosecution was poor but the fact was.
1. she slammed the door in the officers face
2. she ran the length of her trailer while the officer told her to stop
3. she refused to let him put cuffs

Duh! Why did it come to trial, and over 2 years from the date.

Thought for the day: God must love stupid people: He made so many.

Boss??

Went into work today for their quarterly managers meeting. My boss, the director of the facility has turned in her resignation! What a shock, I foresee a lot of reorganisation coming about. They have had trouble keeping a director, I think its been 3 in the last 6 years. Tough job. Just like my job. They last about 6 months and they quit.

I was getting pretty depressed about my job, wondering what the heck I got myself into. I have posted before about what my hours are and the expectations and POOR orientation. I called up out at the prison where I worked for awhile thru the staffing agency last summer and they about peed their pants!! She tried to get me to come out immediately for another interview and start next week! I said Whoa! I was just checking things out in case I wanted to make the change.

But for now I will hang in there and hopefully do some better scheduling of my time so I can feel some job satisfaction. Its not always about the money.


Thought for the day: Birds of a feather flock together and crap on your car.

Still Reading

What is the Book Lady reading this winter? I still think of myself as the book lady, just can't help it.

I have kept a little notebook and listed all the books as I read them. Last year I read 43 books. So far this year 10. I find that I tend to find an author that I like and I read several by that author. I read the complete series of 7 of Diane Gabaldon's Outlander books. I read 3 of Ken Follett's books, Pillars of the Earth, World Without End, and A Dangerous Fortune. All 3 had historical setting in England, and big thick books that last awhile. For fun I read the Twilight series by Stephanie Myers. I am on my 4th Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum detective books. What a hoot. My sister kept trying to get me to read her but I kept saying I don't really like detective books. I finally read the first one and got hooked. This young gal is a bounty hunter by default cause she needs to pay her rent and her uncle Vinnie runs a bond agency. I won't doubt my sister again! Then I like to read my old standby Dean Koontz when I want to just kick back and read something weird.

So there you have it. I still prefer to read to watch TV. I like to read for about an hour before I go to sleep. Helps relax me and sort of takes me away. Maybe thats why I have such vivid dreams.

Thought for the day:: Everyone seems normal till you get to know them!

Stay or Go?

After being awakened a little after midnight, (On Call) I lay awake and think I solved all my problems. Somewhere around 2 AM I decided I am going to have to make my boss spend just a few minutes with me,(a rarity) so that I can lay out a plan to better utilize my time at work. I am supposed to be the Director of Nursing but only work one Day a week and 3 evenings, each 6 hrs long. I think my orientation has been poor at best. I have had to seek out the info myself, there was no training plan, just what ever I could learn on my own was to be enough. On the evenings the idea was to save money and have me manage the first floor to do med pass Yes, this looked good on paper, no caregiver to staff on those 3 evenings for first floor. But there is so much more to it than passing a few pills. I end up being house supervisor and taking care of all sorts of problems and never actually working in my office doing "management" stuff.

So my plan is to offer to actually cut back to 2 eight hour Days, no pm's. I think I can manage more in those 2 days than what I am doing now and they can save money on me and staff the floor with regular caregivers as before. I hate being on call, but can't avoid that, but will offer to take it every other week instead of 4 to 5 days every week. At least I would get a break.

So that's my plan, and if she isn't open to changes, I am seriously thinking of giving her my resignation effective the first of April. That would give her lots of time to replace me. I think I see why the last 2 DON left after only a few months each. Should have seen that red flag.

If I do quit, I will just go back to work with the staffing agency and pick up a few days at the prison like I was doing before. Actually the gal at Curves is after me to manage the place for her but it would be way toooooooo many hours for me. Gee I miss my little book store. But thats just between you and me. Shhhhhhhhh.

Thought for the day: Blessed are the flexible, for they can tie themselves in knots.

Just dreaming

Every once in awhile I think I will write my dreams down as soon as I wake up. I have very vivid dreams, always have. Some times they are so real I have trouble going back to sleep, sometimes I wake up crying and sometimes they are really funny. I was going thru a notebook to find something to write on today and found a page dated 3/14/08 Dream. I thought for fun I would write it down word for word as I remembered it that morning.

Boarded a big plane. I knew the guy in charge but can't remember who he was. Lots of kids. It was a special flight for kids going to somewhere in Spain. Crowded, lots of bags in the seats. To entertain the kids this guy has a special heavy plastic ceiling that could be lowered down so the kids could write and use crayons on the ceiling. Landed once in Egypt and runway was like a regular road. Then landed in Spain and runway was worse and we taxed for miles right thru poor community streets and wings didn't touch anyone. But then no one could speak the kind of Spanish and there was anger and then we were flying and being shot at and everyone was on the floor, then my mother was there complaining about wanting some aspirin and coffee and not worried about being shot at at all. I had to get in her face to make her see we were in danger.

Not sure what all that means but this is a typical dream for me. Sometimes when I am dreaming it feels like the real world. Do you think maybe we slip into a different time/space and do live lives in another world when we dream?

Thought for the day: Never put both feet in your mouth at the same time, because then you won't have a leg to stand on.

We really can't turn back the clock

I know I shouldn't talk about the folks where I work but have to tell you about one lady. She is 89 years old. She has had breast implants (don't know how many years ago) And she has had a face lift some time in the past. He cheeks are smooth and eyes sort of pulled back and the lips too. Makes her look really strange. Does make you think about what folks look like in old age when they mess with mother nature.

Defrosted the freezer and made a big batch of spaghetti sauce. Now have to go work on the inservice I was told I had to do for tomorrows staff meeting. Appropriate topic. Grouchy People.

Thought for the day: Did you ever notice that the Roman Numerals for forty (40) are "XL"