Tuesday, July 31, 2007

It's getting hot in here...

I hope everyone who loves the heat and humidity are enjoying themselves. It's been really humid the last week or so with temps ranging anywhere from 80-90 degrees F. I am not a fan of the humidity so I have been making good use of the air conditioning. I have a small one in my bedroom which cools the room off really well, and I have a larger one in my living room. It cools off the living room, computer area and the kitchen, and as long as I am not cooking for a long period of time in the kitchen, it's not too bad in here. I really don't have much of an appetite when it's hot anyway so I have been making salads and having simple meals like sandwiches and cereal and toast. I did grill some veggies and a pork chop on Sunday, which was quite tasty.
Still deciding what I want for dinner tonight. I'm not very hungry right now so I will wait awhile. I have the fixin's for a salad in the fridge but I might just go all out and fix a bowl of cereal.

It's been a long two days at work so far. There isn't a whole lot to do so I pretty much passed the time by talking and walking around with a clip board so I looked busy. Apparently one of the departments that feeds us work is down due to a shortage of one particular part. If a department isn't out of work yet, it will be soon since it is a common item that is needed to build the lasers and without lasers, we can't build anything optical. Good thing it is only a 4 day work week for us this week. With my luck, we will end up getting our parts by Thursday and will be asked to work Friday and Saturday to catch up. Normally I wouldn't care but it would kind of suck that we sat around all week doing nothing just to have to work OT at the end of the week. Yeah I know the extra money will be nice. ;-)

Not a whole lot to blog about. Let's see I've covered work, and the weather. The kids are doing well. Sara likes her new job pretty well now that she's used to it. At least she stopped complaining about it. Eric called last evening and we chatted for quite awhile. He's doing well, working some overtime the last few weeks, filling in for some guys who went on vacation. He is talking a week off in October but he hasn't decided what he wants to do just yet. I guess it will all depend on whether or not Jessie can get the time off too.

My brother is planning a going away party for my niece Crystal but I haven't heard any details just yet. I am going to really miss her but I am also very excited for her. I think she leaves for boot camp in mid September.

My company is having a summer picnic this Saturday at Canobie Lake Park. It is a local amusement park nowhere near as big as Six Flags but they have lots of rides and games there as well as some entertainment. The company is providing a bbq lunch in the picnic grove consisting of hot dogs, hamburgers, chicken, sausages, salads and desserts and an all day pass into the park. I was planning on taking my daughter but she has made other plans so I have an extra ticket. Anybody want to come along? I can't tolerate a lot of the rides anymore but I will go to be sociable and maybe go on a few of the old lady rides (as my daughter calls them). Should be a good time.

I watched a really good movie last weekend called The Upside of Anger. It stars Joan Allen and Kevin Costner and I think it came out in 2005 or early last year. I really enjoyed it and highly recommend it. I don't know why I had never seen it before but it is definitely worth the rental fee. A little comedy, a little drama and a little romance, can't beat that.

Gotta go. Have a good Hump Day tomorrow.

Lainie

Friday, July 27, 2007

TGIF finally

Quick update...took the doggy in for his follow up and he is doing just great. Sara surprised the pooch and popped in before I got home. She picked a good day, her college diploma was sitting in the mailbox waiting for her. It's official...she really did graduate. Hip Hip HOORAY! LOL She accompanied us to the Vet's office and was happy to see her baby was in good shape.

I made a quick supper and sent her home with more of her junk that she still had laying around. She has plans to go out this evening so she didn't hang around for long. I am pretty tired this evening so I plan on hitting the sheets fairly early anyway. It's been quite warm here all week and I didn't sleep all that well last night. Today was especially humid. It is 7:30 pm and still 85 degrees outside. I've got the A/C cranked and I am enjoying a nice cold Bud Light. I'm not working tomorrow which is even better. Not sure I remember what a whole weekend off feels like but I am willing to find out.

Have a wonderful weekend.

Me

Wednesday, July 25, 2007

Hola! Hump Day was a very productive day. We managed to complete the order we were trying so hard to finish and I sat with the Government Inspector this morning and ran all required tests. He liked what he saw and bought all 750 units. Way To Go US!! We had the shipment ready with a day to spare. That makes me very happy. I work with a good group of girls who take pride in what we do and we all work very well together. Can't beat that with a stick!

I had a pretty good weekend even if it really was only 1 and 1/2 days worth of a weekend. I ended up working Saturday for most of the morning. Saturday afternoon I took a nap and then went shopping with Sara later in the afternoon. She was looking for some more clothes for work. She has a lot of clothes but now that she has a new job, she needs to dress in something other than jeans all the time. So we picked out a couple of cute things that are casual but not too casual. She got a tan colored skirt, short but not too short, and a couple of cute polo shirts with the little collars on them. She also picked up a pair of light brown dress pants and a light blue, brown and white blouse. It was a real chore convincing her to buy the blouse because she doesn't like anything with a print on it but it was on sale and really looked good on her. She can also wear it with her white pants or any of her other skirts. I also found a couple pair of capris on sale and I bought them for her. I am sure she will be out again next pay period to get a few more things but this was a help.

After we shopped til we about dropped, we stopped for dinner at a pizza joint near where she lives. She raved about the pizza and honey bbq wings and chicken tenders and they serve beer...so that's where we went. The food was really good and we had a couple of draft beers. I didn't feel much like pizza so I got the honey bbq chicken tender wrap with onion rings. YUM! Sara had the loaded potato skins. Talk about a meal in itself. Looked really good...may have to go back there sometime and try those myself. I dropped her off at her apartment around 8pm and headed home. It's about a 45 minute drive to my house so I didnt get home too late. Good thing because I was getting pretty tired and couldn't wait to take off my shoes and just relax. I was in bed by 11 and slept until around 9 on Sunday morning. I made breakfast and lounged around drinking coffee for a couple of hours. Then I got busy cleaning out some of Sara's room. I must have packed away 3 large bags of clothes for her to look at and decide if she wants to keep them or donate them. I also threw away a lot of junk that she will never miss. I still have a ways to go but I think I will be able to tackle some more of it this weekend. She is coming over Friday evening so I plan to get her help with some of the mess she left behind.

The puppy is doing very well. His infection is just about all cleared up and his little face is pretty much all healed. He is looking like a handsome young boy again. I do have to take him back in on Friday for a follow up but it should be no big deal. Don't you just love this picture of him and Sara? It's one of my favorites.



I am off to make some dinner and then jump in the shower. I think it will be a very early evening for me this evening.

Friday, July 20, 2007

Workin on an "Off" Friday

Should have been a day off but it wasn't. We kind of got behind when everyone took the week of the 4th off so now it is catch up time. We have a shipment next Thursday and we are no where near ready so most of the department worked all day today and a few of us are going in for half a day tomorrow. I really didn't mind once I got to work this morning. Getting up was the hardest part. I work with a good group of girls and they all contribute where needed. Now that the 'deadweight' (Judy) quit, we're working like a well oiled machine. LOL Anyway, I am gonna love the money in my paycheck next week.

I've had a rather busy week, and I have been really tired so most evenings this past week I was showered and sleeping pretty early. I think I can stay up tonight past 10...but it is only 4 PM right now so I am not making any promises.

I had to take the puppy to the Vet's office yesterday. He had been scratching and rubbing the sides of his mouth for the last couple of days and when I got home on Wednesday, it looked really bad. It was really inflamed and a lot of the fur in that area was missing. The Vet said it is a skin infection and looked worse than it is. So she put him on an antibiotic and gave me a bottle of medicated face wash to use on his lil mouth. I have to wash the area once a day and leave the cleanser on for about 5 minutes before washing it off. Do you know how hard it is to keep an animal still for 5 minutes, especially when there is something foreign on their face? It seems like forever for him I am sure...but we're soldiering on. Actually with just one cleansing and one dose of the medication, it already looks better. She also told me that dogs can get acne. That was something I didn't know. Anyway, my lil man will be all handsome again real soon. And I know a 7 year old dog is not a puppy anymore but he will always be a puppy to me ;-)

Eric's girlfriend stopped over the other night for a quick visit but ended up staying a couple hours and we watched the movie Alexander. It was pretty good. I enjoy Jessie's company. She's a little calmer when we're one on one and we had a nice conversation. Sometimes when everyone is here, she has a tendency to be a bit brash and loud, like she is in need of attention. I keep reminding myself she is just 18. Maybe she feels like she has to be loud to be heard.
Both Eric and Sara think it is weird that Jessie would come all the way over here to see me by herself. Sara said she would never go to Brad's parents house by herself unless she had a specific reason to. I think it's pretty cool that Jessie feels comfortable enough around me to stop over. They also think it's weird that Jessie sometimes calls me just to say Hi. I think they should both take a lesson from her.

Time to medicate the pooch then I am going to make some dinner. I stopped at the market on the way home and picked up a small piece of salmon to grill. I wish I had thought of something to accompany it. LOL I must have something in the pantry.

Have a safe weekend!

L

Monday, July 16, 2007

Busy, Busy

I better post something...anything...before Kerry sends the Canadian Royal Mounted Police after me. Wait, that doesn't sound so bad now does it? LOL

I'm doing alright. I had a pretty busy weekend and didn't spend much time at home. After work on Saturday morning I came home and did some housework, then was invited to a BBQ at a co worker's house. It was all last minute but since my other option was to sit at home and watch tv, I decided to go. I'm glad I did. Had a great time and met some really fun people. I don't think I stopped laughing all evening. It felt really good to be out among some entertaining and and happy people. It was just what I needed.

It's been a weird month or so for me. I hadn't said much because I still don't really know what happened, but I've been kind of sad and bummed out for awhile. I guess I sensed Cal was going through a rough time although he never said anything. He just wasn't very happy and he was always tired. I know he's been worried about his daughter and her recent separation from her husband, but he was really excited about her coming back home. The last I heard back on Father's Day weekend, was she was here and they were going to spend the weekend together. I can't recall anything in that conversation that would make me believe anything was wrong. I was looking forward to meeting her sometime after the weekend. The whole weekend went by with no word from him. Not that big a deal, really, I knew they had a ton of plans and would be pretty busy. But by Wednesday, I was pretty worried so I called and left a message on his voice mail. Several days went by and still nothing so I called again, this time calling both his cell phone and his house phone, expressing my concern. Still no response. I waited another couple of days and left another message. This time he did call me back and just said he's been really depressed and out of it and just didn't want to deal with anything. He was very apologetic for worrying me but assured me he was fine, just had to 'check out' for a bit. I was and still am pretty upset by this kind of behavior but I didn't want to add to his misery, whatever that may be, so I let it go. I was truly relieved that he was alright. I offered to go down there but he said no, he just needed to make some changes in his life and all would be better in time. I know he has not been happy with his job for some time and he had been applying all over the place but wasn't getting many responses to his resumes. He also didn't like where he was living and was looking for a new apartment. I didn't think one of his 'changes' had anything to do with me but it looks like I was wrong. Anyway, we talked for a bit and he said he would call me the next day. That was 10 days ago...and I haven't heard a thing.
Our relationship is a little weird...we were very close friends for a long time but were both involved romantically with other people. We were always there emotionally for each other and he was a solid rock for me when my last relationship went belly up, as I was for him. The only person who knows me better is my friend Rose. He was there when I laughed, cried and needed a friend. He always made me feel special and he always called me a lady, even when I was being a tom boy or talking like a truck driver. He accepted me...warts and all, and never passed judgement, even when I stupidly gave my last relationship a second, (or was that third or maybe even fourth) chance.
When he was going thru a really bad break up with his girlfriend of 3 years, I was there for him. He needed support and encouragement, and I was happy to be able to support him for a change. He was deeply depressed for awhile but managed to get thru it all and was eventually stronger and more confident than ever. We have been true friends in every sense of the word. About a year and a half ago we started dating and I'd been very happy with us. Now I just don't know what to think or believe. I miss him terribly. Part of me wants to go down there and shake him. Part of me wants to just walk away. I'm angry and sad. We've never had a negative word pass between us. I've never been one to give up on anything but what more do you do? He knows how to reach me and hasn't so obviously he doesn't want to. I've run thru every possible scenerio in my mind. Maybe he's even more depressed than I thought. Maybe he's met someone new and doesn't want to hurt me. Maybe he's a real dog and is trying out this someone new and will come back all smiles if and when it doesn't work out. Who the hell knows...obviously I won't be getting any answers to this for awhile, if ever. Anyway...such is life I guess. What doesn't kill us makes us stronger. Or something like that.

On a positive note, my niece went to Portland, Maine last week and took all of her entrance exams for the Navy. She is heading for boot camp on September 18th. She is thrilled and I am happy for her. I think a BIG going away party is in order! I have to call my brother and set something up. Sounds like a plan.

Time to hit the shower. Hope you all had a great weekend!

Monday, July 09, 2007

Back to Work

Just a quick post this evening. I am exhausted. I really had a hard time going to sleep last night so naturally I had a terrible time getting up this morning at 4 to go back to work. I won't be up long this evening, that's for sure.

I had to cash my check tonight on my way home and then stop and pick up some food. I had asked my employer to mail my check last week so I didn't have to make the 22 mile trip into town to get it. I have direct deposit but for some reason they always have issues with it whenever there is a holiday so they process live checks on holiday weeks. They mailed my check but it never arrived until today, so I grabbed it when I got home and off I went to the bank.

The sky was black and it looked like a storm was right around the corner. I got into the store just as the sky opened up. I picked up a few things I needed for the week and headed home. Don't ask me how I did it because the latch to lock the sliding glass door is on the inside of the house, but somehow I managed to hit the latch when I closed the door this morning. I couldn't get into the house from the front door because there is no way to unlatch it from the outside. I tried several times to get the door opened but there was no way. The dog is way too small to reach up there so I got a little scared and thought maybe someone was inside. I walked around to the back of the house and checked the back door which was also locked. I'm not that brave so I called the cops on my cell phone and asked if an officer could come and enter the house with me in case someone was inside the house. He got here in like 2 minutes and walked around the house with me checking windows and such, then came into the house with me through the back door. We took a good look around and nothing was out of order, and no one was inside. The sliding glass door was indeed locked and neither of us could figure out how that could have happened. The only thing I can think of is the latch was partially flipped to the locked position and must have completely closed when I slid the door closed. The door is heavy and sometimes closes hard. In any event, I thanked the officer for coming out and apologized for being such a wimp. LOL He laughed and said he just got on duty wasn't doing anything and this was a nice easy call. Sheeesh! Why me?

The rest of my week long vacation was quiet. I am glad for that though, it was good to get some extra sleep and not be on the go every day. I went for some more blood work on Friday and met a friend for coffee afterwards. Saturday I went to Eric and Jessie's to see their new fish and ended up staying for dinner. I also popped in and checked on Sara at her new apartment. She only lives about 10 minutes away from Eric and Jessie so it wasn't out of my way. It looks like she is settling in nicely.

Check this out...
You can tell I live in a small town. The Fire Chief just stopped over to make sure everything was ok. News travels fast in this town. (My ex husband used to be a firefighter here so everyone on the fire department knows me.)

It is thundering out again and I need to jump in the shower. I hope you all have a great work week!

Lainie

Thursday, July 05, 2007

Dahlia's

The Dahlia's growing in the jungle part of my back yard.







My back yard and deck behind the house The brown structure is my neighbor's house.





Thursday Morning Review

Good Morning everyone. I hope you all have a wonderful day.

Last night the fireworks in all of the surrounding towns were canceled or postponed because the wind kicked up around 7 pm followed by the rain. I thought it we were only going to have showers but that was not the case as it really came hammering down for most of the night. It's raining a little right now but it looks like the sun wants to poke through. I have absolutely nothing planned for today so I think I am going to start sifting through the things Sara left behind and try to bring a bit of order to what's left of her bedroom. There's a considerable amount of junk in there and it is spread out all over the room. The other thing I wanted to do was go through all the boxes she has stored in the spare bedroom but she informs me that those are old boyfriend things and she would like to go through them all herself. I can understand that but come on...when is that going to happen...if ever?? The stuff has been sitting and accumulating for a couple of years now. I suppose if I can get her room straightened out then I can move the boxes into her room and make more room in the spare room. Does that all make sense?

I am looking out of my window here by the computer and I can see my dahlias are starting to bloom. I have several yellow ones that bloom every year which amazes me because I never go out there and weed or take care of that area at all. They are hearty plants, for sure. I will take a pic of it when I get dressed.

So Tuesday night's BBQ at my brothers house was a lot of fun. My brother Dave has a nice little house in a residential neighborhood about 30 minutes away from me. He has a nice backyard with an above ground pool. It was a bit too cold for swimming but we had a nice dinner around the pool with taco dip and chips, hot dogs, hamburgers, potato salad, baked beans, kielbasa, a variety of desserts and plenty of beer. Eric and Jessie were there, Sara and Brad, my parents, my brother Henry and my niece Crystal, my nephew Jason, my brother Dave's girlfriend Jacqueline, and myself. We were having so much fun we weren't paying attention to the time and we almost missed the city's firework's display. We managed to get to the park with about 5 minutes to spare. They lasted about 25 minutes and were really nice this year. I was impressed. Afterwards, we went to my parents house which is not too far away and waited for the traffic to clear. My aunt and uncle stopped in since they had parked their car near my parents house and we visited with them for about an hour. Nobody wanted to leave. I never got home until way after midnight. It was really a fun evening.

While visiting with my niece I found out she has enlisted in the Navy and is leaving for boot camp early in August. I think we have to have another party now! Looks like my brother is going to have another chance to use his pool! I am really proud of Crystal. She's come a long way in her 18 years. Not born into the best of circumstances, (her mother was a bit of a flake) and with the help of my brother, who is not her biological father but took on the responsibility of raising her as such, she's managed to pull it all together. She dropped out of school at 16 but then got her GED and has completed several courses at the technical college. She is very computer savvy and wants to further her education with the help of the military. I think it's exciting and she will do well.

Time for me to get moving. I am off to tackle the vortex known as my daughter's bedroom.

Ta Ta for now!

Wednesday, July 04, 2007

How Much Is That Doggie In The Window?

Here's my guard dog watching my every move while I was outside. He is up on the back of the chair in the living room. Unfortunately the air conditioner is now in that window but he has another window to look out of right here beside my computer.


Tuesday, July 03, 2007

Tuesday already

The week is flying by. I am being kind of lazy and lounging around in bed most mornings but once I get myself up and around, I have been busy and hardly at home. I usually wake up around 6 am but if I really try, I can manage to fall back to sleep for another hour or so.

Yesterday I took the dog to the groomer at the Vet's office and had his nails clipped. He was in heaven since the girls there give him a lot of attention. He's like a mexican jumping bean, he's all over the place and can't sit still. By the time I got him back home, he was exhausted and after he had a long drink of water, he crawled under his blanket and took a long nap.

The weather was a little on the cool side yesterday so I thought that would be a good day to clean my car inside and out. I vacuumed it out and then went thru the car wash. It looks a whole lot better now. I bet I get better gas mileage now with all that sand and dirt off of it. :-)
also got my property taxes paid and went to Wal-Mart. I am very proud of myself. I went in for 2 items and came out with 2 items. Yay me...that hardly ever happens. Probably because I am still feeling the sting of that huge check I had to write at the Tax Collector's Office.

While I was in town I noticed that there was a lot of activity in the town common and that reminded me of the Town Fair that we have here every year. It is a 3 day event that allows the businesses and non profit organizations in town to get together and raise funds by having craft tables, white elephant sales, book sales, etc. The Boy Scouts put on a pancake breakfast each morning at the VFW and the Fire Department has tables set up offering games of chance. There are also booths with games for the kids, an area with carnival type rides, food vendors and a big bingo tent. On Saturday, in the town common, there are usually several local bands who play off and on, as well as magicians, clowns and the like. Saturday night they set off fireworks but it is really low budget and I have learned from previous years they are usually a disappointment. I may check out some of the other events that will be offered.

It is pretty sunny out today and not too hot. I am still in lounge mode but I really should be doing something. Perhaps if I get dressed, I will be motivated to get outside and do something constructive. It is so easy to get lazy when you don't have to go to work.

My brother is having a BBQ this evening so that will give me something fun to do. Both kids should be there with their significant others so I look forward to that. I haven't seen Eric and Jessie in several weeks and Sara is officially moved into her own place now so I won't be seeing a whole lot of her either.

There are three baby finches in my yard right now peeping up a storm. I've tried several times to get a picture but everytime I slide the screen aside to get a better shot, they get scared and take off. Momma bird is watching over them perched on the cable from the dog run. Ooops off she goes...they all must be camera shy. I just tossed some Special K outside, maybe that will lure them back.

It's almost noon so I should get some clothes on and get moving. I hope you're all having a good day.

Hugs