Coffee and...Part 25...! :-D

sarv - I have pretty good eyesight - Where? What faults??? I don't see any faults? Does anyone see faults?

LOL Sarv. It can be a blessing when the eyes go like that!

Secret Santa was fun last Christmas but detangling the mistakes was more difficult. Darius and I spent considerable time unraveling the errors. Some folks were never heard from again, some said they sent a gift that never arrrived and some chose to ignore the emails completely. Very interesting! Sadly, a few people never did get a gift. (I am a firm believer in, 'it takes all kinds to make the world go round' and 'the world would be terribly boring if we were all the same'! It helps lots for forgiving those who don't hold up their end and for forgiving myself when I fall short.) :)

I'd be willing to join in a 'thread' exchange. I received a very special gift from balvenie - tole painted mini tub/bowl - I really love it because I've never been able to paint - it has a place of honor in the China Closet at present.

Yesterday I called the Senator's office again - can't remember if I posted that I called them a month ago. She called the USCIS (formerly INS) and they said I should have a decision on my green card in a week. 5 weeks have gone by and still no word from them. The same lady that I spoke with earlier, apparently she handles these issues in the Senator's office, did not remember speaking with me and wrote nothing down. So I had to give her a brief history again.

She called back a few hours later and said she spoke with an officer and I would have a reply soon, it was in his pile. Then she gave me the ....they are so swamped, yadda yadda yadda.... spiel. So I told her they should not send letters out telling people to expect a reply in 30 to 60 days if it takes more than 6 months. Then she told me I should not have let my card expire! I got a bit upset then, since I did not let it expire, I applied for the renewal before my card expired. Well, she didn't realize that, of course.

Apparently she did some more work on my behalf and this morning called back and spoke to DH. He faxed her all my paperwork. She called back and said they searched the INS computers and no record was found of my biometrics (fancy word for picture, fingerprints, etc.). The only thing I could do was redo them and send them in. Since the office in Sioux Falls has closed, I have to go to Minneapolis, Omaha or Lincoln to redo them.

I paid $130.00 to get them done (12-11-03), thankfully I photocopied the paper with their official stamp and markings before I sent it in to Lincoln. I hope that will be proof enough that I don't have to pay them again - I'm sure I could dig out the canceled check too.... I'm just so terribly frustrated with the whole ordeal - almost 2 years now without a card. I PROMISE to you all, I will get my American citizenship as soon as this mess is overwith and I can apply!!!!!!!

That is about the extent of my trials and tribulations, lol. I did get two rows in my iris bed weeded last night before a friend stopped by and I gave her some hosta and melampodium seeds and slips from 3 lamiums to root. She was happy and I was happy to be able to share - it's what makes life good!

Well I got an invite from my little german neighbor lady to go to an opening of a bar/restaurant of a friend of her's tonight. As it turns out, she snuck over there earlier this week and said it wasn't acceptable for us to go to.

Well, we went over to the Downtowner on the New River. They were having their 11th Anniversary celebration. The place was crowded all evening. They were serving very nice snacks (I can't spell horse devours) on trays by very nice looking young fellas. The crowd over there was older (I have to say that's the category I now fall into). It's amazing how many sour faces there are out there, professing to be having a good time. Annalisa likes my Red Mustang and instructed me to go round by the New River to look at all the nice houses she is doing "cat sitting" for. She has invited me to go to one of them to swim in the pool and have a few beers. Heck, I'd jump into the New River for a swim in this heat if I wasn't afraid the current would take me round the bend right into the path of the "Jungle Queen".

I'm home now and still hungry so my DS is fixing me some brats on the grill.

I would certainly be up for participating in a Secret Santa Exchange, if my self centered yammering here in this forum qualifies me as a participant.

BlueSprial, I am certainly happy to hear there is hope that there exists a "better half" for someone. Blooms etal, "Here! Here!

Now, the brats are ready to be consumed.

:^)))

Is that the bowl from Balvenie/Robert? NICE!!!

Laura, I swear you have as many problems with immigration as I do with health! Except I don't have to deal with bureaucracies.

lol darius, but me thinks yours are worthy of much more attention!

Yup, that's the bowl from Robert... its a beaut, isn't it!

(P.S. did u get 'bureaucracies' right the first time thru? LOL)

Two years ago I had to pitch DH's scrapbook of cards his mother made -she didn't make the cards, just the scrapbook lol ...DD's rabbit was using that corner for his weewees and I didn't know it. A couple of big maps (Trucker Editions) and the scrapbook were leaning against the bookcase in that corner. DH was glad, he tried to throw out the cards for years already and I wouldn't let him - now I didn't have much choice - it was gross and stank! The truck maps were all older ones, he keeps the newest in the truck, no big loss.

Well folks, time has passed, tempers have cooled, and I feel that an apology is in order. I am sorry for my "outburst" earlier in the day, my languague could have been more lady like, but at the time wasn't feeling like a lady. If I offended anyone, please forgive me. You folks mean a great deal to me. I do have friends here, but don't see them every day, and you are all so good to listen, and haven't had any judgmental comments from you at all. I feel like the advertising slogan "what happens here stays here", and boy is that good!!

Darius, I have found that burned food, etc. can be cleaned by soaking pan in water with automatic dishwasher powder added. You may have to soak it a day or so, but that suff is good.

|Hey I would like to do the Secret Santa thing. It sounds like fun. But it probably should be limited to this forum. Had not asked, but do I qualify as a member of this forum?

Robert, I am not entirely anti men, just when I'm upset, Betsy, sorry about your fall, hope the knees heal in warp time, Sarv, glad you got to meet with your friends, and I bet you know how to do the satellite thing with the TV, too, don't you, Meezer, doing a great job with that refinishing, wish I had the patience to do it. Molly, the cheese and crackers in bed sounds good, DH used to travel some, and it was a mini vacaction for me.

Signing off to hit the sack, will check in first thing in the morning, everybody sleep tight!!

Nope, had to look up the spelling, LOL.

Robert's bowl is wonderful!

Bonnie,

Rest assured that I am not really of the more delicate gender and I did not find anything you said to be offensive. You merely said what I feel on occasion, or maybe a bit more often than that.

I look forward to meeting you at the KYRU and you can say anything you feel like saying and hope that I can too, without boring anyone too terribly much.

I was off to play some Spades at my favorite game site, alas the site is down for maintenance and I may just have to go to bed and eat some crackers and cheese and watch some silly mindless television.

:^)))

HA! LOL d. and major YUP!!

Bonnie, we are ALL friends here, and of course you are part of this group. I'm surprised you needed to ask!

Molly, we (excepting Robert) are all of the more delicate gender, just NOT as delicate as folks think, LOL.

Sarv if you are piling on pounds and your hair is falling out it could be symptoms of an underactive thyroid - been there myself!! Get it checked out theres a good girl.
Defoe - didn't offend me - I know how you felt at the time and it helps to blow of steam, here. It is better than taking it out on the cat!!! ;>)))))
I couldn't do an old book exchange in the Christmas Santa. I was very tough and parted with most before we left the UK. The only books I brought over the pond are very special, like my Dad's 'Apples of England' with his hand written notes in the margin. Apple trees were his main hobby - he propogated and grafted dozens over the years and gave most of them away to friends and relations. I couldn't bring my trees so the book is very special. I have about a dozen I brought with similar sentimental attachments.
So yes I'll be happy to play, but not with my books!!! I do make stuff though, non edible stuff mainly, so I could do that.
Kooger I do hope the INS gets its act together and sorts your Green Card out soon. How could they 'lose' your biometrics..... if they are that careless I could be filed as someone else, or worse someone else as me!!! Scarey stuff.

Okus, I won't do books either!

Nope, not delicate. The saying here goes:
"Here's to Moab, where the men are men; and the women are, too."

This came about when we all realized we had as many lady boat "men" and tour drivers and self made home builders, as guys. It was of course the men who made up the saying. If you're gonna play in this desert you have to have some self reliance. Ain't nobody else carrying your water or hauling yer a*** outta there if you get stuck.

LOL. Blooms... I GET it!

hey, did everybody see this about a new order for mugs, maybe? I didn't get any when dave sold the last bunch, not working then, too broke! http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/536566/

Yeah, I committed to two! Maybe he will get enough pre-orders to get a batch!

Offend me?? No way!! What better place to air your feelings. If I don't like what you are saying - just scroll down.. easy as pie!!

Gotta get me a mug, I think. Spending spree is still continuing ....

Darius- put some water in the pan and dump in a load of baking soda. Let it simmer on the stove - works everytime for me!

DH is still giving me a cold shoulder. I'll make a big fattening meal for him for dinner and he will be in hog heaven. Might go out and pick up a six pack too - that always works!! LOL

I hang with bunch of former teachers and the first of us has lost a husband. We are all meeting for lunch on Monday. She is very lonely and needs some cheering up. I found a bunch of pics from years ago and she has a huge bottle of booze in her hand. She doesn't drink at all, so we will all get a big chuckle out of that.

Our yards needs cutting, so I will get busy this morning and wind up the hoses and start before DH comes home. Rain is expected this weekend

Offended??? Not a chance. We all get to blow off steam, share ou r miseries or aggravations, crow a little on a good deal, brag about our grandkids, and generally share our lives a little and this is such a good place to do it~~The bonus is, none of us are going to show up for Christmas dinner and blab it to the rest of the family after too much eggnog!!

Speaking of grands, elder DS called and asked if I had heard from her younger sister. I said no, why would I unless there's been a disaster, which is usually when I hear from her. Apparently her son is in the hospital with some peculiar disease/reaction/allergy that has caused him to break out in skin lesions, and nausea, to the point he got dehydrated. She also is living with a friend temporarily because she didn't renew her lease on her rental and didn't find a place to rent. I'll go this morning and check on Tyler at Children's but I'll be d***ed if I'll call or email her at work. Unbelievable.

Hope my new little table shows up soon, although the tv reception seems better with it sitting on a kitchen chair ...

Sarv, you need a better hiding place for your spare cash!! If your DH knows where it is, it translates to "our" spare cash. Put it under the kitchen sink, or in a pot he'd never use, and volunteer to get the dish set up (after waiting a few days of course) when he kicks in half of the repair bill. After the weekend maybe....

Aside from that ....my little snit paid off some, DH unloaded the dishwasher last night, and invited me on a road trip this weekend. I was so surprised I blurted out, "have I been promoted". LOL

So far on the exchange list I have Darius, Bluespiral, Betsybug, Sarv, Kooger, Molly and Defoecat. And me. Let me know if I've missed anyone. Additions welcome. If you've been chatting with us I'd say you're qualified, if not......

M5- loved the comment about blabbing after the eggnog!! LOL LOL

That brings to mind a funny one. For years we had a summer blow out with family at our house. DH had a little too much brew and ended up putting his arm around the family witch (*itch really) and chatting with her. We all about died laughing afterwards. DH is a big guy, but this gal is about two of him. Wish I'd had a camera handy! He swears he never did it.

Take me off the exchange list, not that I am a scrooge, just trying to simplify my life. I give $$ to everyone - no shopping for anyone but ME!! Wait, if someones wants me to send $$ then guess I could join back up!! (just kidding)

I've been trying to locate those stupid fake santa hats. I want to take a family pic in front of my flowers with those silly hats on for xmas cards. I didn't want to do it until the son (who was living in sin as my friend would say) made it legal. I have one hat. Maybe DGS will be the one to wear it.

time to check out the chat room!!

I love the idea of the Christmas gift exchange, but I'm kinda' like Sarve48, I have graduated to the $$ thing. I've done YEARS of malls, packing and shipping. Loved it then, but now I just stay home and even buy my clothes on-line and let them come to me. I'm sure I'm on the mailman's hit list though. My catalogs come in by the pound. LOL
Pati

No problem if anyone doesn't want to do it....giving should be joyful, not a burden. I give gift certificates a lot too within the family, let them shop the after Christmas sales and get more for the money!!

Went out in my grubbies this morning and finished up the table ...took less time than I thought but, boy, my arms are tired! It's really humid today, so the stain/sealer might take longer to completely dry, but I'm pretty satisfied with the end product, doesn't look "new" and the walnut stain matches the rest of the furniture in the guest room. I could have used a maple stain, but it's too orangey. A few areas really sucked up the stain, but that's ok.

Got to call the hosp. and check on Tyler, find a comic book store (any reading at eight is good reading) and get my day started.
Check in with y'all later.

Good morning. The sun is up and shining through my dirty kitchen window. Time to pull down the shade! We keep the windows on the east side of the house shaded in the summer to help keep the house cool, and so I have a good reason to hide that streaky window. I wash the inside of the house window, then wash the outside of the storm window, but the outer window doesn't fit tightly and bugs get into it and the kitchen fan next to it adds a film so it gets to be a mess. We have to remove the storm window by undoing all the hex bolts that hold it on to the wooden window frame to wash the other two surfaces. Didn't do it since what year???? Back in the dark ages sometime. It takes two of us with ladders on a day when the wind is not blowing hard.

I'll also pass on the gift exchange, but I hope the rest of you will post pictures of what you got and have a great time with it. Sometimes I get inspired and know just what to give people, but usually finding the right gift is a struggle that is not that much fun.

Yesterday I helped my neighbor with his cattle. Some of them had gotten out across a fence into another neighbor's land so I rode my horse 5 miles up the county road to help get them back where they belonged while the neighbor fixed the fence. In the process of finding them all I discovered that his bull is so lame he probably can't get around to get his job done, so after I was finished I went to tell him about it and we went to where the bull was so he could see for himself and decide if the bull needs to be replaced. He does. We moved him to a nearby pasture (slow walk) where the grass is better and the water is close by so he can regain some weight and not have far to walk. The owner says he knows where there is another of the same breed he can get within a few days. Of course we don't know if this old bull has sired any calves at all or when the first calves will be due. When the owner has been up there checking the cattle he has been more concerned with making sure the calves were ok, has been seeing the bull eating or lying down but hadn't seen him walking anywhere.

Time to be getting some breakfast.

When I say neighbor, I know most of you think next door or really close because your neighbors are close and we tend to relate to what we personally know about. Out here the neighbors are mostly anybody who lives within 5 or 10 miles because there aren't many of them. My closest neighbors are 1/2 mile away. My gardening friends live 2 and 6 miles away but we all call each other neighbors.

And I've noticed you and your neighbors help each other out. 5 or 10 miles sounds like a perfect distance to me. I'd feel a lot more friendly toward my neighbor with the squealing fan belt on her air cooler if she lived far enuff away so I couldn't hear it. I offered to have my son come over to fix the squeal and she nearly took my head off.

M5, your table looks great!

Mary, good choice about the bull, and glad you showed the owner. We all get put out to pasture eventually.

Thanks Darius! Good thing I brought it inside after I took the picture, it's raining!! Woohoo!!!! RAIN!!!

If you don't think I'm happy, think again!!

So glad to see I'm not the only one that dances in the rain.

LOL! Maybe I should dance when it doesn't rain!

Darius, we should ALL dance, ALL the time.......Hap

Good Morning everybody!! Just catching up on the early morning posts. Have been busy cleaning house, for the company I will have this weekend. I think that it would be better to wait and clean after they all go home!!.

Thank all for the forgiving attitudes, I chuckled when I read the post that said no one will be coming at christmas to blab the whole thing. And Blooms, the Moab quote had never heard before, but you know there is quite a bit of truth in it.

Meezer the table looks great, and I loved the pic of you dancing in the rain. It has gotten so dry here, that I have offered to dance naked in the front yard and sell tickets too if that would bring rain. LOL There probably would be folks that would pay me not to do it!!

Mary, we cannot see our neighbors from our property, but they are not that far away, closest may 1/4 mile. You do so much for your neighbors, do they ever come help you do anything? DH is always doing for everybody in the neighborhood, says that's his way of giving back some that he has been blessed with. He was nearly killed in an accident in 1980, and that has changed his whole outlook on life, is more appreciative now.

Kooger didn't comment on the INS hassle you're in. I used to work in government, and I can tell you nightmares about employees putting things in desk drawers and not finding it for months. Chances are that is what has happened to you. All of our employees were supposed to finish their work on a daily basis, if not finished by the end of the day, it was given back to the supervisor, to be handed out the next day. We had one lady, who didn't want the supervisor to know that she didn't finish her work, so she would put it in a desk drawer and leave, supposedly to work on later, but later never came. Discovered it when she got sick and was off work for about 3 weeks.

Well, off to do some more chores, will check in later.

Raining here too -but you won't see me out dancing in it=- in fact I'm celebrating by eating my 3rd bowl of mint choco chip ice cream!! Gotta gobble it fast as DH will be home in a sec

I was gonna make a meat loaf, but DH ate the last egg - guess it will have to be something else. I just hate cooking on a daily basis. Good thing DH does most of the cooking. I haven't done much of any for the last three weeks. Did cut up some fresh fruit - that is kinda like cooking!!

Gotta boogie - DH is telling about what a jerk his brother is (lost a big sale because he doesn't have a fax machine or a long distance phone) can you imagine in this day and age!! He sends stuff by snail mail - he's a real piece of work.

Meezer, you did a wonderful job with your table, I have about five something like that from my husband's ancestors, some could be refinished but as an antique dealer I know one should not do it when the item is over a hundred years old, oh well, I know my children will like them the way they are, all of them like antiques,

There was a time in this town when neighbors were that far away too, MaryE, but farmers have sold their land and now there are clusters of new houses evrey where.
Maria

Julie... thread is getting long to load on dial-up.

Just one thing - I told DH if it started raining last night I was gonna go dance naked in it! Guess it scared it off! LOL

LOL, Marcia! That would scared off ther rain here too if I had said that.

Calling Julie....Calling Julie.....help us fearless leader.....we're long in the tooth.

I'm pretty sure all my neighbors were gone to work or whereever by the time I did my little jig....I'm not even tempted to do it in the buff, just stepping out of the shower in the morning scares the bejabbers out of me!! Whose idea was it to have a 6' x 5' mirror in the master bathroom anyway? Musta been the builder, 'cuz I dont wanna see that much of me!!

Rained for about three hours, got maybe an inch and a half, and now we've got tornado warnings and watches, and sprinkles. Have golf league tomorrow a.m. but it's supposed to clear up (ha) and then rain again in the evening, and through the weekend. GS and his wife are supposed to camp out down in a park in Lake Geneva, and I'm sure they will go. I didn't mind sitting in a damp tent in my twenties, but I sure wouldn't do it now.

It's true Maria, you shouldn't disturb the finish on fine old antique furniture, but it's for my own pleasure and I'd never sell them, so it's a moot point for me.


Awww, Kooger, I can't believe how much the paper pushers have screwed up your applications. No business could survive handling their files and documents that way. I worked in a life insurance home office where we stored documents from the 1800s, and believe me, every piece of paper had a trail, and a name of the party holding it, or the location. Some of the documents were on thin onion skin paper and very fragile, but they were there when we needed them. That was my first job at that company, document examination, reading the fine print, making sure that ownership was vested properly and heirs were named correctly, and preparing new documents for transfers and changes. Not at all boring, as every case was different.

Reruns on the tube, I'll have to scan what I've saved on the DVR, or stick my nose back in the book I started this morning.

Wow big gusty winds hitting us now. Think I'll turn this machine off for the duration. Yes, we need a new thread!!

Not a good evening. I broke off another tooth just off the side at the gum line. It will show if I ever smile again. I was chewing pasta. LOL. I'll be toothless before long.

Poor Darius,you run from one problem into another
Maria

M5,

Lake Geneva, memories come rushing back.

Several years ago I made a trip to Wisc with some friends. We made a trip to house in the rock and the next day, just before they pulled the docks out of the water for the winter, we took a boat ride around the lake. That would be Lake Geneva. We stayed at the hotel there on the lake.

Understand there was no toilet in the boat and way too cold to jump into the water. They stopped us over at a couple bars on the lake, then headed way far away from toilets.

There was way too much water around us, it was way too cold and my boat mates kept singing water songs like Tiny bubbles, etc, They were being very mean. Luckily we made it back to a place before I wet myself.

But didn't we have a grand time!!!!

:^)))