Sprash Iwand, the Sequel

I kept the children home from day care today in order to take them to the local pool park...but the weather wasn't cooperating.  It was raining, etc....nothing much...but just enough to make me wonder if we'd get our money's worth out of a trip there.  We lazed around in the morning some (which we all like), but the children soon became bored and started doing "creative" things that translates into chaos in the house.  It was do-or-die time!  I looked at radar and couldn't tell a thing.  Finally, around 1:00 or so, I just figured we'd go for it.  The center was open.  We just had to hope there'd be no storms.  And there weren't!

We were at Splash Island for about two hours.  It wasn't long enough for the children, but I hadn't taken a hat...so it was long enough for my semi-bald head and our time schedule.  (I make them wear their "animal hates" to keep the sun off their faces and necks.)  I continue to be amazed at how well they do in the water.  Robin is just short of swimming on her own.  Ryan dog-paddles like crazy.  Neither is afraid, God bless them.  Splash Island is a GREAT place to take children!

Meg's car has been delivered to a car repair place for tomorrow.  It has issues.  This means that I will be taking her to work and the children to day care tomorrow, then preparing to leave for my sister's later in the day--providing her car is done.  Don't know where the money is going to come from for this.  Child support didn't show up today...

On another tack, I took the children to Plainfield's Friendship Garden yesterday afternoon to look at the waterfall.  Then we walked to the other gardens in the same area.  One is a war memorial to WWII.  I told little Ryan about that.  He wanted to know where the war was.  I explained that the war THEN was in a lot of places, but that the war NOW is in Iraq.  Several times, he asked me what rock the war was in.  I didn't get it.  Stupid Grandma! 

I had to leave the house for awhile tonight.  I called Meg before coming home and she told me that both children were asleep.  Bingo!  Well...almost bingo.  Ryan was carried off to bed and remained asleep.  Robin woke up and was escorted off to bed, and is still awake.  How come I get so lucky????

No one ate well today.  Not good!

Simple Pleasures!

A week or more ago, I had a list of three precious things that were missing.  Two of them reappeared, but the third--my keyless entry button-key for my car--just didn't show up with a thorough house search.  Stupidly, I stood in my kitchen watching my grandson finger the buttons.  "What does this button do?  What does THIS button do?"  Etc.  In the back of my mind at that moment, I was saying, "He will lose those if you don't take them away," but I didn't...and sure enough, I hadn't seen them since.  Until tonight.  Want to know where they were?  Do you REALLY want to know where they were??  Guess!  C'mon, just give it a shot!  Awww....give up?  They were in the bottom of the ice cream cone box!  Silly me...I should have checked there first!

Last night, I went to bed early out of self-defense.  I had fallen asleep on the couch.  Meg and Ryan crashed, leaving Robin loose in the house with me conked out.  She got into a bunch of stuff before waking me up to demand that "we" go to bed.  Meanwhile, Meg got a phone call which caused her to get up about the time I was trying to settle into bed.  Robin had other ideas.  We sleep in a waterbed, so all her thrashing and somersaults were transferred to my efforts to get her settled down.  I knew that going to bed at 9:30 would guarantee that I would be awake in the wee hours and would have weird dreams.  Yup!  Robin was upside down in the bed, taking the covers in a different direction.  Her feet were at my head.  I did all I could to maintain my space.  Ha!  When it was time to get up this morning, she was crabby...and kicked me in the head, since her feet were up there...  <sigh>

I had to take the Junkyard Dog to the vet for her delayed rabies shots.  Took her three weeks ago, but she was sick...which resulted in antibiotics and steroids and a delay until she was better.  Since she is allergic to whatever they put in the shots, she has to get a special anti-allergen shot, then the rabies vaccination--then has to be observed for a few hours.  The vet clinic in Monrovia is practically on my school's campus, so I determined to take her and leave her in order to work at school for about four hours. 

I had a donated radio to give to one of my former students, so I called to have him meet me at school...and, interestingly, another of my former students called just a few minutes later to indicate that he could be at school, too...to take practice tests for the Technician's license.  I told him I would be there from about 10-2.  Guess what?  He came at 10 and left at 2:00!  I didn't get everything done that I needed to do, but he passed at least six practice tests (failing none), so it was worth it.  The trip to the vet cost me $100.  This dawg is expensive!

Robin has not been having good days in day care.  A few days ago, she had so many time-outs that she called it an X-day.  (The gal puts an X in a box where time-outs are needed.)  Basically, she hasn't had a good report in many days.  There was a pants-soiling episode last week.  Today, I was told that Robin wasn't allowed to participate in "Lunch Bunch" sponsored by the library at a local park.  She had to stay in the van with Ms. Shelly while the others participated because she "wouldn't listen".  Robin is a willful child--very much like her mother was (except her mother was an "only" without sibling competition).  This baby has been the light of my life since the instant she was born, and I hate to see her fall into the power struggles of existence.  Meg and I had some conversation tonight about Robbie--about the fact that she is more obviously suffering more than Ryan with the divorce, and that we need to spend more quality time with her, softening some of the blows she is experiencing. 

The biggest challenge is sleep.  It is a vicious cycle.  She refuses to go to sleep at night until 11:00 or after, so is crabby in the mornings which gets her into trouble at day care.  So she takes a nap at Ms. Shelly's and is better thereafter...but then we can't get her to sleep at night.  One thing I know for sure: she has long expressed a certain freedom after her brother goes to bed.  That happened very early after his birth! 

I don't know what the answer is, but we softened the atmosphere tonight. Robin got more attention than usual, and it seemed to help. 

Tomorrow, I have promised Splash Island, but the weather forecast isn't all that good.  We'll see.  I may be leaving for IL on Thursday evening or Friday.  I need to see my sister!!

 

 

Weekend Nonsense

Yesterday was a total wash in terms of getting things done at home.  I ate out three meals yesterday (bad for the diet) but helped a friend in the process.  Slept well last night (because I had the bed to myself) and otherwise did the best I could. 

Have worked all day on the house...mostly on my bedroom and the laundry.  Found things that had been lost, but am still looking for the keyless entry button-deal for my car.  (God bless little Ryan.) 

My summer is winding down.  We are in the must-do part of the season, while I am still free and we still have two vehicles around here..  Getting Meg's car looked at is a must-do.  Getting the dog's shots is a must-do.  Fixing a few of the things that take a little bit of doing--like painting a wall or two--are must-do's.  In a few short weeks, I'll be back on the job and everything will telescope into available hours.  I need to retire!!

I plan to go to IL this next weekend to visit my sis.  She can't exactly come here since there is no place to offer her and hubby by way of accommodations.  Still, every time I go there, I come back looking at my little house as a shack.  I try to keep perspective!

I look forward to a change of scenery.  :)

 

Grumble, Grump, Grrrrr....

Yesterday, I was up early, bright and shiny, because I went to bed early and felt somewhat rested.  This morning, I was up early but with no sparkle.  I went to bed last night NOT because I was ready but because my granddaughter (my bedmate) refuses to fall asleep.  Nightly, it is 11:00 or midnight before she finally caves in...and that is too late for a little one that has to be up by 6:30. 

Okay...so I gave in and joined her at 10:30, thinking that my presence in the bed would settle her down.  (It usually does.)  But before we could fall asleep, we began to hear noises in the house.  My house is built on a slab, so creaky floor noises don't exist.  I had made sure the garbage was out of the dog's reach, but I figured the Junkyard Pup was up to something.  It seems that the INSTANT the lights go out in the house, she goes on a hunt to see what she can get into.  She was rummaging around in the computer room.  I ordered her out of there, but then found her in my bathroom, looking for Kleenex to shred from the trashbasket.  Ordered her out of there, too.  Then we could hear her on Robin's side of the bed, doing something.  She had found a sippy-cup and was chewing on the tip.  (Have I mentioned that she has ruined about four sippy-cups just in the past couple of weeks??)  The only way to confiscate something that she knows she's not supposed to have is to take Frodo by the collar and pull her away...and even then she will lunge at it in a Hail Mary attempt for one last grab.  I think I rescued the sippy-cup before she could inflict damage.  I went to the kitchen and fed the poor starving dog a half-cup of dry dog food, then went to bed for good--by now, midnight.  In thanks and gratitude, the resident canine left me a few little "presents" on the kitchen floor sometime overnight.  Geez!

Let's see--what else can I complain about?  Meg's car overheated again on her way to work this morning.  The lawn still needs to be mowed.  I am making only slow headway on housework.  I can't read a calendar.  I am going to a wedding the night before I have to get up early to work the Brickyard 400 for my radio club.  No project is EVER finished around here.  Hmmm...anything else??

I'll need a nap sometime today.  No doubt about it!

 

Blessed Be the Bean

Keeping ahead of the grandchildren can be frustrating and irritating sometimes.  They can undo something that took hours to accomplish in mere minutes...and getting angry doesn't give them any sense of guilt.  (Guess feeling for others doesn't happen until about age six.)  But there are times when little things mean a lot.

Robin is allowed to go to bed long past her brother--largely because he is easier to put down than she is.  Usually, she thrashes around on the waterbed, doing somersaults and otherwise tearing up the covers, ad infinitum, WAY past bedtime.  Tonight, at 11:00, she asked if I would come snuggle with her.  That usually means that she is ready to go to sleep but needs that extra creature comfort to get the job done.  If I give up and just go lie down with her, she generally nods off quickly.  Tonight, in her twilight fog before conking out, she turned to me and said, "If I ever have a baby, I'm going to be as good a mommy as my mommy and you and Grandma Judy and my daddy."  She was expressing her love for us.  I hope it also means that she still feels secure in our love.  My little "bean" is the light of my life.  She is a very stubborn and willful child (just like her mother was!)...but also very sensitive and intelligent...and talented.  I hope life is gentle to her.  I hope we all measure up to the motherhood notions that she has in her brain.

After everyone left this morning, I hit the couch for a continued nap.  Didn't get up until almost 10:00 AM, and in the process, triggered a "charlie horse" in my right calf muscle.  The Junkyard Dog stared at me because I was screaming in pain.  It lasted about 30 seconds--a LONG 30 seconds!  The muscle is still sore.  I hope I don't get another one of those ever again.  They hurt!

Have only about a month left of summer "vacation".  Need to establish a schedule in order to make sure everything gets done.  It has already been a more fruitful summer than most...  Mowing hasn't been a big problem because we haven't had enough rain to keep the lawn green for long. 

My best to all.

 

Cabinet Detail

One of the projects I had assigned to myself was to paint the kitchen cabinet fronts.  It's been a number of years since they were done, and they were beginning to look pretty shabby.  I told myself today that I was going to wash them down because they would need to be clean before painting anyway.  It took about three hours to do them well.  Guess what I discovered?  They don't need to be painted!  They were just really, really dirty!

We had our monthly HCARS meeting tonight.  It was a business meeting and Field Day wrap-up.  I have been president of the club for three years now and have decided that someone else needs to take over for 2008.  It isn't that tough a job, but it is time for new blood.  Any takers?

Robin has been asking me every day if it's payday yet.  I told the children that we could go back to Splash Island after payday.  That's her motivation for asking, I'm sure.  Preschoolers don't have much concept of time, although my grandkids do fairly well with that.  I keep telling her "next week".  How much of that she gets, I'm not sure...

We need rain again.  When is the next special occasion?  It seems that it only rains on days when we plan outdoor festivities.  Let's see...that would be Robin's birthday on August 6th.  Ack!  I'm not sure my lawn can wait that long!

Bedtime!

 

Just a Regular Day

I got up early this morning, again...but realized that I didn't want to be...so I laid down on the couch for another couple of hours.  When I got up, the clock said 9:00.  Huh?  I slept THAT long??  Meg got up shortly thereafter.  We had a decent brunch, then launched into laundry, laundry, and more laundry.  It's all caught up...hung/folded, and put away.  That's a big deal around here!  Of course, the rest of the house isn't particularly clean and the lawn isn't mowed, but the laundry is done!

I like the days when Meg and I are both here sans kids.  When she started having babies, I lost my Running Buddy.  I missed being able to do spontaneous things--not that we ever did many of those, but still...  Just having a few hours alone together today was nice.  We did some housework together.  Whoop-de-doo!

Meg took my car to Muncie to pick up the children this evening because the AC in hers doesn't work.  They didn't get back until sometime after 9:00 PM, and Robin got out of the car crabby.  She was put to bed right away--almost immediately--but she is STILL awake in the bedroom, jumping around and talking to herself--the little skunk.

Frodo the Junkyard Dog still continues her quest for food in any way she can get it.  In fact, every time I move, she moves with me with a hopeful look in her eye.  She is hereby DONE with the steroids.  I mean, she has always been bad about food, but this has been utterly ridiculous!  Even the children are afraid to leave the table for any reason with their food unprotected. 

This is so mundane, I am even boring myself by typing it.  Good night!

Hamfest

I was awake at 4:30 this morning.  Don't ask me why!  Got up and discovered that Meg was up, too!  She was up to go meet her friend for breakfast before he left on a plane flight for work.  I was up to go meet my ham friends for breakfast before we went to a hamfest on the southwest side of Indy.

The 'fest was another good one, although hot.  Much of it is tailgate flea market outdoors.  The only thing on my shopping list was to find a charger for an HT that Major Pat McPherson donated to my students.  Found one for a whopping $2!  I have to say, however, that I feel like a kept woman.  Friend Mike paid for breakfast for Adam and me; Adam bought our hamfest tickets in advance; Adam paid for "lunch" for friend Bill and me (I was Bill's transportation home)...as well as the charger.  I have to get better at sneaking the bill away from the waitresses!!!

When I got home, 4-ish, Meg was doing laundry.  We both worked at picking up, etc., until we ran out of steam just a little bit ago.  She showed me what Frodo the Junkyard Dog had been into in our absence:  yet another garbage bag!  I know...I guess I left one within her reach...but gee whiz!  We aren't sure, but by the looks of her lovely blue-green poop, she licked the itty-bit of frosting left on the base that held America's birthday cake--and probably ate three corn cobs.  Lord only knows what else!  She has been to the poop-yard at least six times since I got home from the hamfest.  We are hereby declaring war on the dog having anything that isn't dog food--garbage included! 

So, Mike--where did you go?  I lost you early in the hamfest.  Called for you on the radio several times.  Finally walked the fest looking for you, to no avail.  Tried to look to see if your car was still there, but got sidetracked by Dr. Jay....but no one had seen you for awhile, so I figured you left.  Next time, you need to at least say bye-bye!

Need to hit the sack.  It's been a LOOOONG day!

Congratulations, Trooper Criswell!

I went to Zionsville High School this morning to attend the graduation ceremony of the 67th class of the Indiana State Police Academy.  One of my former students and fellow hams was in that class, and I wouldn't have missed it for the world!  Daniel, KC9AXD, is now referred to as Trooper Criswell.  It was an impressive ceremony, and Dan looked like a million bucks.  I am so proud of him!  He will be stationed at the Putnamville State Police Post just west of Greencastle--closer to home than many of the former recruits.  He is a lucky duck!

Dan is special to me for several reasons.  One is that he was such a pain in class in 10th grade that I figured he was destined for trouble.  He found a little of it, but turned his life around, totally.  During his senior year, he IMed me at my sister's in Illinois at Christmas to inquire about amateur radio.  We talked back and forth about it for a little bit, then he started studying for the Technician test.  He passed it with flying colors on January 5th.  I'm sure it's not a record, but it impressed the hell out of me!  After high school, he started on his quest to become a cop, never giving up on his dream.  He told me at the end of his first week at the Academy that it was as rough or rougher than military boot camp, but no matter how hard they tried to make recruits drop out, he was in for the long course.  Today, Dan's dream became a reality.  Way to go, Trooper Dan!  (On a lighter note, one hapless young graduate's last name is Trinkle.  He will be hereinafter be referred to as Trooper Trinkle.  Poor fellow!)

Change of subject.  I hereby change Frodo's title from "Wonder Dog" to "Junkyard Dog"!  In her 'roid rage, she has become a dog on an endless quest for food.  Last night, I had three garbage bags sealed up to take to the curb this morning.  Had them on top of the table, away from her ability to get to them....I thought.  Ha!  The minute my back was turned, she found a way to get on top of the table.  I caught her in the act of tearing into one of the bags.  Even after a severe scolding and my making the bags more secure, she STILL managed to get into another one.  She is absolutely shameless when it comes to food!  I wonder if there is a twelve step program for doggie food addicts...

Sprash Iwand

Today, I made good on my promise to take the grandchildren someplace special.  I kept them out of day care in order for us to have some fun time together this summer while I am still free.  Of the major options (the Children's Museum, the Indianapolis Zoo, or Splash Island here in Plainfield), the Splash Island "poo" seemed to be everyone's favorite--so that's what we did.

But before we left, there was mayhem.  One of the children emptied the contents of a large salt shaker into a bowl and on the table.  One of the children tore couch cushions and blankets out to make a fort in the living room.  One of the children took a picture of himself with his mother's digital camera.  One of the children found his mother's gum and was chewing it without asking.  And what was Gramma doing that they could do all of this?  Not paying close enough attention, obviously--but it's pretty darned hard to be everywhere!  Finally, just before we left the house, I ordered both of the kids to the couch and told them not to move or touch anything until I could get our stuff together to go.  It wouldn't have worked for long, but it did for the moment.

What a great place Splash Island is!  A very large part of it is little kid friendly.  We were issued hospital-type bracelets indicating that the children were responsible to an adult "within arm's reach"--and my bracelet indicated that I had children with me who were to be "within arm's reach".  I'm not sure what the purpose of that is unless it is simply to remind the adults that they couldn't NOT pay attention.  Both Robin and Ryan (non-swimmers) were reluctant to experiment too much at first.  Ryan especially.  As time went on, they both warmed up a bit to the water, but I had to watch them like hawks.  (They would have had to go some to get in water deep enough to hurt them, but still...)  After twenty minutes or so, I noticed that a number of children were wearing life jackets that had PPR (Plainfield Parks and Recreation) on the back.  Hmmm...  I asked a father if they had to be rented; he indicated that they were ours for the taking for free.  Nice!  I got the kids each outfitted with a life jacket--and that changed everything!  Robin continued to splash around like a little fish, practicing her version of swimming and holding her breath under water,--and Ryan dog-paddled his little heart out.  I was still with them every second but neither clung to me.  They had a blast!  Entrance price and a snack cost about $20, but it was the best $20 I spent all summer!

Ever mindful of the kids' tender white skin, I slathered them both with sun block that was about the consistency of peanut butter, and both had hats to wear.  (Ryan wouldn't wear his...and his skin is even fairer than Robin's.)  The only part of Ryan I really couldn't cover with the block was his little cheeks--and that's the only part of him that got any sun.  That stuff really works!!!!

We came home happy, but the minute they hit the door, the children were back to squabbling.  (I think they were hungry.)  Robin spent quite awhile in the bedroom in time out for biting her brother not five minutes after we got home.  I threw some supper together.  The kids got to bed relatively early--and all was well.

Sprash Iwand (as Ryan calls it) was a success.  The only thing that wasn't particularly good was that I got a glimpse of myself in my bathing suit just before throwing an oversized t-shirt on and a ball cap.  I was hoping no one would recognize me--and they didn't, largely because there was no one there that I knew.  Thank God!

We'll probably do Sprash Iwand again in another week or two.  We wiked it!

What Was I Thinking??

I am certifiably nuts for inviting anyone over for a cookout today.  Thank God no one took me up on it!  Where I went wrong was in working on the garage over the weekend when the children were gone, instead of on the house.  That automatically put me behind in getting the house put back together and catching up on the laundry detail.  Then I spent one day this week doing my certificate-renewal-running-around, putting me further behind.  Today, the children were home all day for the holiday.  Well!  There was no house-straightening done today, I can tell you!  In fact, the clutter and confusion has just about done me in! 

You see, I adore my grandchildren.  (Of course, I adored them more when they didn't live with me!)  All summer long, they have been here during the week and with their father in Muncie over the weekends.  That means that we have the business end of things, and he gets the "funner" times.  I was really looking forward to the holiday today, and also told the day care provider that I was keeping the children tomorrow to do something special while I still am on summer break.  What was I thinking????

Little Ryan...the cutest little dude on the planet...is the hardest to deal with.  If you don't acknowledge something he has said immediately, he will say it eight times more until he is sure you got the message.  I fixed us a nice brunch this morning.  He discovered the bicycle bells that his other grandmother gave the kids for Easter...and that started everything going.  He wanted the bells on the bikes, then he wanted to ride his bike, then he wanted to race someone, etc.  I got the bells on and told him that I'd watch him ride, but I wasn't going to ride myself...and no one was going to race him.  (We had to go over the "rules" first.)  Then Megan and Robin and he were going to take the dog for a walk around the block.  Ryan wanted to take his bike.  He was told no (because he won't stay with them.)  He wouldn't take no for an answer, so he got left behind.  (I heard the wailing from the back yard.  When I finally went out to investigate, he was sitting on the lawn crying while his sibling and mother faded in the distance.  I brought him in and plunked him in front of the TV.  For a moment there, I thought he'd take a nap...but NOOOOoooooo...  Then it was time for a light lunch.

Thereafter, I took the kids on a mini-shopping trip to Deals to get some things we wanted.  Then there was the squirt gun fight in the back yard (which was fun until the kids were getting more water on the floor of the house while filling their guns than in the guns themselves...AND until I discovered that Robin had put dishwasher detergent in hers.  (What a little skunk!) 

Then it was time for our cookout.  I haven't fixed homemade cheeseburgers in a LOOONG time, so that's what we had.  Cheeseburgers and baked beans and chips and corn on the cob...and we ate on the patio.  By this time, I was sweating buckets.  Later, we had a birthday cake for the USA.  Even sang "Happy Birthday" to our country and let the children blow out candles..  I think they liked that! 

We had a mini-thunderstorm after dinner.  Had to keep watching the weather to see if we were going to get rained out on our annual walk to Hummel Park to watch the fireworks.  Finally, we figured we could chance it.  Understand that I had NO TIME to get cleaned up.  The humidity had turned my "do" into an Afro, and I had no makeup on--a scary prospect for the faint-hearted!  We walked to the park, watched the great fireworks show that Plainfield puts on, then walked back home.  It wasn't, however, without its trauma.  Ryan again!  He has very definite ideas about what he wants to do.  If you change that, there is hell to pay.  I thought Meg was going to end up having to carry him all the way home.  Fortunately, he settled down before we got out of Hummel...then acted up again at home.  Geez!

And, God help me, I have signed on for a repeat tomorrow!  I am going to attempt to take the kids to Splash Island here in Plainfield.  I will be undermanned for that, but I have been promising all summer to do something special with the children, and time is fleeting.  Wish me luck! 

On Friday morning, I will be wending my way to Zionsville High School where the Indiana State Police will be having their academy graduation exercises.  One of my former students, Daniel Criswell (KC9AXD) will be graduating as a state trooper.  I am so proud of that young man, I could pop my buttons!  I had Dan in class as a Sophomore.  He and his buddy Jason pushed my buttons; I even enlisted the help of his football coach to straighten him out.  He wasn't the best student in the world, and when I saw that he was on my class roster as a Senior when I changed teaching assignments, I cringed.  But Daniel had enrolled at Plainfield High School by then, so I didn't have him.  He did, however, catch me online over Christmas break that year.  I was at my sister's in Illinois, and he was at home in Monrovia.  He indicated that he'd like to try ham radio.  I told him an online site to try to study for testing.  He studied for and passed the Tech test in what?  Ten days???  I was floored!  We got him a radio and got him on the air--with some rough spots from others that aren't worth mentioning now--and the rest is history.  Dan grew up his Senior year in high school and became focused on his future.  He wanted to be a cop.  He worked toward that with determination.  When he was accepted into the State Police Academy, (which included a reference from me), he was ecstatic.  The six-month boot camp reminded me of the movie "An Officer and a Gentleman".  Candidates were dropping like flies.  Guys were required to run out in the snow and ice when someone screwed up.  Dan hang in there.  And now he will soon be "ordained" as Trooper Criswell.  Wow!  I'm going to be there to see that happen!  It will be a first for me...

God Bless the USA!

 

Happy Birthday, America!

In this household, the Fourth of July is truly a day of celebration!  I am taking this opportunity to wish everyone reading my "blog" a safe and joyous Fourth.  We are truly fortunate that, by accident of birth, we are citizens of the greatest country in the world.  Every American should thank whatever God they worship every day for their good fortune! 

Happy Birthday, USA!

Certificate Trekking

Here in Indiana, teachers have to go back to school to pick up 6 credit hours every five years in order to renew their teaching certificates.  (I guess they call it a "license" in this state.)  The time prior to this when I got my six hours of credits at IUPUI (Indiana University-Purdue University in Indianapolis), it cost just short of $700.  This last time, the cost had almost doubled.  I didn't have $1,200, but I had to have the hours in order to keep my license.  It was tricky!  In short, just the schooling alone costs about $260 a year, spread out over the five year time period--and college costs just keep going up.  (Guess what, boys and girls!  In order to keep teaching, I would have to do it all over again in three years--and I'm not going to do it!)  I want everyone to understand that there is no tuition reimbursement through the school district, the state, or any other source.  This comes on the backs of the teachers!

Anyway, at the end of the five year time period, one has to provide the state with $35 for certificate renewal, course transcripts, a criminal background check (another $7), a copy of the previous license, and an application.  I chose to do it all in one day, in person--today!  (I did my homework to find out all that would be needed.  The $35 had to be a cashier's check or money order.)  I didn't have a clue where to find my teaching certificate, so I called my school district to ask for a copy of the copy they have.  Thus, I set my itinerary for today:  Marsh for the $35 money order; then Monrovia for the copy of my license; then the Government Center in Indy for the criminal background check; then to IUPUI to get the official transcripts and turn all of the stuff in to the Department of Education...then lunch with Meg at noon.  I worried, of course, that I would get lost and/or that there would be delays that would prevent me from getting to Meg's office in time, but it was do-or-die...and I did!  I made it to Meg's with 15 minutes to spare, but I was busy!

I want everyone to know that cash isn't all its cracked up to be these days.  When one leaves for a venture like this one today, one needs to go armed with every form of payment possible!  For example, the $35 for the state had to be a cashier's check or money order.  (Already mentioned that.)  The criminal background check had to be cashier's check or money order, unless you were there in person (which I was)--but even then it had to be "correct change".  I had to go down to the snack shop in order to break the $20 I had before I could pay for the background check.  I couldn't pay for the transcripts in cash either!  They would, however, take a check or credit card.  Then, there were the coins needed for the parking meter, and the couple of bucks it took for the parking garage on campus.  What an exercise in creative funding!  At least it's done--probably for the last time!

Doing some preparations for some Fourth of July fun with the grandchildren.  We're going to make a red-white-and blue cake!

Let's Face It...

In order to clean, you have to make a mess!  I was up really early today because I couldn't sleep anymore, and since the day was fairly cool with low humidity, I decided there was no time like the present to start to commence to begin cleaning out my garage.  (It is a well-known fact by teachers that, once the Fourth of July comes, the summer is as good as over.  The Fourth approacheth!)

Okay...so I tore into the garage.  Understand that the garage was unnavigable.  Four bicycles, Meg's stuff, my stuff, baby stuff, radio stuff...  It's only a one-car garage!  You get the picture!  Two or three years ago, my friend Mike (N5CEC) made the mistake of dropping by my house, and I put him to work assembling a work bench that I had purchased from Sears.  He put it together just outside the kitchen door to the garage (because that was the only place there was to work), and he chuckled that it would soon be piled high with junk.  I was offended.  I wouldn't do that!  Well, guess what???  It was soon piled high with junk!  Not only that, but since it was just outside the door, it pretty much blocked entrance to the garage from the house.  And the rest of the junk blocked entrance to the garage from the overhead door.  In short, I was locked out by junk!  My biggest complaint was that I couldn't find anything when I needed it. 

Started taking stuff out in order to sort.  My divisions were:  pitch, donate, give to friends, organize to keep.  I recognized that the job wouldn't be accomplished today...that I had to have a "give up" time to start putting things back in the garage until they can be dealt with again.  (For all of the efficiency experts out there, I know this is a bad plan...but I'm not efficient.  Thus is the reason for the mess out there!)

So...as of now...the workbench is in place for the very first time.  I have filled the car with donatable items.  I have filled the kitchen with baby stuff to be cleaned before shipped off to friends.  I have filled the trash cans with trash  (with lots more to come) and have stuffed the keepable stuff back into the garage.  In short, it doesn't look like anything at all was done!

Got the word that my other Mike friend (KB9RDO) broke his hand in that dash to close his car windows in a downpour.  Mike lives alone and now only has one wing.  He is refusing help.  He don't know me very well, do he?!

Cigs went up in $$ today. Time to quit!