Random thoughts on my holiday weekend and more

After the closing we drove to our new lake home.
We were so excited to finally be able to go to the lake all the time as opposed to the two weeks a year where we would bring our boat and rent a house.

As we stood on the deck over looking the water we popped a bottle of champagne to celebrate. A dream come true!
There was an enormous tree that the deck was built around.
It was a tulip elm that was messy and I hated it.
It left all kinds of sticky sappy crap all over the deck as well as leaves etc.
To me it was dirty. I who adore trees wanted this one gone.
That was a new thing for me.
It also obstructed the view from the inside to the lake.
The first words Rick uttered as he held up his glass was - "This tree is the first thing to go!"

We spent our first weekend there painting and peeling ugly old lady wall paper and attempting to make it look younger and feel like ours. (everything and I mean to tell you everything was dark, dark, dark- awful! nothing like you'd want a home on water to be.)

The 2nd day the tree which we hated got hit by lightening. It split the tree.
You could now see through the tree.
The lightening also put a hole in the side of the house - knocked out the power and burned up a brand new TV that was still on the floor and had only been plugged in and never watched.  I'll skip the horror of that day and fast forward.
The most important part for you to know is that the insurance company would not pay to take down the tree that you could now see through. The guy was an arrogant man who told us that our policy would not pay us for the damage to the tree. What? We didn't want paid for damage we wanted it taken down before something or someone was hurt.
He insisted it wasn't bad enough to come down yet.
We knew that this would fall on the house eventually.

"So you would rather pay for a new house than take down the tree?" Rick asked Mr. Insurance man

He laughed and said, "yes."

Later that afternoon around 5:30pm another storm rolled in. The wind was howling and making the tree actually creak. We ran off the deck.  Immdiately the tree fell on the house and thankfully it fell parallel to the house and shirred off the side of the roof and gutters etc.
The insurance man came back - they hired someone to come out and remove the tree from our deck and chop down what was left.
This is what remained -----

We have enjoyed this part of the tree over the years.
It was a great place for our drinks.
It was a great place to sit things - like a bowl of popcorn while staring at the lake.
Kids loved to sit on it for some reason.
But over the years it began to rot and it was falling in pieces and was no longer safe.
So it had to come down.  Rick spent a good portion of the day in 98 degree weather chopping it down and then attempting to cut the wood into small pieces for the fire pit.
Apparently tulip elm trees don't cut easily. (his swearing was my first indication)

We cleaned gutters and we did all kinds of maintenance on this property that was neglected for 7 months.
I did a lot of freshing up of the outdoor furniture with paint and the like.
The chairs you see above needed freshing up as well.
They could have gone another year honestly but people are paying us to stay at our home.
I want it to be nice. Nice=translates to work.

The wicker chairs on the lower level deck were spray painted red with new cushions.
I loved the final results. Rick picked those chairs off the curb that a neighbor was tossing out.
Not a bad price, only 2 cans of paint and some cushions on sale at the end of last year. (I knew I was going red with those)
My trash diving husband has also gotten me a table that I liked for the game room.

At the time honestly I want to kill him for bringing home more stuff that I didn't think we needed. Then he suggested this for the game room next to the book shelf of games. Okay so my hubby had a point. I really didn't want to fork over any more money.

When he brought it home the top was scratched beyond belief and it was in terrible need of refinishing. But it was a very heavy oak table and chairs.   I put on a green felt top like a poker table and it was like that for 2 yrs. Then I removed the felt and sanded it and painted it black. It looks great now. Hey would I have purchased this. No Way. But it was free. I couldn't pass it up. The top is flawless now - only needed sanded and restained or painted. I thought the oak looked dated so I painted it. Honestly the stuff he will see and bring home.  Sometimes it's good most times it's funny and I will make him purge.

Most days our garage looks like Sanford and Son. He came home with this gorgeous door.
I asked him why the hell he was bringing a door home.
"We have doors dear" was my actual comment.
He said I am going to make a head board from this. Sure enough he did.
We get more compliments on this head board than you can believe.
It still drives me crazy because we can't get cars in our garage!

Jumping tracks to another thoughts -

*Since I last wrote Alfred E. Newman won American Idol. Oh jeez. What did people see in this kid? I found him to be a one trick pony and creepy as all hell.

*My favorite tv shows are coming back. I love summer tv. The Big C is so good. If you haven't seen it because you don't have showtime I highly recommend getting it on Netflix, or whatever means possible. It's different and twisted, funny and sad. I like it! Hubby likes Shameless. I don't hate it but it's not something I have to have on the DVR. He thinks otherwise. Men of a Certain Age is also returning. Love, love, love that show. Since I am a woman of a certain age I can relate to them all in some way or another. Because basically they all are bemoaning the changes at 50. The changes  suck people.

*This past winter was a very difficult time business wise.
Things were slow and I applied to a few places to pick up some hours to supplement our income. I still have to put in the hours here but this was necessary. No one called me.
So now that business is back to normal and I am so very busy I hadn't really thought about it much. Then I got a call from Starbucks. I thought what the heck it will help us get caught up faster so I went to interview. 

The young woman who interviewed me was very ill prepared.
But I got through it or I think I should say, SHE got through it. 
She was odd as all get out.
Then I got a call last week that she wanted me to come in and meet with the shift manager to see if I would "fit in".
Okay so I went back.  All the while thinking I am not sure my hours and theirs are going to work now so I better just tell them right away that things have changed.

I went in and met with the Shift Manager and she was wonderful.
She used to be the manager but went back to grad school and needed less hours.
She did a proper interview and then we just sat and chatted.
I really really liked her and she would be nice to work with. No drama.
She wasn't a 20 year old and she was a straight up no chaser kind of gal. I liked that.
But I needed to voice my concerns about my hours.  I couldn't devote the hours a week right now until after labor day. Would that still work for them? She said YES. So I am thinking great. But I never heard back from them so I can only assume that I, 1. did not fit in. or 2. they didn't like my hour issues right now.

Oh well.  I have learned that even though it appears to be not what I wanted, it always ends up fine. Some days it is much harder to remember that than others though!

Holiday Weekend

It was a whirlwind of events this past weekend. None of which were a ton of fun sadly.
It also rained every damn day except the day we had to leave to come home. Figures.

On the way down to the lake house on Thursday night we were sitting in traffic and realized that everyone must have decided to get a jump start on the weekend by making a mass exodus out of the city. As we sat idling in traffic and an hour away from home I realized that I had forgotten my medication. I could not go 4 days without my medication or all hell would break loose. So we had to turn around. I must admit Rick was a much better sport about this than if he had done it and I had to turn around. Whew!  Thankfully this good mood of his continued because I was an idiot most of the weekend. 

We were back on the road again with just one more pit stop to allow the dog to get out and pee. We were making pretty good time as soon as we got away from the city. We were thrilled. About 1 hour from the lake we saw flashing lights and as we were going down the hill we could see this line of cars and police everywhere up on the crest of the hill.
We went a few more feet and there was a road sign that said, be prepared to stop for a sobriety check point - have all documentation ready.

I had never been through anything like this and thought it was odd that on a Thursday night at 7:30pm there would be a sobriety check but what do I know.  So of course I got out all the documentation as Rick drove and I grabbed my flip camera. I thought it'd be fun to capture this  interesting array of lined up cars and the zillion of police etc. I took photo's of the 15 police cars on my side of the road and then the big sign in the middle of the street telling you about the test.  I was even filming the female police officer who came to our window and asked for our license and registration and asked where we were going.  Odd why did she need to know that I wondered out loud and received no answer. I asked if she caught a lot of people and she looked right into the camera and said, "too many" and then told us to have a nice weekend and drive safely and that was that.
Then my camera just turned itself off.
"Hey Rick the camera just turned itself off. What is that about?"

"Oh Margaret you didn't hit the record button"

"Sure I did! I filmed this the whole way back from the beginning of this line of cars"

"Then try watching it and see what you got."

I turned it on and there was nothing! Damn it, he was right! I so hate when that happenes.

"Well did you get anything?"

"No"....I mumbled.

He laughed hysterically. "Oh that's my wife! Good thing you're cute"
(good thing he's blind because I am not cute)

So then all weekend when I was taking videos he would shout, "Are you sure it's on?"
I wanted to punch him but how could I?
I did the damn stupid thing and all weekend I did dumb things that gave him fodder.

I hate when that happens.

Blogger is at it again!

What is going on with blogger?
I can't sign in.  I can write this from my dashboard.
I can not leave comments or it will say anonymous....if it lets me at all.
When will this be fixed?  It has been days?
This is what they are saying....
http://knownissues.blogspot.com/2011/05/were-investigating-issue-which-is.html

I swear Blogger is sending me away so I will make my own website.

I'm hitting the road tomorrow late afternoon and will be internet free until Tuesday.

Have a great holiday weekend everyone!!

More Info Than You Asked For

Here are some facts & items that you may or may not want to know about me.


1. I hate Disneyland and Disney World. Been to both under duress. If you see me there I have been kidnapped and you must call the authorities!

2. I am the palest Italian you have ever met. My spring skin is something you’d think belongs to a very Nordic person. I glow in the dark I’m so bright white. It’s awful looking. I don’t tan well either. I burn, peel, and burn again. Perhaps my parents have been lying to me and I’m adopted.

3. I get frustrated easily but I don’t get mad easily.

4. I have no patience. (I know big surprise here)

5.  Sometimes I read such sad posts from people and it stays with me for days. I don’t know these people why can’t I shake it? I always want to help. I know logically I can’t but still…

6. I can never live on the west coast again. It was an eye opening experience to learn that about myself.

7. I do not like stupid people. But do stupid people know they are stupid?

8. I miss having girlfriends that live in my own state/city so much!

9. Religious zealots scare the heck out of me!

10. I don't think women should have a tramp stamp  and thong showing while using their AARP card. That's just my humble opinion.

Monday

Here is the kind of Monday I have had.

I found some pics of that camping trip I just told you all about.
I thought you would find some of these amusing.
I went to my scanner to scan and it no longer works. Great, need new scanner.

I got up this morning and suddenly I have severe knee pain.
I mean to tell you not just an ache but full on severe pain.
What the hell is all this old lady shit?  
My husband has a disease we refer to as "He goes to bed fine and wakes up with a sports injury" 
Sadly that has happened to him more times than I care to count.
Now I seem to have the same damn affliction!  I think this must be contagious.

Sunday we, and I use the term "we" loosely, pulled an old bush out from our front yard.
We mulched and trimmed bushes . (okay so I no longer trim because the last time I cut the cord as well as the bush. it's funny now but oh my was Rick pissed when it happened.)
I planted some flowers and that was it.
We had a pretty lazy day actually.
It rained in the afternoon so we watched some baseball and a movie.
So how do I wake up with extreme pain in my knee? I can barely walk.
I was fine while working and I walked Izzy afterwards. No funny twinges in the knee.
I am completely puzzled.
Is this old age or what?  Did Rick hit me with a baseball bat in the middle of the night?
Is this going to be my life now, aches and pains? Oh brother.
Now I see why I keep reading the baby boomers have the highest growth of pot smoking.
It's not so much recreational but pain relief for heavens sake!

I went to try on some shorts because now it is hot enough to wear them.
My legs are so white it's scary but I'm warm so look away from the glare.
None of my shorts fit. I've lost too much weight. Which isn't a complaint but now I have nothing to wear. Don't want to buy news one because I hope this continues. I am going to see if they can be taken in. I don't think so but it's worth a try. I can't sew so I am taking them somewhere. Depending on the price. It may be cheaper to buy new cheap ones. Sucks in one way but I am over 2 sizes smaller but not quite 3 sizes just yet and that's a good thing. 

I got a book from the library that I had to wait for 3 months to get. I was on the ever dreadful waiting list. I picked up the book and it has been so crazy I never got past glancing at it before I had to turn it back in because it is on the waiting list. You don't get to keep it for a few weeks if it is in high demand. You must read it and return within less than 2 weeks. Tammie over at Irregular Tammie, said she didn't enjoy the book so I hope I did not miss a thing. I did get some autobiographies  which I have been really into lately.  I hope to read at the lake over the memorial holiday. My luck I'll fall off the hammock and get a concussion and not be able to read.
I may have to pad myself in bubble wrap.

Me? Camping.....HA HA HA HA

The first evening I met Rick we talked about what we liked to do and those type things over drinks as one does when you first met. He told me he liked fishing and camping and all this outdoor stuff. I smiled and nodded. I am not that girl. I only do outdoors at the beach, on a boat, floating on the water, gardening or dining al fresco. For some reason he thought I was joking. Silly man.


Several months down the road in the fall he asked me to accompany him up the Niagara River Gorge at the foot of the Niagara Falls in Canada for camping and a fishing trip to catch big salmon.
Look I don’t even eat anything that swims why would I want to catch ‘em?
He says with a straight face and loads of enthusiasm that I didn’t have to fish, just come for the adventure! He kept telling me it would be beautiful up there at this time of year. Oh brother. Why I said yes I still don’t know to this day.

We headed up to Canada after work on a beautiful fall Friday afternoon.
Once we crossed the border we drove in torrential rains and I kept asking the same question, “We’re going to sleep in a tent with all this rain?”
He would laugh and tell me we’d be fine.
I was so not thrilled. But for some reason Nature Boy was smiling all the way.

We arrived around 9pm and it was already dark….but it stopped raining. Whew!
What Rick forgot to tell me is that we had to walk down a steep hill with over 200 steps notched into the hill – in the dark!  We had to walk down very steep hand made steps that were slippery carrying very heavy back packs.  Not exactly a railing to hang on to.
This is so not me. But I did it. I didn’t complain because I was so scared I couldn’t talk.
We got down to the bottom to the river rocks and I asked what I thought was a reasonable question…. “where do we pitch a tent, oh please don’t tell me these rocks?”
He points to a tiny piece of land over yonder and says, “over there where the tent is...DAMN”
"So there is only a small sized grassy knoll so to speak for 1 friggin’ tent?”

“Well in my defense Margaret no one has ever been there when I’ve come down here.”
“Oh Rick I can’t sleep on rocks. I'm a light sleeper there is no way this is gonna work for me.”

“We don’t have a choice. I’m sure they will be gone by morning and we’ll move over there after they leave.”

I hadn’t even realized at this point that there were no toilets.
For some reason I thought there would be bathrooms. Oh I was a very naive girl.
I continued to bitch and moan as we set up camp. He was silent because he knew better.
I was tired and damp (and not in a good way) so I changed my clothes and just crawled into my sleeping bag and that was all I remember. I literally slept for 10 hours without waking up once!!! ON ROCKS!! He fished after I fell asleep. He came back and slept until 5am and then got up and fished some more.

I awoke to an empty tent. I crawled out and saw him fishing. I also saw the grassy area and it was clear of all people and tents. I packed up our stuff so fast heads would spin. I took down the tent and put both back packs and gear on me and ran over to that grassy area to stake my territory. I set up tent and arranged my “home” for the next couple of days.

Rick came up to the tent and made fun of me instantly because I said, “I can’t sleep on rocks Rick” And I ended up sleeping better than ever in my life and slept soundly for 10 hrs!  Oh how he gave me grief about this.

Rick and I were starving so he started a fire and I began to make breakfast. I have to admit breakfast over a fire was damn damn good. I was the only gal down there and the guys kept yelling up “what’s for breakfast dear…or baby?” Oh just bacon and fried potatoes and eggs. It was yummy. Then we had cocktails. Hey don’t judge, it is 5 o’clock somewhere. We were in another country was our mantra - we can do things differently. Besides most of the folks down in this gorge who were fishing in this whirlpool of water were doing the same.

Yes we drank early and a lot. We laughed like teenagers and I admit I had a ball.
We had spontaneous napping, continuous laughter and beautiful fall days and colors.
I sat on a huge boulder and read or took pictures while Rick fought salmon.

Now I had to pee again and I did not like this woods stuff. But I did it.
But I drew the line at the other. I held it for two damn days!
Rick laughed hysterically that I thought there would be bathrooms down there.
He laughed even harder that I stopped eating because I was not going to poo in the woods like a dog. No way! This girl does not use leaves. 
Then out of his backpack he pulls out toilet paper.
I gasped. I refused. He kept telling me I'd change my mind. I.DID.NOT.

I am a princess. I am not ashamed to admit this. I like bathrooms. I like nice sheets and big down comforters. I would prefer nice firm beds over rocks. I like a roof not a tent that will eventually leak. I can appreciate the beauty that surrounded me and the roar of the falls that were miles and miles away. I loved all of that immensely. The colors of the maple trees and all the other trees were glorious. But I could have just as much appreciated them from a window of a hotel with a nice clean bathroom and shower.

After two ½ days of living outside I was ripe. I looked like hell. When we got to the top of the mountain carrying wet backpacks and Rick carrying a 30 lbs salmon and a 35lb’er we took a few minutes to catch our breath before we loaded up the car. Then I made him drive me directly to a bathroom.  STAT!

Since we weren’t far from the falls I knew there would be “tourist” type stop shortly. 
When we arrived I got out reeking of fish and probably camp fire and general stench from not showering for a few days. I ran into the bathroom and this woman looked at me like I was Sasquatch. (In her defense I probably smelled like him/her/it too.) I didn’t much care at that point I needed to have a toilet and I was thrilled to have one. Then I actually washed my face and scrubbed my hands a few times with the soap and water which felt like heaven. Even that horrible dispenser soap felt like heaven to me.

I jumped back in the car and Rick said, “Feel better Princess?”

“As a matter of fact I do Nature Boy.”

On the way home we had some good laughs about some of the adventures we had.
Rick thanked me for being such a good sport and then immediately said, “Wanna do this again?”

“ Not on your life!”

“Really? You seemed to get so into it after the initial shock.”

“Well yes, it was more beautiful than I can articulate but I have pictures now to look at."
I also really tried to go with the flow after the shock of it all but I don’t want to ever do this again”

"How about next time we do something you like to do?”

“ Are you sure?”

So the Princess took him to Toronto for a weekend. We ate at fabulous restaurants. Saw a great play. Enjoyed museums and the Ontario Science Center and best of all…..we had a luxurious hotel room with turn down service, hotel bathrobes and a bathroom that was like a fine spa.

Nature Boy discovered that he really really liked this way of life a lot!
He discovered thread count and that made me laugh my ass off. 
He kept saying, "who knew?"
"Oh you silly nature boy all we city girls knew!"

But just to be sure he wasn’t getting 'too city' he dragged me back up to that river to camp and fish one more time.

Social Etiquette on Amtrak

Several years ago my sister and I went to NYC for a weekend.
She drove from PA to my home and the following morning we left the train station for Manhattan. There were no seats on the quiet car so we had to endure all the crazies on their cell phones and all that entails. It's amazing that at 6a so many people are talking on their phones. I would have no one to talk to if I called them at 6am! 

On the way back home we got a seat on the quiet car. Being in the quiet car does not mean you can't talk it just means to keep it down. A low conversation or what I call a normal conversation in public. No phones are allowed in the quiet car which is the main reason people want to sit there. It's also the main reason it is hard to get a seat there.

My sister and I were facing one another with a table in between us when my sister showed me a photo in a magazine she was reading and she said, "Doesn't this look like Aunt So-and-so?"  That made me laugh out loud.   Which of course made the conductor, who was walking by right then, come over to me and whisper - "You are in the quiet car ma'am. If you can't be quiet then you must go to another car."  I apologized and he walked away.  My sister is having a fit of giggles and writes on a piece of paper and slides it over to me. I don't even remember what it was. Something along the lines of going to detention for being a bad girl - who knows. But it made me start giggling too. This was like a scene in church when you know you shouldn't laugh and that makes you giggle all the more. Nothing was even funny. But were are now laughing and couldn't stop.  We couldn't look at one another because we were stifling giggles like we were 10 year old little girls.
The conductor came by again and asked if we had a problem.  I couldn't open my mouth to answer for fear of a huge laugh coming out. I just kept shaking my head no all the while biting my lip.  I could not look at my sister. 

Thankfully the next stop came and two people got on and they next to us.  I still did not look at my sister for a very long time. I kept my eyes on the table or on the book in front of me. I did not want to be hauled to another car like I was going to the principals office. To this day this story will make us erupt into laughter. Nothing is even funny about it but it's one of those things.

This all came flooding back to me this morning when I saw on the news that a woman got escorted off the train by the police.
Apparently this woman was going from California to Oregon. I am not sure whether she was in a quiet car or not they didn't say which lead me to think she was not.
She apparently talked very loudly for 16 hours straight on her cell phone.
Surrounding passengers complained.....numerous times. 
But she refused to put down her cell phone
(how many minutes does this woman have, 16 hours?)
It got so bad that passengers were yelling at her now and she got into a "loud" verbal altercation with other passengers (all the while never stopping her cell phone conversation).  The conductor finally stopped the train in Salem Oregon and the police came aboard and escorted her off for disorderly conduct.
What I find most funny about all this is the woman on the cell phone made the comment that this incident made her feel "disrespected"

Really?  How about respecting everyone else's space here?  Why don't people understand that you’re only thinking of yourself? That behaving this way you are only aware of what you need and what you are doing and you are a less than considerate person.
How don't people understand that this is common social etiquette? 

I remember a gal sitting on the bottom shelf in the bedding aisle in Target one afternoon.
She was going into explicit details of her date the night before.
She was talking way too loudly.
She was talking about things that were extremely sexual and personal.
Who she would tell these things to is beyond me let alone telling us all in 3 aisles of Target who could hear her. Finally a woman with a 4 yr old sitting in her cart went over to her and asked her (nicely no less) to take her dirty conversation outside.
The young gal said Fuck You to her. IN FRONT OF A 4 YR OLD.
Then a Target employee came over and asked that she get off the phone or go outside and she walked away all the while on her phone now complaining about the 'bitch' who told on her.

I'd ask what is wrong with people but there is such a long list we don't have enough time.

Longing for Civility

This weekend we saw people behaving badly at a store. Very badly.
Yes, in public. Adult people. If our children acted like this there would be punishment.
What do adults get? A reality show?
Why is it acceptable to hit someone, pull their hair etc when you aren't getting your way?
I do not and will never understand this ugly behavior. But it's all TV 24/7 so now it seems to be acceptable. But why do we let it be acceptable?  Does everyone really not care anymore?

Today flask over at furthermore flask she wrote about how civilized talk radio was in Canada. It made me smile. I long for that type of civility. It doesn't mean we are any less passionate about what we believe in. It just means we don't have to name call, point fingers, scream or lie. Imagine that?

Speaking of civility here is the opposite.  Mr. Trump.
We can all breath easier at night knowing this numb nut is not running for president.
That comb over will never be on your money. ...tee hee

Have any of you had Godiva's baked goods? Somehow I started getting catalogs.
Soon after drooling over the photo's and descriptions I think I gain a pound or two.
Honestly this stuff is so good. I got a cake a couple years ago as a gift.
Could be how i got the catalogs I guess.

Rick's daughter is so difficult to buy for. Her birthday is in a few weeks.
Last year she got an Apple gift card to use towards her Ipad. 
Don't have that kind of cash this year. She will be 31 and really has everything except a good car. We can not buy her a new car. She has a great job so she can get her own car.
But she loves chocolate and I got their new catalog and thought - hey who wouldn't want gooey brownies, cupcakes (filled with Godiva ganache) and truffles sent to them as a birthday tower of goodies? You know as 1 chocolate lover to another.
I know I would love that gift. At Christmas one of her plethora of gifts from us was a Cheesecake factory gift card. Do you know out of all the pain staking shopping I did this is what she liked the most? So why not godiva?
She doesn't cook or bake so every year I make sure if we aren't with her that she gets some type of baked good. And if she's with us I load up on making baked goods and fudge etc.
C'mon, tell me these don't look great.

Makes me wish it were my birthday I'd send them to myself!

I had a job interview today. I have a job already you say.
Why yes i do. 9 hours a day normally. But even though things have picked up we need to catch up so I thought maybe a few hours a week at Starbucks in my home town.
They called me in for an interview. How funny this was.
I was met by a 27 year old young lady. Her name was Marie.
She obviously had no interviewing skills what so ever.
She had no format, no notes, and she appeared more nervous than anything.
She asked me 2 questions and then sat there. So I took the ball and asked her questions and she would say things like, "oh yes, good, we need to discuss that."  That allowed her to realize something else she wanted to say.  I wondered if she was new at this position, but I did not ask.

I don't think their needs and my needed hours are going to work but we'll see. 
One thing I thought was funny was when she asked me if I knew their dress code. She told me no facial piercings or tattoo's are allowed to be shown while working and if that would be a problem for me. I held back my laughter and just smiled and said, "Not a problem."
She of course did not ask my age because legally she can't do that. But she mentioned the woman who was at the register who appears to be 60ish. She said she was a great worker and she does prefer people older. She then went on about their mature employees who have such a great work ethic. Then she added, "But you aren't quite as old to be in that group just yet." I laughed and was wondering if she was trying to find out my age or sincerely thought I wasn't that old. I didn't bite and tell her my age.  It's on my application if she paid attention.
We'll see. I don't think I'll be in a little Starbucks hat and black pants and shirt anytime soon honestly.

I got a call from my police officer working on the fraud case. The hotel is denying they ever had this card come through. So now the bank had to fax the information to the lieutenant and he will go back to this hotel. Something tells me someone who works there may be involved as well. It's all so fishy.

It's glorious outside so I'm off to walk Izzy while we have this great weather.
It won't last long.

Finally Friday

Okay I see that blogger lost the last couple of posts I had this week.

Including all the comments....Hmm......blogger drives me mad seriously.
This is my 3rd attempt at posting today.

It's cool and rainy today and it makes me want to go crawl into bed with a good book.
Sadly I must work.
Some random items to finish out my week.

• James got kicked off American Idol so now I don't give a hoot who wins and I won't be watching it anymore this year. They are all 16,icky, sappy,country and just plain yuk. (how about those great adjectives kids?)
• What the hell does Blogger do with all the posts that were lost? Where do they go? And why can't blogger get it together so they aren't down so often?
• Thinking of moving the blog to a website. Anyone do that? Easy transition? What is lost when you do that?
• I am craving ice cream....dieting so no ice cream for me. I keep seeing dairy queen commercials with oreo blizzards. Speaking of Oreo's did you see their new one? Oh my goodness. Thankfully I'm dieting because I would buy those so quickly. Oreo's are the only store bought cookie I like... err....I love.
• Bristol Palin changed her story about her face. Now she is saying it was jaw surgery for her teeth because they didn't meet. Apparently her jaw was misaligned. Funny, I had the same issue but they gave me braces and a metal plate that went under my tongue to push the jaw. If I had known a face lift would have fixed it I sure would have gone that route.

My husbands birthday is next week and he wants a coffee machine. He was at my desk one day when I went to the doctors and he saw my calendar. I had marked the date that tickets go on sale for a group he likes and I thought he'd enjoy going to see them in concert. He's only talked about it non stop for 3 years or more. He remarked to me that he saw my note and he really didn't want me to spend the money. BUT if I wanted to know what he really wanted for his birthday it was a Keurig machine.

If you don't know about this  coffee maker it will make a cup at a time. You get a large selection of coffees as well and a little stand to hold them in. It makes tea and hot cocoa as well as great coffee. We had tasted the coffee one day while at Costco and he has been wanting one ever since. I told him this was a sure sign of getting old. To want a coffee maker over a concert is the official sign of old age. He laughed and said, "sadly I think it is a HUGE sign but I still want that damn machine" It looks like this...

Do any of you have this machine? Do you like it? Why?
Costco had a great price as well as including the stand which when I went online I saw was extra. 

Something about buying him something this practical seems well, not quite right.

It's like getting socks and underwear for Christmas from your Grandmother. Who wants socks and underwear? If I do get him this it's more like something for both of us not him alone. His birthday is his alone and his gift should be as well. I have to come up with something soon his birthday is Thursday. He did ask me to bake him Beer Cake so that is his alone. (damn it!)

I know he'd love a date with Sophia Vergara as a present but that ain't happening! Poor fella.

Whining Thursday

My baseball team sucks right now. Jeez! I am frustrated!!


Haley on American Idol shot her chances at winning last night by mouthing off to the judge – bye bye! Deservedly so too!
I can not stand the country kid. Man he is one weird ass geeky kid. So he’ll probably win.
You know he sang a song with Jesus in it and you all know how America loves that.
I wouldn’t go see him in concert even it were free. But the country fans will love him and he will have a huge career.   So that leaves a 16 yr old who doesn’t want to sing the phrase, “I’m evil” because she doesn’t want people to think she’s evil. (yeah, she’s blonde!) These kids have talent but they are all dumb as hell. I hope they get to finish school because heaven knows they need it.
Then there was Lady GaGa. I don't get her. Everyone thinks she is so new and fresh and provacative. I find her to be a retread of Madonna mixed with Maryiln Manson just for show. Nothing original that is for sure. Does she have talent? Can she really sing? I only know of Poker Face and honestly that can be all auto tuned.  Having her to mentor these kids last night was so wrong on so many levels.

I hate my new neighbor. I know I have told you that before but the more she speaks the more I dislike her. Every time I see her I try to turn the other way. I know, that is petty and mean. But she is awful! This morning she was walking towards Izzy and me with her two dogs. I had no where to hide. So I had to endure her bitching about something – because that is all she does! She is a very spoiled princess. And today’s bitching was no difference. She was complaining about the former owner’s choice of colors. I almost said, “well get off your fat ass and paint for heaven’s sake it’s an easy solution” but I just nodded. Because if I said something she would continue to talk and I wanted to keep going. Finally I said, “Izzy really has to go and I have to get back to work. Have a great morning.” And I just walked away. Whew.

Bristol Palin's new face looks nice. I love the creativity these people use to convince us they didn't have a face lift or use botox etc. She said her teeth didn't meet. (gee I had that and had to get braces) Then she said she had jaw problems. I guess the logic there was - fix the jaw and while you're in there take a little off here and here ......
I guess they think we're dumb.

I love comedies. And this year life has been a year I need comedies. This one has potential.
I need a lot of mindless fun.

Fraud

Friday Rick stopped at a store on his way back to the office to pick up some supplies.
When he got to the office the first thing he said was, "You are not going to believe this woman that was the cashier at this place!" and then he handed me the receipt to file.

He was very animated as he described this woman. And that made me chuckle.
He used the phrase, Ridden hard and put away wet.
Which alone gives you a picture of her.
What I found funny about his story on her was that he was so descriptive.
Honest to God if you were to ask him what I was wearing yesterday he wouldn't know!
But this trashy woman he remembers all the details.
So here is his description......

She had 2inches of black roots, the rest of her hair was fried platinum and frizzy.
Her makeup looked like it was put on two days earlier. 
He said she looked like she needed a shower desperately. 
Her skin was icky (his term)
Her clothes were dirty, wrinkled and too tight.(stain on shirt)
She had long pink iridescent nail polish that was chipped on some nails.
She had smoker lines around her mouth, her skin was crinkley and had a smokers pallor.

He said she ran his company credit card and said it wasn't working and she walked away and then came back and said," I did it manually we're fine."
He signed the receipt and took his stuff and left.

Sunday I went to the office for something and I don't know why but I pulled up our bank account online.  I see two debits for a Best Western Hotel. This was done on Sunday. Well Rick and I have been together since Friday and we didn't go to a Best Western. (and truth be told I am a snob and wouldn't go to a best western if I could avoid it!!!)

I freaked out. I called the bank and had the business card put on hold and we filed the paperwork for fraud. Monday I had to call the local police and give the bank the case number. Today the police called me back and we filled out the paperwork. Rick believes it was the woman from that store. I gave the police her name and that information. This is the only time that someone has ever taken the card from us.  We also don't use this card for any online shopping etc. But we understand they have to look everywhere and not just her.

We now have to wait for the police to do their thing. This hotel was about 2 hrs south of here in what I like to refer as "Bango Towns" .  You know like in Deliverance. :-)  Hear 'em?

Now honestly people if you were going to illegally use someones card would you go to a Best Western? I think I'd be having strawberries and champagne at a Four Seasons or an equivalent. And I sure as hell wouldn't be in a po-dunk town!! 

Rick wants so badly to go back to that store and say something but the police have put a cabash on that and I am thankful. I told him not to but he doesn't listen to me as well as he did the police.

Rick said this morning if he saw the person had bought food and gas he would probably let it go but still close our card so it can't happen again.  I just shake my head, I am not sure I'd do that. But he kept saying if it was someone who needed food and gas how can you not understand?  See why I always say Rick is a nicer version of me?  We are struggling ourselves this year but he'd give 'em his last dollar because he thinks we can still buy food.

So what would you do if you could get away with it and use someone elses card for a day?
Bet it's not a day at a Best Western!

Tuesday's This and That

I am finding it difficult to write right now.
Still not feeling great but I will soon I am sure.

In the mean time this is what I have been doing.
Saturday Rick and I planted some flowers on our patio.

The Petunia's                                                                                






              











Geraniums and Portulaca's



 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Rick bought this one!  They like shade so it's perfect for where it's at.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
This has flowers like begonias and some more portulaca's but in front is some garlic and Izzy just can't stop smelling it. She has her nose in this box every chance she gets. She has never attempted to eat it but she sure is thrilled by the smell.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
This below is Izzy being a bad defiant dog again. She was done walking and this is her way of telling me. She will just stop. Izzy is a diva and does not like hot weather. She prefers it cool. We had only walked a mile and she had enough. So she just stops. Cracks me up every time. She will just stare at me until I turn towards our home and then she will follow. I would love to know what the hell they are thinking.

That is all I've been up to besides work.
Here's hoping my next post is telling you I just won the Powerball.

Friday Bitching

I'm feeling about 50% better and that is great to me.
I had a shot of magnesium yesterday and they've up'd my supplements of said vitamin/mineral and it should continue to get better. It honestly felt like I was turning to stone. It began in my lower back and slowly moved up to my neck. My whole back side was knots and frozen and so tight. Then it began to move to the top of my thighs so I felt like I would be a statue before I knew it. Literally it feels like you are turning to stone.  It's hard to imagine something that sounds so trivial giving one such pain but my goodness I would only wish this on my enemies. But I am on the way to being back to normal. We know the source and it's being dealt with. I hope by the weekend this is completely gone!

Now to my I Hate People bitch session.
(It's nothing new if you've been coming here for any length of time. )
We are renting our vacation home.
We have it listed on Home Away.
When you go to this site and pick your location there is a list of homes with pictures, descriptions, and information needed to make a decision. Before you even click on the tab for details it says the price for the week next to the photo.
I have had calls all week asking the cost, asking if the week is available (have you looked at the calendar?) how many people does it sleep....(look next to the photo and cost and it tells you that in big bold letters)  It also states no pets, no smoking, no exceptions. Yet they ask if they can bring their 2 dogs who of course are all well behaved. What part of no exceptions don't you understand?

A woman called and asked me what the cost was. I told her it was XYZ and that it is the same cost as what is listed on the site. She then asks, how many people can it sleep. I tell her 6 as stated on the website. She asks if I would allow 8. I tell her that as it states on the website this is a county law that is very much enforced. If we find that 8 are there we will charge you for the fine that we will most definitely receive from the state and county. Because we are the only renters in our cul-de-sac our neighbors monitor this much more closely than the county government ever would so we can make no exceptions on this.

She then went on a tirade about how difficult I was being and that is just ridiculous there are lots of homes on the lake that sleep 8-12.

"Yes, there are ma'am however they are larger homes.
This house is perked for a 3 bedroom and that is what governs the law in regards to how many people. You may want to look at some of those other homes. I am sorry we couldn't accommodate you."

"But those other homes are so much more money we can't afford that."

"I'm sorry ma'am perhaps you can look into XYZ resort they may have something to offer."

"I can't believe you aren't going to take my money."

I am not about to debate this with this woman.
I am tired, in pain and seriously what a twat.
So I say, "Thank you again for calling us and inquiring about our home. I wish you a great vacation at Smith Mountain Lake. I would like to suggest calling XX Rentals I bet they can help you at XXX-XXX-XXXX. Thanks again." and I hung up.

The bitch calls me back.
She continues to vent her frustration and guys I am so tired from pain and no sleep I just let her go off.  I have no rebuttal that is going to make her feel better and I honestly just don't give a shit. The pain has worn me down and there is no fight left in me.
Finally she asks, "Are you still there?"

"I am."

"Don't you have something to say?"

"Ma'am I wish I could help you I understand how frustrating this must be but I have given you all the suggestions I can. I don't know what to tell you."

"Fuck You" and she hangs up.

Don'tcha just love people?
I can truly say in all my years on this earth I have never ever said F-U to anyone other than an ex husband during an ugly fight. Never. Let alone a stranger who is being nice to me but just not telling me what I want to hear. (not that i didn't want to mind you)

It's been a bad week.
I will be back next week with an attitude adjustment and being Perky Peg....I promise.
Just don't have it in me today.

Good News Bad News

Good news is that there was no meat in that freezer we were concerned about.
Bad news is that my husband swore there was some left behind which caused undue stress.
Good news I didn't have to kill him.
Bad news is that he has lost his ever loving mind!

I hurt my back big time on Thursday night. Now I have had 4 back surgeries so I normally can deal with back pain. I take 4 ibuprofen and go on with life. But this was different. This had me down for the count.  Friday morning sitting in that car for 4 hours was pure hell. I couldn't wait to get out of the car and yet I could wait because I feared what I would be facing in that house when I did go in.

We arrived and Rick helped this old broad get out of the car. But I wouldn't go in.
Yes, I am chicken shit.  I wanted him to go in there first and tell me what the scene was.
I was worried there not only would be stench but who knows what kind of maggots or slimy icky things that would make me vomit.
So he opened the door and yells out to me, "Hey it smells fine. Musty like it's been closed up but fine."
"Check the fridge" I yell
"It's empty except for the ice cream and some miniature Reese's cups" as he lets out a loud Wooo - hooo!!
Then I walked in and sure enough it was all in place and looked fine.
There was a smell that the house had been closed up for many months, and a layer of dust all around but that was it.  Everything was just fine as we left it.

I hobbled over to my husband and hit him.
"What the hell made you think you left something?"
He kept saying, "I don't know but I really thought I left the fish & steaks in there"
"I am so glad you are wrong"

Each hour that went by my back got worse. I could not bend at all. I could barely walk.
Going to the bathroom had become a major deal. It hurt to stand, sit or lay. I couldn't sleep and I really couldn't sleep in bed. I had to lay out in this chair. It was a nightmare. I really didn't get what one could call good sleep.

I couldn't get down the hill to the water. So only Rick and the dog went to the dock. I am so thankful I didn't have all the work ahead of me to do. By Saturday I was down. Seriously down. Crying down. I was eating pain relievers like pez.

Further bad news - At one point I was lying on my side on the sofa.  I had been crying and my husband insisted I take a percocet that I had left over from my shoulder surgery 2 1/2 years ago. They really make me very loopy. My phone rang and it was a blogger friend. I should never ever have answered the phone. If I had been in my right mind I wouldn't have. I was so fogged up that I am certain I was a blabbering idiot.   I seriously feel like shit  because the day that I get to speak to this great woman I am an ass. Imagine talking to someone for the first time and they are flying on pain medication. So not good. Can you say, Charlie Sheen? I can't apologize enough to her but will she ever want to talk to me again? 
Oh jeez I screwed up!

As for my back we came home early because I couldn't take it. The drive about kills me but I wanted to be at my home home....if that makes sense to you. I go to the doctors today for some relief. I am standing as I type this. It's the easiest thing for me right now.

Good news is I am a bit better today.
Bad news I have a blogger friend who thinks I'm a dolt.
Good news is that my back has been far worse so this will pass.