Alex's Third Birthday

Alex's third birthday party had to be posponed because he and most of his friends were sick with colds and runny noses. The party was held last night at a cool place - "Kinetic Kids" - in Harrisonburg. It's gymnastics/dance/music for little kids. They all had a great time.

Alex was such a little gentleman. He actually brought his best friend, Kayden (Kay-kay) over to meet me. I stooped down and asked Kay-kay if he remembered me. I said "I'm Alex's grandma." He laughed and said "You're Alex's grandma!" Three-year olds are so totally cute!

After playing for an hour in the playroom, we went upstairs for food, cake and presents. When it came time to blow out the candles, Alex stood beside the table and huffed and puffed, but couldn't blow the candles out. He did manage to make his hair fluff up, though. We brought Kay-kay over to help him. It was so funny! Both of them were blowing a fine mist over the cake and Kay-kay was actually whistling. But the candles remained burning. Finally, Emma blew them out. The boys thought they had done it and were so proud. Alex turned around to his guests and said "THANKS, GUYS!".

Now it was time for the presents. The table was loaded with gifts and as Nicole handed him one, she read the card or tag and told Alex who the gift was from. As he opened each gift, he exclaimed "Oh, wow!" My gifts were the first three. After opening the big yellow dump truck, he looked around for me and when he saw me, he called out "Thanks, Nanny!" The same for the second and third gifts - "Thanks, Nanny". When he opened the next gift, he turned again to me and said "Thanks, Nanny!". Everyone laughed because that gift wasn't from me. I laughed and said "You're welcome, Buddy!" From then on, each time he opened a gift, it was "Oh, Wow!" and he'd turn, find the friend in the group and say "Thank you". He was so polite.

After the gifts were all opened, he walked around to the side of the table. I thought he was looking for more gifts, but he was looking for the box with the party favor bags so he could give them out to his friends. I did hear him ask Nicole if he could have one of the party favor bags for himself. She told him he could if there was one left over. Luckily, there was one.

One of the gift we gave him was a red cape with a big letter "A" on the back. Awesome Alex. He put the cape on, but wouldn't do his "Alex to the rescue". Too many people there, I guess. He was too involved with a Thomas the Tank train someone gave him.

I was impressed with his interaction with his friends. There were no tears, no pushing, no shoving. He gave everyone hugs and thanked them for coming.

What a wonderful little guy.

Time Does Not Stand Still For Anyone, Even Me!

Hard to believe, but it's been over a year since I last wrote in this journal. What was I doing that was so important that I couldn't take a few minutes to jot down my thoughts. Can't think of a single thing....

In January, I went to court and met the trooper who made my ticket go away after I showed him my receipts for the tags. I didn't have to pay the court costs and fines. Thanks Trooper Clark!

I spent a lot of time in January getting things made for the fair. Doll clothes sewn, knitted and crocheted. Cross-stitched a beautiful "Three Faces of Santa". Love it!

Alex turned two and just gets more and more loveable, if that's even possible! We counted the coins in the money jar and there's almost $500. The jar is way to heavy to lift - even if we could, I'd be afraid the bottom would break off. The jar is almost full. So what do we do? Get a new jar? Cash out the coins?

I started going to Emma's third grade class to help with multiplication facts. Some of the kids are really fast but most of them are not. They are so cute as they scrunch up their faces trying to remember (or trying to count). You can almost see the steam coming out of the top of their heads.

All through the year I attended band practices, choir and bell practices, play practices. I looked for work but no one wants to hire a grey-haired grandma. I dealt with a computer scam telling me I had a trojan worm (I didn't). We went to Nicole's dance recital in Tyson's Corner. Alex loves to see his Mama dance! We dealt with snow and electric outages.

I had Grand Jury duty for three months. That really brings the nasty side of life to the forefront. I'm glad I don't know any of those people.

We had several friends and family members die this year. We also had a new baby - Lily Rodgers. She's simply adorable! I guess she's my 1st cousin, twice removed. My cousin's granddaughter.

In April, we had to buy a new refrigerator this year. That's something we absolutely didn't want to have to do! We're still digging ourselves out of our financial hole. I love it, though. It's black. I would have never thought I'd want a black 'fridge. Brenda and Frank came up in their camper again. We hit a few yard sales and went shopping.

May brought us the death of Bin Laden. Nicole went to Lebanon for a 10-day conference on land mines. We had lots of birthdays in May - Kara, Frank, Dick, Maggie and Emma. Scott got married on May 21, but I couldn't attend. I was in a play. There was no one to take my place. Rats. Emma played "Amazing Grace" on the recorder in church on May 8th. I love my grandchildren.

We survived "rapture day".

In June, July and August, I spent a lot of time at the pool with Kara and the girls. Maggie and Emma started diving from the board (finally!). The community band summer concert series went off without a hitch. The July 3rd concert is always a hit with the community because of the fireworks. I just love fireworks. Emma has learned to tolerate them.

We didn't have too many snakes this year. Yea! Kara and the girls and I went to Florida to Brenda's. We spent a lot of time at the beach. The Titusville Girls' club always has fun! They even let Morgan join. She's just too cute!

After we got back from Florida, it was time to go get my items from the fair and to see if I had won anything. I had entered 16 things and won 16 ribbons. One 'Best of Show', twelve 1st places, three 2nd places and one 3rd. I got about $47. Nice.

In August, as we were sitting at the pool eating lunch, we experienced an earthquake. Emma was so scared she was crying to go home. I told her we were safest out in the open. It was over in less than 30 seconds. Our house had some foundation damage and I noticed hair-line cracks in my bedroom walls.

We had to buy a 1993 Ford Explorer from Charlie so I'd have something "reliable" to drive. The other two cars aren't dependable. I wish we'd just get rid of them.

We had our 44th wedding anniversary on the 23rd of September. We went to Outback for dinner with Charlie and Alice.

In October, I started making doll clothes for Nancy Thompson's granddaughter for Christmas. I wasn't going to make any for Maggie and Emma, but I went ahead and did that, too. Brenda and Frank came up again in October.

I spent the next weeks getting things ready for Christmas. I wanted to knit Alex a sweater and hat but I didn't use my knitter because I wanted to do a design on the front and I don't know how to do that on the knitter. I did use the knitter to make Maggie's and Emma's ponchos and head warmers. The knitter is so much faster for that kind of straight knitting!

I was also getting things made for next year's fair, including Maggie's pink afghan. Emma wants one, too, but hasn't decided what color. I'll make her's for the fair of 2013. I've entered three afghans so far, but haven't won 1st place, yet! I was so sure 2011's afghan was a winner - it's absolutely beautiful! - but it only got 2nd place. Even the first place winner told Kara she was surprised! She expected me to win. Rats, again!

We had all the holiday dinners - Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas. We had all the family gatherings - holidays, birthdays, etc. I read a lot of books and watched a lot of good programs on TV. I made a lot of cards and scrapbook pages. I've watched my grandchildren growing (and wishing they could stay little a little longer).

I guess all this is what I was doing instead of writing in this journal!

The BEST Christmas EVER!

The days leading up to Christmas were filled with rushing around, trying to remember where I stored the gifts bought earlier, getting the doll clothes finished, the band concert, the Christmas dinner at church, Christmas cantata, the children's program at church, making Maggie's whatchamacallit that hangs from the ceiling over her bed with the pink sheer material (a curtain, really) and getting the food ready for our Christmas dinner.

Christmas morning was quiet because it was just the two of us, until about noon when Kara, Maggie and Emma arrived. The girls were all excited about their Christmas presents and each had a new American Girl doll (from GeeGee), watches and DSIs. They had so many presents at home that they couldn't remember everything they got! After telling me as many as they could, I asked them if they got anything big (trying to jog their memories). They couldn't remember. Finally, I said "Didn't you get new bicycles?" "Oh! Yeah!" Chris had to go to Fairfax to pick up a body and wasn't sure he'd make it back in time but luckily he did.

Justin, Nicole and Alex arrived just before lunch. They wanted to stay home in the morning to start their own traditions with Alex on Christmas morning. Alex is still too young to know what's going on, but he knew "Santa". We have a Santa that dances when you squeeze his hand, so Alex had fun with that.

After a delicious dinner of steak and shrimp with coleslaw, broccoli casserole and baked potatoes, we opened our gifts. I think everyone was pleased with their presents, especially the children. Alex was having fun ripping the paper off and without even looking at the toy, was ready to rip open another. We gave him a remote control car (for toddlers) and he immediately knew what to do with it. Kara and the girls gave him a tree house with Weebles and he knew how to play with that, too! He wasn't too interested in the sweaters and hats I knitted for him.

Maggie and Emma were happy with the games we gave them. Maggie was especially happy when she opened a box and found a velour jacket that was a twin of one she had just received that morning at Pam's. Two jackets, two different colors. I had made a box full of AG doll clothes again, and they were excited about that, too, especially since they now have six dolls.

As Maggie and Emma were leaving to go home, Maggie turned and said "This is the BEST Christmas EVER!!" I had to laugh, because we have said that same thing for years and years.

Bad Monday

I had a bad morning on Monday. I started out to go to Winchester to pick up two items for the girls for Christmas. First, I started out at the credit union to cash in my $137 in rolled coins. I got there too early and had to wait 15 minutes for the lobby to open. When I handed over the coins, she took them to the coin sorting machine and came back with a receipt for $136.86. She said I counted them wrong. I use coin sorter tubes. How could I have counted it wrong? Where did the penny come from??? I told her that same thing happened the last time I brought coins into this particular branch. She just looked at me.

Ok, get over it, move on.

As I was leaving town, I stopped at the McDonald's near I-66 to get a drink to take with me. As I was pulling out, it tipped over (there's no cup holder thing in the old truck) and I got soaked. I had to pull over and clean up the mess. Now I'm really mad! Damn it!! I'm soaked and there's a sticky, wet mess on the seats, my coat and my pants. It's freezing outside, too!!!!

Ok, get over it, move on.

As I approached the light at the shopping center, I was putting my seat belt on when I noticed a state trooper get in line behind me. Just something I noticed, no worries. When the light turned green, we all took off and he turned his blue lights on. I figured he'd pull out and go after somebody who was speeding or something, but no. No, he didn't pull out, he motioned to ME to pull over. Am I getting a ticket for no seat belt?? It couldn't have been but 50 feet that I drove with no belt on. Jeeze!!

When he came to the window and asked for my license and registration, I asked him what was wrong. He said he'd tell me later. What? Tell me later? What the heck is going on? I gave him the license but I couldn't find a current registration in the truck. He said not to worry about that, he could pull it from his computer. When he came back he said the registration wasn't current and I'd have to go to court in January. I also needed to go to the DMV and paid the fees to get the new registration. What??? I called Jimmy and he said the truck was registered, but when the trooper said, "Yes, for August 2010." I said, "Yes, THIS is 2010". He said, "Yes, but THIS is DECEMBER." Then it hit me! OMG!!! We didn't get the new tag stickers in August because we were planning on selling the truck! OMG!

He told me that if I brought the registration to court and met him at 10:30 (my court time is 11:00) he'd get rid of the ticket. I was so flustered and felt every second of my age, that I forgot to ask him if I still had to go before the judge and if I still had to pay the $90 for the court costs and fees.

He also told me that this was NOT a traffic offense. My clean record of 46 years still stands. I've never gotten a speeding ticket or any kind of ticket (except parking tickets and I've had two of those, one of which was forgiven because the "no parking" sign was missing).

Sigh. Did I mention that this all took place in the span of 20 short minutes??

Ok, get over it, move on.

Thanks Giving...

After a few days of grumbling, he finally decided that we could go to Kara's for Thanksgiving dinner. Justin, Nicole and Alexander the Great were going to be in New Jersey with her family, so it was easier for Kara to combine both families instead of coming to our house and then going home and fixing another dinner for Chris' family.

I was all for it! Imagine - not having to get up at the crack of dawn to put the turkey in the oven (well, really Jimmy does that, so I shouldn't complain); not having to peel all those potatoes and fix the different casseroles; no pies to bake; no housecleaning to do! Yea!!

I had a leisurely morning to make a few Christmas cards for the grandkids (really cute!!) and to make a cranberry/apple casserole and some peanut butter cookies (with M&Ms - Yum!). After the casserole came out of the oven, I packed it up and we made our way to Kara's house.

There was so much food! Turkey, ham (yes, ham!), mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, macaroni and cheese, deviled eggs (Maggie called them "Angel-ed eggs), green bean casserole, bean salad, Watergate salad, rolls, my cranberry/apple casserole, the peanut butter cookies, corn, greens (spicy hot), pumpkin pie, key lime pie, rum cake....have I forgotten anything? I probably have. Kara has a nice, wide counter top, but there was barely room for everything.

Kara, Chris, Maggie, Emma, Amy, Sean, Keagan, Pam, Wilma, Jimmy and I sat down and ate almost all of it. Isn't it amazing how long it takes to prepare all that food and in less than 20 minutes it's almost all gone?

The food was delicious and everyone had a great time. We came home stuffed, but later that evening, I fixed a small pan of stuffing, made some mashed potatoes and gravy and we dove in again. And tonight's leftovers were equally delicious.

I Love Reunions

We had our school reunion last night. All together, we had over 200 people attend. Coming from a small school that lasted only 10 years, we have a unique situation in that we know everyone quite well. It was easy to pass over the "class" lines and greet and chat with everyone.

There might have been cliques when we were teenagers but those have all dissolved through the passing of time. Being a "younger sister" also helped me get to know my sisters' friends. "Oh, you're Brenda's sister!" or "I remember you! You used to tag along with us!" "Remember that time we scared you to death when we were racing those boys on the duels?"

Lots of laughing, lots of eating, lots of hugging - I love reunions!

Why Do We Care So Much?

He has no marketable skills and won't have any for a long, long time. The girls don't either. They can dance and sing and make things; all he can do is dance and make messes. All three of them require a lot of time and energy just to make sure they'll survive. None of them can fix dinner or drive you to the hospital if you're in need of medical care. We (well, not us exactly) have to spend money on them daily. Shoes, clothes, food, school supplies (yeah, it's that time of year, again!) and we'll (again, not us exactly!) have to do that for more than 18 years.

Why do we put so much time and effort into these (basically) useless people? They're just little kids.

So, what's the big deal here? Why do we care so much?

Because yesterday, for the first time, Alex called me "Nanny" or maybe it was "NaNa" (kinda rhymes with b'nana). My heart sings. He runs to me to be picked up, knowing full well that I will, and has such a look of delight on his beautiful face.

Several times yesterday, he went searching for Jimmy, calling "Popie, Popie". Jimmy was busy building and installing bookcases with Justin, but every time Alex came calling, Jimmy stopped what he was doing for a little "Alex time".

I saw a show on tv the other day. The new father called his mother and said that he never really understood how much she loved him until he held his own newborn daughter.

That's it exactly!

I Hate That Blankety-Blank Stoplight

Before getting onto Browntown Road, you have to stop at a new stoplight that was put into service when the new high school was built. I understand that we need the light when school is in session for the morning and afternoon traffic into and out of the school. I don't think we need the light any other time, especially when school is out for the summer. We've been using that crossover for many years before the school was built and we did just fine.

I hate having to wait at that light for my left turn when there is no traffic in sight. I sit and wait, and sit and wait and about a half mile down the road, here comes a car. I'm still sitting and waiting. I could have crossed over and been on my way, but no. I have to sit and wait for the little green arrow. The distant car comes and goes past. I'm still sitting and waiting. Do I dare make my (illegal) left turn when the light is still red? Drat. Here come some cars. Hmmm. That car coming out of Browntown Road to cross over and go down 34o just got his light. I'm still sitting and waiting. Finally, I get my light.

A lot of times, I'll be coming up to the light (it's GREEN!) but before I can race down to it, it turns red. It just doesn't stay green long enough. So, I sit and wait.

A short distance away is the crossover for Skyline Drive. There's no stoplight there. On Saturdays and Sundays in the spring and fall, the traffic in and out of there is heavy. It's sometimes backed up to South Street, causing huge traffic delays. Those people are virtual strangers to this area, but VDOT thinks they're smart enough to cross over without a light to guide them.

We used to be smart enough, but VDOT suddenly thinks we need help. Most of us using Browntown Road have been living on it for many years. My family has been living here for 34 years. We never needed help getting across before.

You Are Such A Bridgett!

We're slowly getting ourselves out of debt. The land was sold, the check finally landed in our account and we began to write the checks to clear our debts. Most of them went without a hitch - locate the bill, write the check, mail it and Ta-Da!

But, of course, there's always something lying in wait to trip us up. I'm talking about a lady named, well, I'll just call her Bridgett. We got in touch with her to settle up our account. The first go-round didn't go well, at all. After she kept interrupting me time after time and repeating the same few words over and over: "When are you sending the check? When are you sending the check? When are you sending the check?" She needed a date to put in the letter she was sending us and I kept trying to say: "Just name a date, please, and we'll send it by that date." She kept getting louder and louder and I couldn't even hear myself think! Finally, I gritted my teeth and said "Just mail the damned thing."

Oh, oh, now she was all offended and "sugar wouldn't melt in her mouth". "I'm going to hang up! You can't curse at me!" Oh, puleeze! She went on for about five minutes about how I was the rudest person she ever had the misfortune to talk to. Without throwing up, I apologized to her (yeah, but she didn't hear what I was actually saying in my mind!) and quietly said to please, just mail the letter with any date she wanted to put down. Sugar couldn't melt in my mouth, because my teeth were gritted so tightly, sugar couldn't GET IN!

After the letter arrived, Jimmy decided to be on the safe side and send the letter by certified mail. That way, we'd have a confirmation number and could track when the letter actually arrived.

Today, when I got home from work, I found that she had called and left a message for me to call her. I returned the call. She wanted to know where the check was. I told her that Jimmy had sent it certified. She said "OH NO!!!" I asked what the problem was. She informed me that if I had told her we were sending it certified, she would have told me not to do that. Don't EVER send ANYTHING to her office by certified mail!!! "Why?" I asked.

My stomach was beginning to roil. She said that certified mail stayed at the post office waiting for a signature. "So?", I though. She said they hardly ever go to the post office. My mind was screaming - "So, get off your lazy butt and go to the *#@*% post office" ! Are you kidding me?? I said I thought maybe if that was such a problem for them, they should have had that written in the instructional letter they sent me. "We don't have to put that on the letter!" she snapped. "YOU should have told me!" I replied that I didn't know he was going to decide to do that, and if it had been in the letter, instructing us to avoid doing that, he wouldn't have done it. I repeatedly asked her to transfer me to her supervisor, but she said there was no one there except her. I told her that I had spoken to three different people before she came on the line. "They've all gone to lunch" was her answer. Fine, ok. I give up.

She told me to call the post office and ask them to return my check (HUH?) and then tear it up and do a check over the phone. If we didn't have the money to her by the end of the month (next Friday) the settlement deal was off. Now, how in blue blazes could the Front Royal post office get my check back from Towson, Md?

I got out the confirmation ticket and went on-line to the post office's web site. I entered the number and clicked "go". A confirmation screen appeared and said that the letter was in the Towson, Md., post office. I called her back and gave her that information and all of a sudden, I was talking to the sweetest person in the world! Now, neither butter nor sugar would melt in her precious mouth! (Gag me with a spoon!)

The Saga Continues...

The next day, we went down to the Health Department to pick up the cursed letter from Greenway. I had made a point of asking the title company to tell me exactly what we needed to do with the letter. I was told to pick it up from the Health Department and take it to the courthouse to have it filed at a cost of $26.00.

Armed with this exact information, we headed on down and picked up the letter. Before we left, though, I asked the Health Department to give me exact instructions on what to do with the letter. NOW I was told to take it to the courthouse, GET IT NOTARIZED and bring it back! She would then make a copy for her files and I could then take the NOTARIZED letter to the title company. It must be NOTARIZED! Obviously, the title company knew that little bit of information, but for some reason, failed to say "NOTARIZED". I could feel the pressure in my head start to build.

We walked over to the courthouse and went in. There is only one door for entering the courthouse, now. They've closed off the other doors for security reasons. In Front Royal. Security reasons. Yeah, ok. At the security screening area, we put our possessions in the little basket to be scanned. I didn't take anything with me, so I was able to walk through the scanner portal and I was "in like Flynn". Jimmy, on the other hand, was another matter. He put his wallet, keys and little pocket knife in the basket. The young deputy handed him back the knife and said "You can't bring THIS in here!" Jimmy told him we were just there to get a paper filed, we weren't going into the courtroom. Would the deputy hold it for him? We would only be a few minutes.

"Absolutely NOT" he practically shouted. "You have to take this back to your vehicle and leave it there!" Jimmy turned and left the building without saying a word. The deputy looked over at me and said "What's HIS problem?" I just told the deputy that we were exasperated with dealing with a land sale and we were "up to here" with it. He continued to act like we were the worst of the worst for trying to bring a KNIFE into the courthouse.

Just then, Jimmy returned - having only been gone a few seconds. The deputy asked him what he did with the knife, knowing that Jimmy couldn't have walked back to the car in that short amount of time. Jimmy told him that he left it outside and would retrieve it when we were finished in the Clerk's office. The other, older deputy told him that the trustees were told to pick up anything they found outside and turn it in. The knife was probably going to be lost. Jimmy said he didn't care and we walked down the hall, leaving the two deputies shaking their heads.

Getting the paper notarized and filed took only about ten minutes and cost $21, not $26. When we were getting ready to leave, I told Jimmy we should just walk out without speaking to the deputies. I was almost afraid he might say something. But, when we passed the men, he said "Y'all have a nice day".

Outside, he walked around to where he left the knife, and sure enough, it was gone. My heart sunk. I guess the trustees found it and had turned it in, or worse yet, someone else had it. The older deputy had followed us outside. I was afraid he was going to start in on us and I could feel the pressure in my head building even higher. My headache was getting worse. I just wanted to leave. He put out his hand and when he opened his fingers, there was Jimmy's knife. He quietly said that he had felt badly for Jimmy and had come out (unknown to the younger deputy) and picked up the knife to hold for him.

To make a really, really long story a little bit shorter, we thanked him and took the notarized letter back to the Health Department, got it copied and then drove over to the title company. The next day, we went to settlement. A few days later, after another snafu, the money was wired to our account, the bills got paid and my headache went away.

Not For The Faint of Heart...

We decided to put some land up for sale last July. A couple of interested buyers called the realtor, but nothing really happened until November. Two buyers were inquiring about it, so we thought, "Finally!".

The first buyers seemed to lose interest, but - Hey! We had the second couple, so all was not lost! When our realtor told us that we had buyers, we assumed (yeah, I know - don't assume anything, yadda, yadda) that she meant the second couple. It wasn't until we went in to sign the papers that we discovered it was the first couple who had seemed to lose interest. They wanted the land, but, they also wanted more of it.

We decided to go ahead and sell four more acres. After the surveying and perc test, we'd be going to settlement in about two weeks. That would have made it around the second week of January.

We didn't take into account the possibility of three feet of snow. We didn't take into account the possibility of more snow on top of that. We didn't take into account the slow grinding of the real estate wheels.

After weeks of waiting, we were told that the buyers wanted to use a company (let's call them Company G) that charges $10,000 for the survey. We had agreed earlier, in writing, to pay half the survey cost and half the perc test cost. Whoa! Just a minute! $5,000 for a survey!?! We called a local surveyor and he came up and did it for $1700. Now, that's more like it!

Jimmy had used the sno-blower to make a wide path up to the top of the hill where the perc test would take place. (Strangely, the company that wanted to charge $10,000 for the survey was the company that was to come to do the test. ) Well, we waited. And waited. And waited some more for the test to be done. Days went by, then weeks went by. Finally, they came and performed the test. Right away we were told that it was good. We'd get the certification and then we could go to settlement.

A few more days, another week, then another. Our realtor called and said the buyers were willing to go to settlement without the certification letter if we'd give them some "compensation" money at settlement.

Another few days turned into another week. Company G told us they were waiting for the buyers to send a check to cover the cost of the test. So we waited some more.

The title company called and said they needed some signatures on paperwork. What paperwork? Well, the new plat has to be entered at the courthouse. After we signed the papers, she very casually said that she's had the papers for about two weeks, sitting on her desk, waiting for signatures. What? WHAT? It was all I could do to nod my head and walk out the door before I exploded. We've had phone calls from them in the past, and no one said anything about coming down to sign the papers.

If anything could go wrong, it has.

Jimmy went to Company G about 4 1/2 weeks ago to get the finished paperwork to hand-carry to the title company. When he was there, Company G told him the buyer had called about the paperwork and was very upset to find out that Jimmy was there to get it. The buyers eventually wrote a letter to the real estate agent saying they wanted out of the contract because Jimmy violated the terms of the contract by going over to pick up the papers.

More weeks go by. Now, today, we were called to come to the Health Department to pick up the paperwork. It was finally done. We picked it up and were told to take it to the courthouse to file it, bring it back so she could make a copy and then take it to the title company. When we got to the title company, she faxed a copy to our real estate agent and said everything was ok and she'd call us when to come in for settlement - maybe tomorrow, maybe Wednesday, but surely this week.

My heart was lighter and my stomach pains were receding. Everything was going to be ok.

I should know better by now.

When we got home, our agent had left a message. Jimmy called her back. It seems no one told us to pick up the letter from Greenway - the one Jimmy had picked up and hand delivered to the Health Department. We need that for settlement. We called the Health Department, but OF COURSE! It was closed for the day. We had talked to her, the people at the Health Department, the lady at the courthouse, the lady at the title company and no one, NO ONE had mentioned that we needed the letter from Greenway.

My heart aches and my stomach pains are back. My head hurts and my throat is getting sore.

The Hits Just Keep On Comin'

Times are tough. It just seems that it's all gone downhill. It can't get much worse, though. We're almost at rock-bottom as it is. It can only get better, right?

We have the other piece of property up for sale - seven months, now. I hope it sells soon. Jimmy broke his arm before Thanksgiving and, although the cast is off, it's still not 100% healed. A few more weeks, perhaps. He hasn't worked steadily for 2 1/2 years. I have a job I really like - but it's minimum wage and only 20 hours a week. The Church has helped us out by hiring Jimmy to do a few carpentry jobs (before he broke his arm) and by giving us several gift cards to Martin's for groceries. Some friends and relatives have helped out with monetary gifts, too. Without them, well - I just don't want to think about it.

Kara and Justin gave us a much-needed gift card for Christmas. I was able to use it at the pump to buy gas for the car. The next day, I needed to get a few things at Walmart, so I used it again. This time, though, it was declined. My purchase totaled $24 but the card only had $9 left on it. Somewhere between buying $16 in gas, I lost $75. My heart was in my throat and my stomach was turning over. I left Walmart and headed to the gas station.

I explained the problem to the manager of the station, but all she could say was "Where's your receipt? I can't do anything without the receipt !" She wasn't very helpful at all. Finally, I asked if she would call the number on the back of the card and see if someone there could help. Sighing deeply, she finally agreed. After talking to the person on the phone, she handed it to me and said "He can explain it better than me." (I mentally corrected her - ".....better than I"). I grabbed the phone and tried my best to understand the Pakistani on the other end. I had to keep saying "I can't understand you. Please speak more clearly."

I finally got the gist of what he was saying. When you use a gift card at the pump (instead of going inside to the cashier) the pump doesn't know how much gas you're getting (Huh?!?) so it takes $75 just to be sure that it is going to be paid. It took $75 and left me with $9. Mr. Pakistani told me I'd be getting my money back (minus the price of the gas I actually received) in about three to seven days.

That would be fine if I had other money. My paycheck wasn't coming because when I faxed it the previous Wednesday, the payroll department didn't get it and they waited until Friday to call and leave a message. Too late for me to do anything - the office was closed, locked up and the alarm turned on. I have no money coming in until January 23rd.

A month without a paycheck may seem trivial to some, but it's the only money coming in and without it there's no money for gas, or oil for the furnace, the telephone bill and all those other pesky little inconveniences. Luckily, we still had two gift cards to Martin's. We have food!

There is a bright ray of Sunshine, though! My Social Security check arrives tomorrow!!! Unfortunately, it's all going to be taken by bill collectors, but HEY! At least I can pay!

Our Christmas Story...

This was our first Christmas with Alex. Justin and Nicole came up Christmas Eve because we were expecting bad weather, but it held off. They had already exchanged gifts the night before to avoid having to bring their own presents here and then to New Jersey and back home again. Smart thinking!

Christmas morning was calm and relatively quiet. After Kara's family arrived, we had our Christmas feast at 1:00 and then opened presents. Maggie and Emma were excited to receive two boxes of knitted AG dolls clothes (I really worked hard on those!) and I also made each of them a skirt. Coordinating long-sleeved Ts and leggings made nice gifts. I also made them crocheted hats and scarfletts to wear around their necks under their coats. Toasty!

Alex looked fetching wearing his ladybug hat. He only wore it for a few minutes before snatching it off his head and tossing it aside to grab some pretty paper and ribbon. He carried his little truck around, but I found it later under a chair.

We enjoyed hearing Alex "talk". He actually seemed to be telling us something, but no one here understands "baby" anymore. We just agreed with him and that made him happy. I don't know what we agreed to, but I guess we'll find out someday.

We all enjoyed our gifts and, as we do every single year, we declared this THE BEST CHRISTMAS EVER!!

9:11 p.m. Ironic, Huh?

I was sitting at band practice last night when I looked up and saw that it was 8:30 p.m. Thirty minutes before John Allen Muhammed was scheduled to die by lethal injection. As I sat there thinking about his fate, I couldn't muster up any sympathy for him. I did say a prayer for the victims and their families.

All I could think was that those people he and Lee Malvo shot from the trunk of their car didn't know that they only had 30 minutes to live, or even 15 minutes. They didn't have the luxury of a last meal or a Valium tablet to calm their nerves before their painful deaths. They didn't get the chance to say goodbye to family members. They didn't get seven years to plea for their lives. There were no lawyers to defend their right to live. Muhammed and Malvo were their judge and jury.

What's so amazing to me is the reason why Muhammed and Malvo killed them. It wasn't a religious "war"; drugs or money weren't behind it; it wasn't political. It was just something to do.

Musings

Today is the last day for a woman who works where I do. She was hired on a temporary basis and had to apply for the job when it was opened. Unfortunately, she didn't get it! Whoa! My job is temporary, too, I suppose. When it gets funded, will I have to apply and interview for it? Will I lose out to a newcomer?

All around me at work, I see young women. Some fresh from college, some in their 20s. A few are my age, but only a few. I think most are in their 30s. I hear a lot of talk about babies, toddlers and young children in elementary school. Mine are grown with their own babies and young children in elementary school. I can relate, but as a grandmother. (What?!?!?!)

My birthday is tomorrow. Why are these birthdays coming around so quickly? When I was a kid, it took about five years for a birthday to slowly roll around; now they seem to come every few months. Christmas is the same way. And it's almost here, AGAIN!

I do worry about the job. I only got this job because no one else had applied, or was offered the position. If I have to apply, I don't think I would stand a chance up against a younger woman. In my other job searches, I didn't. Age discrimination is against the law, but you have to prove it. It's basically un-provable.

I think I'm bummed because tomorrow is my birthday - AGAIN!

The Adventures of Jimmy And The DR Field Mower

Clearing the land for sale has been a big hassle. First, he mowed where he could. Then he cut down small trees and bushes with the chain saw. Now he's using a DR field mower.

He borrowed the DR from a friend's friend. When you borrow something, if you break it then you have to fix it or replace it, right? Right. You know where this is going, don't you?

The first day, the chain came off. He came down the hill and got me to drive the tractor up the hill so he could tie the DR to it. That way, I could provide the power to get the "dead" DR back down the hill. There are a few places that are uphill, even though we're going downhill. That's when he needed the power of the tractor to pull the DR up the little hills. Going down, I had to go very slowly and even then, the DR (being heavy) would pull away from him and he'd be almost running down the hill. Another good thing we had the tractor - the DR could only run away until it bumped into the tractor.

I'd pull the DR to a flat place in the yard and he'd prop it up sideways and reattach the chain. Back up the hill he'd go with the now fixed DR. After clearing brush for about 30 minutes, here he came again - "Get on the tractor. Follow me."

This time the chain broke. We got the DR back down to the old garden and came in to look up the part number for the broken chain so he could order one online. Well, well. No such luck. The parts manual online DOESN'T SHOW A CHAIN! None of the components had the chain included. No chain sold by itself.

Charlie managed to find a chain and they both wrestled with it and finally got it back on. My question at this time was "Is it really worth going to all this trouble?" I didn't get an answer.

Several hours later, I heard someone speaking from the back porch - "Get on the tractor. Follow me." Great! Here we go again. Just reread the 3rd paragraph above.

After getting the chain back on the thingys, he returned to the hill. It's going to be dark in a little while, but he's determined. When it finally did get dark, I got my shoes and the flashlight and started to go up the hill (it's spooky going up that path - bears and mountain lions, no kidding!) but I heard him over by the parked tractor. Whew! Glad I didn't have to make that trip.

Yesterday, he took the DR back to Charlie and they tried to get the chain to stay on. That's when they discovered that the connection thingys were not far enough apart. They redrilled some holes, remounted the connection thingys and reattached the chain. Voila! Now we're cookin'!

Today. This time, he just came to the doorway and looked at me. I knew. I got up, put on my shoes and followed him to the tractor. The chain was off the track. What more can be said? Reread paragraph 3. Just more of the same. Only this time, when we got back to the flat spot in the yard, he couldn't find the chain. It had dropped off somewhere during the rereading of paragraph 3.

Decisions, Decisions, Decisions.

I had decided to make my blog private, but then changed my mind. It's out here for all the world to see. Not that all the world is beating down my door to get to my blog (Thanks go out to the three or four people who do take the time to read it!).

I got a little paranoid when I was notified by someone that she got to my blog by Googling my name. After I put my name in the search box, I was shocked by the response! Yikes! Every time I answered a "forum" question, it became search-able. Being on a board of directors - yup! Responding to other people's blogs - you guess it! It was there!

Do I make my blog private? Do I stop responding to blogs or forums? Do I not join any groups? I can't live like that, so I guess I have to take it all in stride.

My decision has been made. I'm out there.

He Stands Alone!

Justin and Nicole decided to give Alex some roaming space and took him out into the hallway of the hotel for some crawling time. They were sitting on the floor when Alex crawled over to Justin, pulled himself up by holding onto Justin's legs and then just stood! Ta-da!!

Every chance he got after that, he would pull himself up, let go and hold his arms out, just like in this picture. He would grin so happily and I knew he was feeling like "Superbaby"! He'll be 8 months on Sept. 6.

I suspect he'll be walking soon.

Way Outa My League...

Nicole had to go to a conference in Orlando and she and Justin invited me to go with them. I have never stayed at a "swanky" hotel/resort before, so this was a special treat - not to mention that I would have Baby Alex all week!!

The JWMariott at Grande Lakes in Orlando was huge. All around the outside driveway, there was a long line of black Lincolns, black Cadillacs, black Escalades and black Lexuses. These were just the taxis! Not a Checkered Cab to be seen. I don't think I saw any car over three years old, well, except for Brenda's. There were no trucks, either.

Inside the revolving doors, the lobby was a gigantic open space with a vaulted ceiling and a gigantic fountain. The hallways downstairs were at least 20 feet wide. Everything was posh, to say the least. The "poshness" only lived downstairs, though.

Our room was no different than any hotel I've ever stayed in, except for the bathroom, maybe. It was a lot larger than I've seen before. An oversized bathtub, a glass-walled shower and a large counter where the sink lived.

The part Justin, Alex and I were interested in was the pool area with it's lazy river, six pools and a couple of hot tubs. Nicole got to enjoy them after her conference each day. We always went back after dinner, and stayed until Alex got sleepy.

The lazy river wound around and emptied into each of the six pools. Most of the river was shaded from the hot sun by tall palm trees and huge ferns that hung over the water. Polynesian-styled music was playing all the time and kinda made you forget you were in Florida and not on some tropical island.

At first, I was super impressed with the hotel and the pools. Then I began seeing the extravagant prices - the price for a soft drink was $4. The cheapest breakfast was a small bowl of grits for $8. In most hotels, if you want a Coke or a little snack you head for the ice machine room. The drink machine and the candy bar/potato chip machine are both there, just waiting for your quarters. In this hotel the ice machine stands alone. No cold drink machine, no candy/potato chip/cookie machine. There weren't any snacks to be seen anywhere. That's when I began to notice people in the lobby, waiting for the pizza/KFC delivery men. There were some folks coming in the front door with bags of snacks from the not-so-nearby grocery store. The hotel is in the middle of nowhere so they've kinda got you where they want you (and your credit card).

That's also when I began noticing the excess of wealth some of these people had. Families with three or four children wearing all the "Mouse" attire they could possibly wear and still be able to walk, people coming out of the specialty shops after purchasing the expensive purse or sandals - (I really wanted the $170 flip flops that were encrusted with those crystals that look like diamonds! Seriously, I did!!) I know people can do what they want with their hard-earned money, but this is getting ridiculous. The restaurants were over-the-top expensive. As a silent protest, I decided to buy a loaf of bread, jelly and peanut butter.

I'm sad the wonderful vacation is over, but I'm glad to be back in the land of sanity. I know that I can buy a whole week's worth of groceries for what one meal for three costs.

It's August - Where Is Everyone?

I was at the pool today and was very sad (on one hand) to see the pool almost empty. Glad (on the other hand) that we didn't have to fight a crowd.

This happens every August. I don't know if it's because people are tired of the pool, have gone on their vacations, or decided they needed to do something constructive - like mowing the grass or painting a room.

I get sad in August because it means summer is almost over. The grandchildren have already gotten their school supplies and are anxious to get back to school and see their friends. Kara's not too thrilled, tho. But she's an adult and she knows what she'll be missing - sleeping late, for one.

There will be plenty of hot days after school starts and the pool will be closed. School starts on Wednesday, August 26th. I realize the pool will be closed that Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. But why does it have to be closed that Monday and Tuesday??? It will reopen on the weekend and close after Labor Day. I don't understand the logic of it being closed the 24th and 25th.