Here We Go!

Meg's uncle called tonight to say that they want to start on the garage remodel project on FRIDAY!  Uh...no!  Can't be done because the garage isn't cleaned out...but it can be cleaned out by Monday, so that's the plan.  Monday.  Hmmm....looks like I'll have a busy weekend!

This morning when we got up, Meg informed me that she got an email with her final grade for the class she almost gave up on: 97%!  What a relief!  Not only that she finished the class, but that she finished it with flying colors!  Tonight, I took the children out for dinner and then to the park so she could take an online test for her other class, and she aced it, too!  We are celebrating this evening with a feeling of general "ahhhhh..."   My contribution was the proverbial kick-in-the-pants that it took to keep her from giving up...and freeing up her time by helping with the children and tackling weekend work without her so she could do assignments.  Was it worth it?  Big time!  

I am without a vehicle for the next day or two while it is in the shop for a cam positioning sensor.  This is the reason for the intermittent non-starting...or so I'm told.  If everything goes well, it will ONLY cost me $200.  If there is a "magnet" problem, it could be a lot more.  Money is tight, but I am hoping for the best.

So here we go.  This project will not be "done" for months, but at least it is beginning!  

Floating

I am floating in vitreous floaters!  For the uninitiated, vitreous floaters are little moving dots and strings in the field of vision, inside the eye.  They usually look like little pieces of lint floating on top of your glass of water.  Everybody has them, and everything I've ever read about them says they are normal and nothing to be concerned about.  Right!

On Friday, I was driving to Kohl's in the bright daylight.  There was a hair in front of my eye--or so I thought.  Nothing would make it go away.  I was on the ham radio and mentioned that I had "little black things" dancing in front of my eyes--something my mother used to say indicated that we were lying.  N9XOQ told me that I needed to pay attention because it COULD be a sign of retinal detachment.  On Sunday, everything was cool.  The floaters were still there, but only really noticeable when I was out in daylight.  Sunday, I drove to the gas station and went, "Whoa!"  I had THOUSANDS of little black dots in the vision in my left eye!  I decided right then to stay home today and find an ophthalmologist who could take me. 

The diagnosis, after a thorough eye test, is that I have posterior vitreous detachment, "a normal consequence of the aging process".  Well, thankyouverymuch!  This is not to be confused with retinal detachment, which would be a bad situation, indeed.  There is nothing to be done for the vitreous deal.  The doc said it would "probably" settle down in a few weeks, but that there are no guarantees...and that it could happen to the other eye, too.  <sigh> 

The vitreal detachment CAN lead to retinal detachment, so I am to keep checking my peripheral vision, watching for flashes in vision...and go back to the doc in six weeks.  Truth be known, I needed to see an ophthalmologist after the craniotomy of last summer.  Fortunately, I keep coming up lucky.  The good news is that I'm not going blind.  The bad news is that I am getting old--and I can't do anything about it!!  Like I needed confirmation of that!

 

Nice Day

I somewhat slept in today until almost 9:00.  It felt like Sunday all day because I had Friday off.  It was a nice feeling to know that I still had another day in my usefulness!

Meg is at the final deadlines for her writing class at IUPUI.  As a teacher, I can attest that the class is ridiculously complicated.  I have helped out wherever I could, but it is a test of patience and repetition.  I worked on a tiny portion of her assignments this morning, then endeavored to work on stuff at home.  Along about 2:30, I took the failed table covers back to Kohl's and shopped the sales for children's clothing.  Came home, took a nap, bought supper.  When I got up, I tackled mowing the dandelions down...then started a fire in the patio burner, hoping to get rid of a few items around here.  There was an entire garbage can of twigs from the yard...and some branches that had been dragged to the back yard months ago.  Gone now!  

It was a nice day.  Cool, but sunny.  I will take all I can of sunny!   I have five more weeks of school.  I just keep plugging!

Snow Day!

I have a three-day weekend, thanks to a built-in snow day that we didn't have to use at school this year.  Yay!  And, wonder of wonders, the weather is nice!  Meg managed to get the front lawn mowed the other day, but we couldn't mow the back because the back had too many obstacles, including lawn trash by the wood burner that hasn't been burned yet.  I took advantage of the weather today to work on the patio, cleaning up broken glass (from a box of ornaments that got blown over).  I got MOST of the yard mowed in back, but there is still a lot to do back there to make it "playable" for the children.  In any case, I have enjoyed the process of discovering the back yard again.

Meg is seeing light at the end of the tunnel for her writing class.  She almost gave up but needed to stick with it for a lot of reasons.  Just getting through this class has been a weekend-consumer for her.  We will BOTH be glad to see it over!

I went out to buy tablecloths for the patio tables.  Have looked everywhere for some that I like, to no avail.  Finally found a couple at Kohl's today.  Got them home and found out, in true Peggy fashion, that they aren't vinyl!  Back to Kohl's they go!

I'm going to run out of good weather this weekend, but at least I had this one nice day!

Welcome Sunshine...but Wait...

The weather has turned warm and sunny for a few days.  Yeah!  Love it!  HOWEVER, there are some problems with that.

Problem #1:  Robin got back to day care from Kindergarten on Friday...and no one had put any "sunscream" on her before she went out to play.  She came home with her face and the back of her neck quite burned.  Meg talked to the day care gal about it, even supplying a bottle of sunscreen on top of what they already have there.  Okay...problem solved...or so we thought.  Monday, Robin came home from day care with both arms sunburned, and the now-peeling back of her neck re-burned.  Meg was put in the situation of having to tell the day care gal AGAIN that Robin must have sunscreen put on before she goes out to play.  The day care gal said, "Robin will just have to remind us when she gets back from school."  Meg said, "We've talked about that, but she's five.  She isn't the responsible adult."  I applaud my daughter's fortitude!  I don't think the gal appreciated the criticism, but she was clearly in the wrong.  The proof was in the sunburn.  Guess what?  She got sunscreen today!

Problem #2:  Dandelions and a growing lawn!  Mine is the only lawn in the neighborhood that is yellow and unmowed!  Maybe I can fix it tomorrow... 

This is "Turn Off the TV" Week".  The Kindergarten Center is hitting it hard, making us feel guilty because we haven't complied.  We don't have the TV on all that much here, but I won't be held hostage by someone else's schedule.  My grandchildren prefer to be playing outside more than anything else in the world.  The TV is on for background noise when we are all inside.  Maybe next week!

Meg and I had a talk last evening about frustrations.  She indicated--and I agree--that SHE needs to be the disciplinarian around the house.  We both act as parents, and that isn't always right.  I remember my mother telling me, a zillion years ago, that sister Shari was being watched by mother and grandparents...and maybe an aunt...back when Dad was at war, saying "I have too many bosses!"  Mom realized in that moment that Shari was enduring discipline from several angles, not knowing who to obey.  I honestly don't think Robin and Ryan suffer from that, but it is a consideration.  These children actually have a bunch of people whocare for them and act to make them follow the rules.  Even after almost a year post-divorce, they are still trying to figure things out, but they know they are loved and that there are no negative vibes from here about Daddy or Daddy's girlfriend.  They like her a lot.  Things could be worse!

I am taking tomorrow off...so the weather will probably be crappy.  'Tis ever thus!

 

 

A 'Possum Kind of Day

Woke up this morning to cool and rainy.  Of course!  That's because I have so much to do around here!  I went to McD's to get breakfast for Meg and me, noticing that the garbage cans had been knocked over and something had been gnawing on the bags.  There has been a stray cat around here, so I figgered the critter had been rummaging.  A little while later, I went to get something out of my car and noticed the kitty in the turned-over can.  "Get out of here, kitty-cat!"  Kitty-cat scurried off...and while it was scurrying, I noticed it wasn't a kitty at all, but an opossum.  Now, I'm an animal lover (although you can't tell it by the posts I have made about the former-resident canine) but I don't like 'possums.  They are ugly and sneaky and downright nasty.  This was in broad daylight, so I decided we were done with him for the day...but no!  Not too long thereafter, he was climbing on the split-rail fence in front of the house, probably trying to figure out how to get to the garbage cans that I had rigged to be out of his way.  Hey!  I thought 'possums were nocturnal!  Maybe not when they're hungry? 

So far today, I have done laundry and assessed where we are in the scheme of things.  The garage project is pushed off until early May, possibly.  Next weekend is a 3-day weekend for me.  Maybe I can get everything done then!

Earthquake!

Just a few minutes before my alarm clock was to ring this morning, my grandson crawled in between Robin and me on the waterbed.  Jiggle, jiggle, jiggle.  Just a few moments later, Megan appeared at the bedroom door saying, "We just had an earthquake!"  I think she thought she was crazy (and maybe just a bit disappointed that the rest of us didn't experience it).  Meg isn't exactly an expert on quakes, but she got the picture on this one--even standing in a doorway because of it.  She was a bit shaken (no pun intended).  We turned on the early morning news, and sure enough:  the news folk felt it, too and were hot on the trail to get the details.  'Twas 5.2 on the Richter Scale and lasted about 15 seconds, epicenter in southern Illinois, just 40 miles north of Vincennes, Indiana.  There has been virtually little else on the news.  Why?  We just don't get earthquakes in the Midwest!  There have been palpable aftershocks.  Welcome to the real world, Indiana!

Meg is preparing to head for Muncie with the children.  It will be a busy weekend...but for now, I need a little rest!

IRS

I skipped last night's radio club meeting in order to finish my taxes--thanks be to my daughter who did the work!  The good news is that it was done in time.  The bad news is that I owed over $700.  Time for a change!

In spite of frost the last two nights, the weather has turned off okay.  Looks like it will be decent for tomorrow's outside field trip to Conner Prairie.  I have to remember to make my lunch!!

Meg and I talked tonight about health concerns--hers and mine.  Talk is cheap.  We need to find ways to change things in order to survive.  Time is limited.  We need to stop procrastinating and DO something to change our reality.

God bless the grandchildren...  Because the day turned off nice, they were allowed to ride their bikes and play in the front of the house, with the admonition to follow "the rules".  All went well until just before Meg came home.  I went out to check on them after about 10 minutes....and they came running from at least two yards away, carrying flowers that they had picked from someone's yard.  Once again, Robin said, "I forgot."  I told her that worked the first time, but not now.  They were relegated to the house.  Ryan didn't want to help put his bike away, so he loses his for a couple of days.  Neither will be allowed to play in the front unless an adult can be there to watch them every second for a week.  We'll go from there.  Tell you what, though...the house is easily twice as large when the children can be outside!!

Every day, I ask for God's blessing and protection...for me, my daughter, my grandchildren, and a couple of my friends who have been in dangerous health.  One of my fellow hams has a wife on bedrest, ready to deliver twins.  If you are reading this and are a praying person, please add him to your list.  His name is Bill.  God knows the rest!

 

What a Difference a Day Makes

The weather has gone to crap!  My beautiful warm and sunny spring days have returned to dark, cold, and windy.  Freeze warning for tonight.  Ugh!

I have worked hard this weekend.  Probably did at least ten loads of laundry and found a couple of surfaces.  Didn't do enough in the garage, but was discouraged by the weather for that.  We are slowly, slowly de-cluttering.  In spite of the effort, I look around and nothing looks really clean.  Hey, this stuff takes time!

Here's news:  I cleaned out my underwear drawer yesterday!  Took out everything that didn't fit or had holes.  When I was done, the drawer was virtually empty!  I still had lovely Victoria's Secret unmentionables from ten years ago when I was thin.  <Sigh>  They have gone to that great happy place in the sky--the landfill!

Meg has gone to pick up the children.  I am still putting laundry away, but have a round steak braising on the stove.  We will end the day with some organization, anyway!

I have a field trip to Conner Prairie on Wednesday.  Robin has one to the Children's Museum on Thursday.  This is the time of year that gets crazy at school.  It's a sprint to the finish.  Seven more weeks.  God help me!

It's Friiiidaaaaayyy!

Yesterday was Grandparents Day at the Plainfield Kindergarten Center.  The Heffelman grandparents were to pick up the children from day care, and I was to meet them at the school.  That whole occasion went well.  Mr. Pickard (teacher) reports that Robin is "very quiet" at school.  (Huh??  This is the kid who tells her life story to strangers on the street!)  Anyway, after that event, I took the children to Burger King, and Meg met us there.  There was an eventual Ryan melt-down, but everyone finally got to bed.

Today, with the windy temps well into the 70s, the children headed straight for their bikes when we got home.  With the sprinkler incident still fresh in everyone's mind, I figured that we wouldn't have any incidents of that nature.  Au contraire!!  After supper, Meg went down for a mini-nap while I watched the kids.  At one point, I found Ryan standing directly in front of the neighbor's front door.  I ordered him out.  He said he was looking at the man's shoes...the ones he had soaked with the sprinkler earlier.  I found the children, in the next incident, in the OTHER neighbor's yard, behind my privacy fence.  (Robin said, "I forgot.")  The third incident had Ryan kneeling in someone's yard quite a distance away, looking at a rock.  I'm thinking that there has to be a better way!  As the weather continues to improve, we have to make our own yard more attractive so they won't be so tempted to break the rules!

My yard really looks bad.  I need to seed or something.  The impending garage remodel project eclipses everything, at this point.  Need to get that garage cleaned out!  Will work on that again tomorrow...

Ciao, my friends.  Keep on praying!

What Next?

With the weather vastly improved, the immediate thing the grandchildren want to do when they get home each day is ride their bikes.  This is the first time they have ever been allowed to play in the front of the house.  They have been advised how far up the sidewalk and back they can ride, etc.  MOST of the time, there is no problem.  Although I am trying to coordinate supper during this time, I generally have it under control before I even go pick them up from day care and am out to check on them every 5-8 minutes--depending on how quiet they are--until their mother gets home.  (With children, quiet is bad!) 

The neighbors to the north sowed some grass seed this past weekend and has a sprinkler out front.  At one point this afternoon, I found Ryan with his bike in their yard, running around in the sprinkler.  I ordered him out.  Okay...so he and Robin parked their bikes on the sidewalk in front of the neighbor's and were letting the sprinkler hit them from there.  I didn't particularly want them to get wet since it wasn't all THAT warm outside, but as soon as Meg got home, we'd be eating...so no biggie.

Meg drove in.  We were about to call the children in when the neighbor showed up at the door.  I think I said, "This can't be good."  And, indeed, it wasn't!  He said he didn't want to complain...but...  It seems that RYAN was the one who turned on the sprinkler!  To make matters worse, the man had all of his work shoes lined up outside the front door of the house...and they were all soaking wet.  Meg found Ryan and brought him to the man to apologize (which he did...and so did we, over and over), but Ryan said later that he didn't learn anything from the experience.  We told him that if he couldn't abide by the rules, he wouldn't get to ride his bike again.  With that threat, I'm betting that he learned more than he confesses.  He loves riding his bike!

Meg and I had an errand to run that we had to do together, so instantly after supper, we hit the road for Menard's in Camby with a promise of ice cream if the children were good.  (They were....mostly.)  We got what we needed, stopped at Dairy Queen...but it was 8:30 by the time we got home.  Time to put one kid in the bathtub and get the other one ready for bed.  Truly, time after dinner is way too short.  Meg and I are tired.  The children, of course, are still energized.  It doesn't help us to have to do anything outside the house on a week day evening. 

Haven't heard KB9RDO on the radio for the last two mornings.  Makes me a bit nervous, considering that he is under a doctor's care for heart problems.  And my friend Major Pat is back in the hospital due to edema around his heart.  He was supposed to be discharged today, but that didn't happen.  When I talked to his wife this evening, she said, "We almost lost him on Sunday."  My own heart sank.  He will not be discharged until he can go 24 hours without a bout of arrhythmia, which hasn't happened yet...and now he can't walk.  (Our best guess is that his gout has flared up, but no one on the rehab floor where he is now will do anything about it...yet.)  Please continue to pray for my friends.  And while you're at it, pray for me, too!  And thanks.

FINALLY!

The weather broke into sunshine and warmth over the weekend, which improved my mood considerably!  Meg and I launched into the house and garage on Saturday and Sunday.  Her help made all the difference in the world!  We didn't come close to having everything in order--and only made a tiny dent in the garage--but we DID get quite a lot done.  My mood lightened even more!  Meg single-handedly found the living room.  We both worked on the garage.  Took a couple of loads of things to Goodwill.  Had a friend come and pick up a couple of items that he could use, etc.  We moved some shelving to the minibarn and patio in order to have places to store things while the remodel project goes on.  There is much more to be done, but we made good use of the time we had.  When the children got back on Sunday evening, I was feeling pretty good about things.

When the children came home we had a "campfire" on the patio, burning yard trash and other paper garbage that I had saved.   We had S'mores, then bed.

The order of the day is to do a little each day.  Maintain the work we have done so far, and accomplish some other little task, just to make progress.  It helps that the weather has improved.  (The house is a WHOLE lot bigger when the children can play outside!)

School today wasn't all that great.  Couldn't get anything done.  Faculty meeting at the beginning of the day.  BARC after school.  My free period was spent just catching up on things.  I checked the calendar today.  There are eight more weeks of school.  It will go quickly but will be a marathon of crazy stuff.  We have a field trip to Conner Prairie next week.  Robin's school has Grandparents Day on Thursday.  And so it goes... 

How Did This Happen????

With only the weekend left of spring break--and the first day that the weather has been decent--Meg and I launched into working on the garage which has to be cleaned out before the remodel project can be completed later this month.  Oh my gosh!  You can't believe all the "schtuff" that is in there--and the hardest stuff to sort out is radio crap.  It seems, through the years, that I have collected things that people have given me for this project or that project, and now the time has come to get rid of what isn't needed or wanted, and to find a place to put the things that we want to keep until the remodeling is done.  Aaaarrrrghh!  We took one load of goodies to Goodwill, have filled the garbage cans to overflowing (and Garbage Day isn't until Friday morning!), started to organize the minibarn to make more fit in, and have generally sorted and sorted.  The worst part of a job like this is that things get a lot uglier before they get better!  It is likely to be this way for several months until we have moved into all of the bedrooms.  Pray for my sanity in the meantime! 

I was tired this morning.  Ended up taking a nap around noon.  Had trouble getting started after that...but finally emerged from my stupor.  I begin to feel my age.  It isn't pretty!

One more day before I have to return to the Salt Mines...but it is a relatively short haul to summer.  It will be busy, but at least there is light at the end of the tunnel.  It hasn't helped that the weather has been horrible for weeks and weeks.  This, too, shall pass!

 

Sad Day

If you have been reading this blog, you are aware that I "rescued" my daughter and son-in-law's cocker spaniel when they had to move to a pet-less rental home in Muncie three years ago...but didn't want her back when they bought a house there.  I had been Frodo's buddy since she was four months old.  I loved the dog, but I certainly didn't want her.  She had never been housebroken and was a shameless food thief and garbage rummager.  I agreed to take her until I could find her a good home.  I decided that no one would take her until she was housebroken, so I worked on that...but Frodo had other ideas.  I bought "Puppy Pampers" to put on the carpeted kitchen floor and worked endlessly to get her trained.  It just didn't work.  She would endeaver to hit the pads in the kitchen for her piddling, but would poop anywhere in the house if she didn't get outside--and she wouldn't tell me if she had to go.  Recently, the problem got worse.  With the rains outside, she would just stand at the back door and look at me when I opened it for her...then ten minutes later, I would be cleaning up yet another mess.  Then there was the time that Frodo chased my granddaughter down the hall and bit her on the hand.  I could go on and on...

I had been toying for months with the idea of having Frodo put to sleep.  She wasn't adoptable...and even if she was, she would languish because I wasn't there.  (I forgot to mention that the dog was also neurotic.)  I just never acted on how I felt because I didn't know how I would be able to deal with the guilt.  I take pet ownership very seriously.  Every pet I've ever had was part of the family.  You deal with what you get when you own one.  It's just that I didn't want to own this one...  Meg was getting impatient with me, thinking that we just needed to take Frodo to a shelter.  I felt that doing that would stress and confuse the dog...especially since she would probably not get a home, anyway. 

Meg and I were both concerned because the house smelled like dog and urine.  Picking up dog feces was a daily chore.  Every time I saw something on the floor, I questioned what it was.  The children were forbidden to walk in the kitchen without shoes on...and anything that hit the floor (be it food or a utensil) was out of bounds.  Everything was totally unsanitary.  I was beginning to worry that some of the illness in the house was because of the dog.  It hit me this week that I was tolerating the intolerable only because I didn't want to give up on my grandpuppy...but she wasn't going to get better.  At age eight, she was only going to get worse in time. 

As you have probably guessed by now, I made an appointment to send Frodo over the Rainbow Bridge today.  It was an act of desperation.  I feel like a total criminal, but I told myself that I had done the best I could for the critter.  I also told myself that I wouldn't cry...but, of course, I did.  The vet and assistants (one of which is a former student of mine) were very sympathetic and supportive.  Meg called Nathan last night to tell him of the plans.  (HE was the one who just had to have the puppy!)  Even he agreed that it was the best thing to do.  The grandchildren don't seem to miss the dog, either. 

Having said all of that, I came home this morning to feelings of sadness--but total relief.  I gathered the dog's bowls and leftover food to give away.  I got out the carpet shampooer and some high-powered shampoo that is supposed to do the trick in getting out stains and odor.  I ran it over the "toilet" area of the kitchen floor--four gallons worth--and every gallon of return water emptied black!  The carpet looks a lot better, but Meg tells me that it still smells "uriny" in the kitchen...so I'll keep working on it.  (The carpet will be replaced by vinyl flooring someday, when we get the funds.) 

My sister, God bless her, called tonight to see how I am faring in the aftermath.  She and her husband are only a few months past having to put their beloved dog down because of a "cerebral accident"...most unlike my putting down a relatively healthy pet...but she understood how I felt (and now has a puppy to take up the slack--something I won't do!).  Thanks, Shari.  I needed that!

And so, the traumatic day is over.  Meg and I took the children to Chuck E. Cheese for supper tonight.  Tomorrow, they will go to Muncie to visit their father.  What I did, I did...and will never look back.  I tried.  I suppose Hell is full of souls who said they tried....

Living the "Impossible Dream"

For 35 years, I have had a recurring dream.  I have moved (or am moving) into a new house.  It is big and has great potential for a great place to live--a decorator's dream.  (I am a frustrated home decorator.)  BUT, the rooms are full of clutter.  As I move from room to room picking up the things that have been left behind, I become aware that the job is unending...that I can never get to the decorating part because of the garbage.  I talked to a counselor about it one time, MANY years ago.  She and I determined that one's "house" is actually one's life, in a dream.  I figured that the dream was an indication that my subconscious mind knew that I had "baggage" to get rid of before I could be free and happy.  Well!  That may have been true before, but now the reality is that I am living in a REAL house full of clutter that never seems to get picked up!  In my few days at home this break, I have taken endless bags of trash out to the garbage cans.  There are always at least TWO trash bags in the works somewhere in the house!  The only answer to the problem is to get rid of "schtuff" as more is brought in.  'Tis a big job!

Yesterday, I kept Robin home from day care to be my helper.  (Right!)  Today, I kept Ryan.  I should know better than to expect any real help from either...but at least they have some semblance of spring break.  Tomorrow, they will BOTH go to day care because Grandma isn't making a lot of progress.  Ryan watches "Dirty Jobs" on television and fancies himself to be Mike Rowe.  When he is helping, we call him Mike.

Back to work here.  I hope to find the living room before the day is over...