So, here I sit...again...trying to find a job. One of the determining factors right now (in which jobs to apply for) is distance. How far can I afford to drive to work with gas at $3.50+ per gallon...on a salary which will most likely be less than $12.00 per hour. Then there is the issue of Health Insurance...it is a must. I absolutely hate this. And to top it off...there don't seem to be a lot of positions out there that don't require a degree...which I don't have. Holy cow...any ideas?

Be Well!+

Sitting at my desk...minding my own business. Out of the blue...I am attacked by the "lay off fairy". I'm still a bit in shock. I had assumed that I would remain employed there until I retired. Instead, I just finished filing for unemployment. Hopefully the job search won't outlive the severance pay and life will get on course again.

Be Well!

And so it begins...

And so it begins.

The departing of summer.
Long, lazy days…sun kissed breezes…
Soft lush grass …
kaleidoscopic gardens under
canopies of full green trees …
locusts in the evening…
Relinquishing their place…
To brisk days…chilly nights…
The fading of grass and gardens…
giving way to the onslaught of falling leaves…
in brilliant orange and fiery red.

Vacation!

Vacation was good! The first 5 days were spent enjoying a beautiful cabin in the hills overlooking Table Rock Lake…with my wonderful husband, both of our fantastic kids, and our precious granddaughter!

 

We shopped, and ate…and ate and shopped! I’m pretty sure that I consumed my weight in fudge! Along the way we also went to the Butterfly Palace, Lambert’s (Home of the throwed rolls), and spent an afternoon on Table Rock Lake tubing.

 

After a bit of housekeeping we headed out Thursday to spend the night in Coffeyville, KS with relatives, then on home to Wichita on Friday morning!

 

We had a great week, and it ended all too quickly (as vacations do)!

 

On the up side, it looks like the 100 + temperatures have come to an end! Yea!! With highs in the upper 80’s and low 90’s, it will still be warm enough for the pool for a while…but not so sweltering that it takes our breath away!

 

While we were gone a couple of folks made the headlines…Phyllis Diller (sadly for passing away), and Prince Harry (for having a VERY good time in Vegas).

 

Phyllis Diller will be missed! Her hoarse laugh and fabulous humor are legendary! She is irreplaceable.

 

As for Prince Harry…what can one say? It was all fun and games until the photo’s hit the internet. I don’t know whether he is accompanied by “body guards” or “handlers”…but if so…this might be a good time to review what their role should be in protecting him from himself.

 

Be Well!

Just another day...

The house was run down and shabby, its paint peeling and most of the screens torn, but the

backyard was a wonderland! Surrounded on both sides and across the back, by an old rusty, wire
fence. It’s sagging sections had borne the weight of every child in the neighborhood at one
time or another, either in scrambling over it or riding it like a horse. Huge old trees stood along the
perimeter like soldiers, their massive, lush green foliage protecting the yard and it’s occupants
from the hot summer sun. The three of us spent most of our days from sun up, to sun down
entertaining ourselves in that yard. Mom and her tranquilizers stayed in the house pretty much,
only venturing out a couple times a day to make sure no one was dead. 

I was 8 years old that summer, Tony was 6 and Sarah was 4. Tony and Sarah were tiny kids;

both had dark eyes and chestnut brown hair and they were often mistaken for twins. I was the
odd one, blond hair, blue eyes and a head taller than other kids my age. We had been digging
that day, no particular reason, it just seemed like a good day for making holes! Tony and I sat   
next to the swingset, digging with mom’s serving spoons. As usual, Sarah had to have her own
hole, which she was digging with a stick.

The boys next door, Steve and Gary, had been in and out of their house all morning, watching us dig, and after a while, they climbed over the fence and joined us, the youngest one carrying a bottle of Fresca. “What are you doing?” asked Steve. “Just diggin” said Tony, thrusting his spoon into the dirt. “Why?” asked Steve.
“Cause” said Tony. Steve picked up a stick, sat down, and began to dig. Gary sat down next to Sarah and offered her a drink of his soda.

Suddenly, Sarah began to gag. “Yech, she’s puking…” Tony said, twisting his face up in a nasty expression.

I got up and ran over to her. “Sarah, are you okay?” I asked, grabbing her shoulders and turning her to face me.  She was definitely not okay. Looking up at me, she wretched again, spewing vile, green stuff on
the ground between us. Beside her sat the soda that Gary had offered her. I grabbed the tail of my shirt and wiped her mouth, then picked up the bottle. The moment I picked up the soda, Gary slid backwards in the dirt. I sniffed the contents.

“You little creep! You peed in this bottle!” I screamed, flinging it to the ground. Gary was now grinning from ear to ear. “She’s so stupid she drank it!” he roared, throwing back his head in laughter. “She’s not stupid, she’s 4 years old you idiot!”  I screeched. At that point, Steve made a run for the fence, scrambling over it head first.

“Tell her you’re sorry you jerk!” I demanded. “I’m not telling her I’m sorry, I didn’t make her drink it!” he said, still grinning stupidly as he scrambled to his feet and began backing toward the fence. “I said tell her you’re sorry!”  “I won’t and you can’t make me.” He said. In one quick motion, he reached to the ground and picked up a hefty stick, which he now brandished wildly in the air.

“You’re gonna need a bigger stick jackass!” I said, moving towards him. He was almost to the fence by then.

Now or never, I thought.  Breaking into a run, I tackled him around the neck. He fell backward and I landed on top of him. “So, you want to go home huh? Not until you tell her you’re sorry!” I said, slapping him hard across the face.

“I’m not sorry! Get off me!” He yelled squirming like the worm that he was. “Tell her…NOW!” I yelled, my face almost against his. “SORRY” he yelled, starting to sob. I stood up, dragging him with me by the front of his shirt. “Now, get out of our yard creep.” I hissed, as I pushed him toward the fence. He turned and covered the two remaining steps to the fence with one leap, and as he hooked his foot in the wire, I jammed both of my palms against his backside and pushed with all my might. He flew through the air like a rocket, landing in a heap in his own yard.  “Don’t forget your pop!” yelled Tony, hurling the bottle over the fence behind him!

Just then, mom stepped out the back door, recoiling slightly against the muted sunlight like a vampire awakened before nightfall.  Standing on the crumbling cement backporch, rollers in her hair, cigarette hanging out the side of her mouth, she shielded her eyes with one hand, the other planted on her hip.

 “What the hell’s goin on out here…I can’t hardly hear the TV!” she said.

“Nothing mom” I said, as I returned to my digging.

“Steve and Gary just went home.”

On tomorrow...

Tomorrow…

Tomorrow is a scary place…

Where “if’s” and “maybe’s” live,
Faith and dreams a trail can blaze…
And hindsight always is…

But when tomorrow, is today…

The universe is dim,
There’s little more to do or say…
The outlook then is grim.

Until, of course, we realize…

That tomorrow comes again…
A thought that takes us by surprise…
And hope returns within.


Be Well!

I'm baaaaaack!

After a lengthy absence from blogging...I am going to try to make a come back! Life has been busy...to say the least...and I have almost completely stopped writing. I miss it!

So many things have happened since I was here last time! In fact...too many to recap right now. I imagine that will come in bits and pieces as time goes by.

Right at the moment though, our son is on vacation in Vegas (yes I AM jealous)! And, we just moved our daughter and granddaughter into a new home. By "just moved" I mean...yesterday! They have been sharing a bedroom for a year now...as the master bedroom (in their previous house) happened to be upstairs and the nursery downstairs. Not really an optimal situation for a baby. During the transition between houses (about a week) they have been staying at home with us. It has been great fun! Of course...I would be ecstatic if both of our kids had remained at home forever! But...since that didn't happen...it is always awesome when either or both of them come home for any length of time!

The new house is really nice! I'm not certain of the square footage...but there are three bedrooms...three baths...living room, dining room/kitchen, full finished basement...with large family room and plenty of storage! It will be a wonderful home for them for many years!

It has been almost 16 years since we bought our last home...and things have really changed! I cannot believe all of the hoops that home buyers are required to jump through now! I suppose in the long run...the changes are for the best. Maybe more folks will be able to actually keep the homes they buy with all of the new regulations in place...but it sure seems like a giant pain in the ^#%&^!

The clock is ticking away and I need to wind this up and scoot across town to help with some things at the new house this evening!

Be well!