Best/ worse/ ? did you learn today? #111 visit with friends!

With the heat wave you are all experiencing, thought I'd move us into a cool a/c room where I've a jug of lemonade just ready to quench your thirst....

Yeah Scotty goes if the weather is nice but don't want to use air out there and home too. Not fun camping if you have to stay in. It is 90 here now and index is over 100 and will be for next 7 days.

You take such beautiful photo's Bev..would say that the gardens are benefiting from the rain, humidity etc.

Betty, the last time I was at Crackerbarrell...was with you and your DM. I haven't been up there since.

I didn't go to the area where the Christmas Tree shop is either. Just to the doctors and back home. Minor irritation removing the stitches. Had a cute chat with the nurse...whos baby is due in 12 days and the sweetheart was still working! Said she is working til its time and then taking her maternity leave. She is having a little girl Isabella. Then the doc came in to see me and decided to zap a large area with liquid nitrogen...so I was not happy. Go back the 29th of July for one more surgery.

Betty, whenever you and your DM come up here...I will be there. Just NOT the weekend of July 18, my niece is getting married....and Aug. 8th is Shannons Grad party. Any other time, I am yours! LOL

Sure is hot outside...thankfully a slight breeze helping us out.

I need to make some lunch quick.

Dragon, loving your pictures!

Debbie

Debbie, I'm just waiting to get to the post office and find my passport and then mom and I will pick a date..know she wants to go asap, says she need margarine..imagine...she just ran out from our last visit...expensive margarine if you figure in the $$$$'s...

Do you get maternity leave for 1 year the same as we do Debbie..I find that most mother's to be want to work up until the very last second as to prolong their time off with their newborn..

Suzanne and I just got back from restaurant, opted for club house..yummy, didn't eat it all because I'm going out tonight to eat..picked up a graduation card now must put $$$ in it and I'm set to go tonight..

It's quite warm here as well..calling for higher temps tomorrow..no breeze though..much of the time you and I have same weather conditions...

Where is the wedding Debbie, in Rochester?

Betty each company has different individual maternity leaves. The normal is 2 weeks before and six weeks after delivery...unless a C-sec...then 8 weeks. BUT each company has different options, and they have "leave" that the Moms usually put in for...without pay...after their initial 6 week leave expires.

Nieces wedding and reception are in a small town nearby Middleport and Gasport. The reception is actually at a winery. I have never been but sounds like a nice evening.

Is it Kyle who is having Graduation tonight? Is it 8th grade grad? You will have a good time being with your family.

I can't believe Shannons is this Friday. She just officially finished her last exam today.....and has rehersal on Friday morning.

On Saturday evening, we have tickets to go see Ronnie Milsap. Love his music. It is being held in celebration of Camp Good Days and Special Times, celebrating their 30th Anniversary. I was excited to be going....having a date night with DH....now he wants to take his parents. Not sure if I am happy about that or not...but will make the best of the night out.

Debbie

Debbie, yes it is Kyle and yes grade 8..finally in high school, hard to remember being that young but I do..can even remember what dress I was wearing..mom had bought me the prettiest light pink chiffon dress, I look so very very pretty, my boyfriend Tony was sooo handsome but what I remember most was mom told me I should shave my underarms..hello there, didn't tell me I had use soap/water or something...ohhh I was so burnt and uncomfortable..straight razors give nicks...not good, then when you add underarm deodorant, burns like h*(l...

Wedding at a winery sounds exciting..you'll be sure to enjoy..

OMG Ronny Milsap, he's one of my favorites..how lucky you are..even including the extra guests on your date it will be sooo enjoyable...

Bet the children are pleased as punch to be finished exams..do they have summer jobs? your son does if I remember correctly..he got one just before travelling to Washington...terrible accident yesterday wasn't it in the transit system..last I heard there were 9 who died...prayers for their families...

As for maternity leave, it's a law - 1 year and with pay..think it's starting to cause problems now with our system..just tooo long..companies are now hiring us older ducks, non child producing age and they wonder why....

Betty, oldest DD started a job at Easter, and they couldn't come out and ask her if she had kids or planned to....that is against the law....but they asked so much else with trick questions.

Shannon has had a job up at the mini-mart since last August, and Shane is still at the job down the road. Glad it gives them their own money so they get some enjoyment. Although DD will not be happy, if I get a job, she will be riding her bike the 3 to 4 miles to work. Really isn't that far and on a straight stretch road pretty much.

Thursday we go to the college to set up her classes, and next Wedneday is all the financial business which is horrible. Thankfully DH took both days off to go.

I will be very happy to listen to Ronnie Milsap, have grown up on his music. Some songs will bring tears, but thats OK. We are up in the balcony seating towards the back....but Hey, the tickets were free to us from Camp Good Days...and it is a night out.

Where are you going for dinner tonight? Kyle will have a wonderful time and feel so grown up going into high school.

Betty, I already owe over $29,000.00 for my Bachelors that I'm going to be paying on until I'm 61 years old. If my employer, the State of Arkansas, wants to pay for my Masters I'd be glad to do it, but it's going to be their dime, not mine. I'm not doing that again.

Oh Debbie I LOVE Ronnie Milsap!

1 Year Maternity Leave!! That's insane! In CA I think you get 2 weeks, then you use your maternity leave as sick leave, once that's out you don't get paid. They have to give you 6 weeks if you want it, but it probably won't be paid, or at least part of it won't be.

Thank you for the compliments. There is nothing I like better than taking pics. BEV

OMG that vine is pretty Bev...my kids joke that I'll be taking photo's in heaven if they let me have a camera!

Year maternity leave is quite something..not only can the mother take it but if she doesn't then the father can take it with same conditions or they can go 6 months each..bonding experience they say..lol..wasn't so when I had my boys...company MUST by law keep their jobs open for their return..

Regardless where you are sitting Debbie it will be a thrill....they will most likely sell tapes at the show, you'll have to get yourself one...

Debbie, I'm so excited, guess who got her passport today? yep, I'm allowed to cross the border..have to call mom and make plans now...I'm just a happy camper...

I did drop in for a few seconds at home to let Sailor out, noticed Kathy was at the variety store, had to drop in the use the bank machine for $$$..needed to put some in the Graduation Card I bought at lunch, anyway, she's always cutting my grass so I asked her if she noticed the tree down, she hadn't so I showed her ..she couldn't understand why it had fallen, we didn't have a storm??? not sure why..so off I went to Greg's..he B.B.Q.'d steak and Mel had dinner ready... Mel's parents were there as well.. delicious it was ..we didn't get to the cake because Kyle had to be at the school ..

Because of the numbers in attendance parking would be at a premium so Noah and I decided to park the car at my house and walk...

No sooner did I get out of the car did I notice Cathy, out in the garden, and it was soooo hot and humid, here she is with a saw in her hand and had worked at cutting branches and pulling out the tree..now to me it would have taken 3 men and a horse to do the job and here she struggled getting it done...couldn't believe it..gave her the what for but that wouldn't do any good..told her to leave it before she had a stroke..

Camera in hand because off to school we were going so took a photo of the crazy lady...

Can you imagine! I had just gotten Greg to telephone a friend of his to come tomorrow with the chainsaw and clean it up..now we have to call and say don't bother...

So back to some photo's taken at Greg/Mel's house...

You sure must get tired of me posting photo's..anyway, bare with me, I'm a proud grandma..lol

Kyle and his grandparents...

Man of the hour...

Family photo...

Grandma and Kyle..

Must make an album for Kyle..

Family photo

Greg and Mel

They may fight a lot but brother's of the heart they are..
grandma's little angels..

Kyle received his diploma, received his 'letters' and got to meet the Mayor again...Township Awarded him the Citizenship Award...we were thrilled..

At the end of the ceremony they had a professional do a slide show from kindergarden to grade 8..including many of their field trips and events..it was so enjoyable seeing them grow..at the end of the night they will all be given a cd as a souvenir...

Here's my boy..

Always so serious...

Talking about serious...I could feel myself overwhelmed and emotional..these things always bring home the sadness that Roger never got to see his boys as fathers and what a terrific job they are doing and the grandchildren, never knowing the joy of having them in his life...so the walk back home was filled with tears..having a good cry, best I do and get it over with..

This message was edited Jun 23, 2009 8:38 PM

Got home to find a note...

Bit of brush burning and clean up and almost as good as new..neighbor was at the graduation as his son was graduating and both work at Home Depot..she was telling me that trees are 50% off until they are gone..so think I'll leave early tomorrow morning and look for the biggest mature tree, buy it and Greg can pick it up on his way home...at least try and hide the terrible void space my losing the tree has made

Have to give Cathy a call..there was no need in this heat to do such a thing...much too much for a lady...

Guess I'll be having a bonfire every few nights..

Posted far more than I should have, seems to be calming me down...think I'll do my post and head to bed..

Best of today..watching Kyle not only graduate but get a Citizenship Award...can't forget either about the clean up done for me...

Worse..finding my shade tree on the ground...

What did I learn...so many things..almost too many to mention...did learn that regardless of how many years go by, in a flick of a second all the memories and what could have been comes back as though it's only been hours...

Thank you all for letting me ramble and bore you with my photo's..

God willing, we'll gab tomorrow...
Night/night

Bless you Betty......Ramble away.

Bless you Betty. Always enjoy your photos and stories. Life throws us some curves sometimes,,,but it's how you catch the ball that counts. You have a lovely family. Thanks for sharing them with us. You have every right to be so proud of them all.
Sorry about your tree,,,but maybe it got tired too. Maybe you will find something that you like much better in that spot.
good night, rest well. tomorrow is another day.

Have just skimmed through.....I am beat! Loved the pictures Betty..
OH Tubby Thank the Lord for bulging discs!!!!! So happy to hear that news!!

Betty sorry I didn't remember to answer before.....the duplex we live in is in a U shape...the pond is in the middle of the U which is the Front yard.....we worked on removing rock and plants from the old bog pond until it got too warm.....will continue tomorrow. Hope to finish cleaning all of that out and get the old crate broken up and removed. That is the difficult part...putting in and planting the new bed will be fun in comparison!

Waving to all....think I am going to call it an early night tonight!!

Also, with her being gone so much didn't notice if Laura (mine) has been back on and answered your question....Sage is a medium tee-shirt and girls size 3 shoes....we tell her she is folded in half...she can almost wear Laura's shoes !! (size 5) DH's comment is "yes, but she won't fall over...".

And speaking of Laura's.....Wunder Laura....how are you doing my dear, and that sweet precious pup also??? We are missing you here.

Morning, it's a sunshine day..one feels better after a good nights rest..

I've coffee in hand and just not sure I want to do the garden walk around this morning..one never knows what they might find...

I'm busy as a bee, trying to get out of here by 7 so I can get to Home Depot..you'll not believe this but I already dug a hole last night for NEW tree...nuts I am..did try to burn some brush .. know what my learn today will be...'you can't burn geen tree' and when you put gasoline on it and throw a match, wow it does make a big PUFF!' always room to learn isn't there...

Marilyn, how nice of you to join us...yesterday in reading another thread I found out you were lurking because you commented on my graveyard photo's amd me thinks to me self, hmmmm no graveyard photo's here, so I chuckled and thought, perhaps one day she'll join us and here you are sweetie, saying hello in the nicest of way..

Trisha thanks for explaining wher the pond will be..I looked at the photo's closely and could see the home across the street and on the angle when you said thepond would be infront I couldn't quite figure it out..you know me, need to know..lol thanks for the info on Sage..in my travels this week I'll look for the shirt and get started..it would be a simple project for at work..

I cannot find the photo of the finished project but have the outline..not very clear but will you you the idea

His behind on the back of the shirt...

This message was edited Jun 24, 2009 6:13 AM

The front of the shirt..also added are paws..just too cute..

So nice to see you back Barb, we've certainly missed you..is it today or tomorrow that Norm goes for his check up?


LindaKay, will be glad when things settle down and you are back with us as well...hows Todd?

Norm's checkup is tomorrow. It will be a long day but we can handle it. He is really doing well with his recovery. Almost back to himself. After the checkup he'll get back into some really serious job hunting. It's been six months now and it's getting really serious financially. Thank heaven for a wonderful landlord (he cut our rent in half until Norm is working again!!!!) and the gov program cutting the cost of COBRA health insurance. Without those two "gifts" I don't think we would have lasted this long. God is good.......

God is indeed good Barb...so glad Norm is almost himself...must be a strain on you as well..praying it will all be behind you shortly..

Looking at the clock, time to leave for work...

Work, as though I haven't been running like a chicken with head cut off (did see that happen when I was young)...lol

Already been to Midland..bought 3 trees but of course I can't take them all home at once...bought a flowering pear, lilac tree not the shrub lilac and a red maple...I'll fix that area...

Not sure if I can drop in tonight to pick up another or if it will have to be an early morning run tomorrow..

I'm so laughing, I must be insane...tree down in the am, cleaned up in the pm, hole dug in late pm and tree ready to plant before 8am..no can do though, got to get to work..

ok so they won't give shade this year but they will in years to come and perhaps the foliage will hide some of what I want hidden...

I'd like about half your energy!!!!!!

Ohhhh even made it to work 10 minutes early...geeze, had a rushed a bit more Barb I made have made a second run to Home Depot...

No wonder I'm so bored here at work...just not enough action for me...the outside of the building has absolutely no care, not a plant, should call the owners and see if I couldn't do some ground maintenance..add a few plants/shrubs lol..could always wear a long headset and just work outside..wonder how the boss would feel about that...

Must go in search of that pattern you wanted Barb...
Off to check my computer...

morning all,

betty, how proud you must be with kyle he must of been on clould nine as well wonderful pictures.
look at you already planting new tree, thats to bad not having shade tree what did you plant a tree or fruit tree?
now your work sounds quite calm, we got a bomb yesterday! we got 7 pallets 359 boxes omg we will be burried in freight the rest of the week then another order on monday geeez never ending!

barb, good news for you, nice to hear things going well, hmmmm lets see what betty comes up with for work shop 2009 lol im just a big trouble maker!

and wheres judy hidding?

hello everyone got to go to work have a wonderful day

Good morning everyone,

The kids are finally out of school...and I could sleep in. Right? Wrong. was up at 7:00, and soon to hear contstruction across the road as neighbors are putting on a new roof. Guess I will have to sit on the front porch swing and gawk at the construction workers....gonnna be a hot day...perhaps a strip show as the day goes on! ROFLMBO. Seriously, I could pay them to keep their shirts on!

Betty so happy about the Passport! Very exciting news and I can't wait to hear "the dates" you and DM choose. And I still would NOT stay at the Howard Johnson you did...probably no airconditioning this time!

It is supposed to get up toward 90 today and tomorrow. Going to be quite warm by our standards.

Waving to Liz, Mary, and everyone....still learning all the names...so be patient with me.

Going for coffee and to get DD up....praying there is no blood shed.

Debbie

lol debbie, it takes me months to get names
then i still forget lol dont feel bad i think i win the title for c.r.s

You must have muscles on muscles Liz..that takes some high energy to get through that many boxes...bet you sleep well after that much exercize..

You are a tease..yep, we usually start talking workshop end of Oct. beginning of Nov...will have to put my thinking cap on...

As for the tree Liz, it's a flowering pear..must go on-line and look it up..

We're getting some of your heat and humidity here today...sure wish I was home to play and enjoy..

Greg and family are going away to the cottage this weekend...asked me if I would look after Sophie..said I could leave her at their house, drop in from time to time for a swim or hot-tub..but think I'd rather bring her home..

OMG I went in search of 'pee pee' this morning..it being so humid I could smell it downstairs on something...better get used to it if I'm not willing to put Sailor down just yet... did wash the floor..sprayed with fabreeze but know there is something just not right...