The Insanity of It All

There are far too many people around. My house is utter chaos. Everything is crazy, upside down, inside out, topsy turvy. It is so stressful that I almost would rather be at work!

Tile began going up today. It really looks nice. Randy stopped tiling around lunch because he wanted me to decide how high I wanted the decorative band. He also added a touch of his own. Diamond shaped tile above and below the band. I think it will look really pretty. He can cut the large tiles into four squares and turn the squares onto a point and line them up.

Watching all this I realize how very talented he is. There is no waste and he takes great care in his work.

Once the bathroom is done, they can work on the roof and siding and I can clean this mess up inside. I so need to get rid of a ton of junk!

We resolved the cabinet in the bath problem. My floor to ceiling hall cabinet will be modified. The bottom half of the cabinet will be divided and closed off. Half of it will open into the bath for towels and wash cloths and other items. The other half will open into the hallway and continue to be home to my bedding. This is an ideal solution using space that is already used but more efficiently.

I'm getting ready to turn in now. I've had a long day and evening. I will be glad when we can get a bath without having to leave the house.

Second Day of Demolition

I am on my way to bed. I'm exhausted. We had a few snags today. We had to go buy a new window, a sink, and get a different tile. I decided to do a color change. I will still have to buy paint. I bought a new light fixture and still have to buy the exhaust fan.

I also had to get faucets for the tub. The old ones were worn out. I still have a leak in the second toilet. I think the seal is worn out. We'll get a new one tomorrow.

The insurance adjuster came out and looked at the roof. I have enough to pay for the stuff to do the roof. Randy and Brandon will put that on for me. The metal roof is out as no one does the metal sheets for do it yourselfers. But that's ok too.

I'm all "het" up about this disarray. I can't stand the confusion of everything everywhere and dust coating everything. The effort needed to clean it will be herculean!

The green "rock" is up and waiting for the tile to go up. The window and tile will go in tomorrow. I really can't wait to see it.

Getting rid of the debris is a problem. I haven't figured it out yet and must by the time they start on the room.

It is midnight. Morpheus is calling.

The Walls Came Tumbling Down

The walls are down. Tomorrow they begin work clearing nails from the studs and working on getting ready to put in the green drywall. This is mold and mildew resistant "rock". The backer board is also. The floor was in better shape than we thought but we found the nest the mice built. And a dead mouse so the poison I put out worked.

I suspect they will get a lot done tomorrow. The claims adjuster will be here tomorrow to look at the roof. Randy will talk with him about the roof.

We are running the tile right to the ceiling. I just want as little maintenance as possible in there and I think that will be the best way to deal with it. The moisture level can get high and the tile will help with that, I think. There is no insulation in the outside wall and he will be putting that in there as well, so the warmth factor should be better.

Dust coats everything, even though I closed the bedroom doors I found dust on the headboard, night stand, and floor. So, it is a safe bet the bed was coated. I will change the sheets tomorrow. Tonight, I'm headed for bed. I wish I could be around to see how it goes but I'll check in at lunch.

We went to Dave and Becca's to shower and visit for a short time. Miss Sarah flirted shamelessly with Brandon, my step nephew. He is such a nice young man. Brandon seems to still be a good boy. I've only seen them maybe three times in the last 15 years and I think the older boy has gone off the rails a bit and so has the younger daughter. I was talking about the backyard camping trip we all had on the Labor Day weekend when Princess Diana died. We were at my mother's, all of us and our children, my aunt and uncle - a passel of about 15 people. We camped in her backyard, cooked out and just had a good time hanging out. The kids all played well together. Brandon, the middle child, was seven at the time and he's 20 now. He told me he remembered it and from the sound of his voice I think it was a good memory. I'm glad. I always loved those children. Those days will never come again so it is nice if he has good memories of it.

Lights out now. I will be posting photos eventually. And more as the project progresses. If things continue to move this fast, it won't take three weeks. Brandon says he can't wait to get on the roof. He likes roofing. I can't wait for the whole thing to be completed. I can't stand the chaos of stuff everywhere! I feel hemmed in by it but there is not alternative.

Sunday Passing

I'm tucked up in my bed waiting for my brother to arrive. I expect, barring delays, that he will get in around midnight. That's late for me. I am going to have a rough day of it tomorrow.

I should apologize for the depressing posts I've been putting up. Maybe I should close those off. I don't like them myself. I hate revealing all that at times. But from the beginning of this whole mess I felt it was very important for other people to see the reality of this process. Most of the time, we never get even a glimpse of it. I never had a clue. Now that I do, I can think of so many people I might have dealt with differently had I realized. The woman at work who's husband died a couple of months ago and I have talked quite a lot. One day I told her for months after Jerry died, I would put my face in his clothes hanging in the closet because I could still smell him on them. She started to cry and blurted out, "I did that!" After she regained her composure, I apologized for upsetting her. She said, "No, I thought I was the only one and I thought it was crazy!"

I've decided to take off to go get the tub, tile, and other stuff in the morning. I also have to get the permit based on the cost of materials. I can do that on my own. My brother will have to go with me to get the materials. I picked everything out yesterday.

I can't believe it is happening. I keep expecting to wake up and it all be a nice dream with no substance.

I'm tired and maybe I should try an sleep for a while until they arrive. They will be so tired but tomorrow is only one day. I suspect when they get started, it will be a whirlwind of activity.

I went to church tonight with Mike and Sarah. She is just such a joy. We went to McDonald's after church, of course, and while we waited for Mike to bring our food she smiled at me and said, "You're my best buddy." When I dropped her off at home she called, "Come get me Thursday." LOL, we have no idea why Thursday.

I've got my NaNo account updated and ready to roll. I need to start outlining my idea so I've got something to work with. I suspect I'll have time in the evenings but with two males in the house who knows.

I've never lived with this brother since he was a kid. And that was only briefly when Jerry and I were living with my mother and four of my siblings to help her make ends meet. He was a funny kid but rather quiet as kids go. That or I was just an older married sister too busy to notice him. I hope not.

At any rate, both my sister Phyllis and I are thrilled he is coming. She's going to help me feed them by cooking. Becca said she will come over and cook, too. I know that sounds silly but I don't expect them to eat the way I do. I don't eat at night! They'll be hungry with all this work. And I won't be home all day. So, they'll need someone to help with that.

I think I will call it a night. I'm really tired.

Voluntary Prison

I am home from church and sitting on the sofa in my pj's. It is a of and on sunny day and the temp has risen to 58 degrees. I thought about going to Kohl's and look for a new shirt. I considered putting on street clothes and walking shoes and going to the cemetery and walking. It is a nice cemetery and people often use it to walk. The paths are paved and there is a variety of hills, levels and curves in the narrow roads throughout the grounds. You could easily walk more than two miles. I followed neither urge. My hip has become nearly unbearable when I walk.

On the way home today I had two realizations. One, dreams do not come true. It is a lie... not a myth. A lie. Two, I realized that I really no longer want to leave my house. I do not like getting in the car and leaving the yard. I cry when I leave and cry when I come home. I cry at the thought of going out of the house every morning to my job. I cry when I get up. I cry when I go to bed. I manage to get through my work day without falling apart but I'm so tired when it is over. I just want to go home and not come out again.

I don't like going out and seeing how very empty the rest of the world is and how pointless it is. I didn't like shopping before, now I detest stores. At least, I can sit outside here if the weather is nice but it is too cold for me today and will probably remain so for six months. So I'll stay in my voluntary prison. It will be a fairly nice prison once all the repairs are completed.

I don't think as much when I'm here. I watch a lot of old t.v. shows and lie around. I'm so tired most of the time I can't do much more than that anyway. Half a day of cleaning house and I'm done for on any given day. Right now I feel exhausted and I'm still not done with getting things ready for house guests. I have felt this way for a few days now. But when I go to bed, I don't rest. There is no position in the bed that doesn't hurt and so my sleep is never very good.

I'm tired. I already said that but it is true.

Solitary Sunday

I'm just getting read to go out the door. I can't get anyone on the phone to go to church with me so I will be going alone. I do hate it but I can't do anything about it. Mike probably will sleep all day. Dave and Becca turn their phones off so I can't call and ask them. I did ask him last night if I could take Sarah and he said yes but I didn't believe it when he said it. But I still asked. I tried twice to call both phones. They don't want to hear it and so turning off the phones is a way to avoid the request. I don't get people who don't have the courage just to say no to your face rather than lie to you.

I don't think I slept well. Woke with feet, knees, hands, and neck hurting. It was cold in the house. I don't know what it got down to last night but it is currently 54 at 9 a.m.I guess I'll have to break out the electric blanket so I won't ache so much.

What am I going to do it this gets any worse? There isn't anyone to rely on for anything.

At the Starting Line

Get ready, WriMos! Thirty day and the fun begins. Yes, folks, 30 days! WriMos everywhere are beginning to sharpen their pencils, create folders on their hard drives, stocking the larder with all manner of cookies, crackers, chocolate, assorted candies, cocoa, and coffee. I still have some of Word's special brew in the pantry waiting for the cold nights of November. The first of November will see a skyrocketing purchase of snack veggies and fruits.

I dropped in this morning and found that the boards have been wiped. The forums are open. Don't forget to go update your profile with your time zone, participant/winner info, and download those lovely badges to show off on your email and websites.

If you have never participated in 30 days of madness, I encourage you to give in and try it. Anyone who loves to write should try NaNo once. You'll be hooked for life and discover a lot about yourself. Of course you'll make lots of friends along the way, too.

So, keep your eyes on this spot. The madness begins November 1st.

Downhill

I'm on the down side if Friday. I'm so glad. I've worked all day in my office moving furniture and cleaning. I'm done with most of the heavy stuff but still have two file cabinets to move and tons of stuff to get rid of.

We do not have maintenance men to do our moving. We have to do it ourselves. This means you have to know how to use a screwdriver and be able to move 100 lbs. I've been on the floor on my back beneath my desk most of the day. First taking it apart. Then, moving it. Then putting it back together. I will get photos for you all next week. I like it this way actually.

I had my desk in front of the window when I first got this office and moved the desk to a corner. It was hard to see the screen and I had to face the window. You can see photos of my office before today's change in layout in the albums. Actually, my keyboard tray won't work in the right place this time either but I'll rig something later for that. The other reason I wanted it moved was I hated my back to the door. My boss never knocks and I'm not allowed to shut my door. So he is eternally coming up behind me. I hate it. Of course he goes through our desks, too. Everyone knows it but there isn't much we can do about it. Not sure what his purpose is.

Anyway, it is almost time to go home and I'm going to finish it up. It was so very dusty and dirty in here. Our vacuum doesn't work well either. The wheel keeps falling off. I could bring mine from home for a day but don't see why I should be responsible for bringing my own equipment to clean their offices.

I'll pop in later. I'm so happy it is Friday! I hope I do not feel all this moving tomorrow!

Friday Has Arrived

I woke at my usual time, 6:30 a.m., to my clocking telling me it was my usual time. I got up, stretched, to the snap, crackle, ouch and mentally sent out scouts to determine where I was on that funny scale of faces they use in the doctor's office. I don't have one here but I think.....I am about ready to head out to work so we will see how the morning goes. I really need to get to bed and rest tonight so I can get up tomorrow and get things in order. I am so excited that my brother is coming up. I so want my house repairs done.

The writer's meeting went well last night but I hate I was so sick. I felt as if I wasn't able to put my best into it. But it was nice to sit and talk to my friends and share some of their excitement.
I hope everyone has a productive Friday. My Brit friends are already well into their Friday and it will be almost Saturday there by the time I get home. I may pop in later today if I find myself taking a break but. . .

Writers' Asylum Inmates Plot

Well, it sounds good. The Writers' Asylum met tonight. Again we were only three. Kathy had a family emergency ... or two. Her son took a knock on the head yesterday and the guinea pig died this morning. I do not think there is a connection. Thankfully, the GP was the only fatality but they are in mourning.

We talked a bit about what we aren't doing, what we want to do and NaNo approaching.

We did a writing exercise with a "progressive story". Cassie started a story, handed it off to me. I wrote the next bit and handed it off to Doug. It was fun and interesting how a small gray mouse, wearing a straw hat with a feather and plaid suspenders and named Theodore S. Muse came to life. I asked Cassie if she has time, to transcribe the story and share it with the other members. If I can I'll share it here.

The next formal meeting is set for Thursday, October 21, at 6:30.

We also set up the 14th & 28th as online meetings for anyone who can be online.

We enjoyed our meeting a lot. Even with just three we had a good time. That progressive story was amusing and is a good way to get the synapses firing a bit. But I got to tell you, I'm really not feeling very good. I do have some kind of bug. I just feel sick constantly. I'm going to bed now and hope that in the morning I'll be better.

NaNo is coming: 32 days = 4 weeks & 4 days!

Ron's Challenge

Link Three-Minute Fiction : NPR

During our visit last night, Ron tossed me a challenge. Actually, it is the above site where there is a writing contest posted regularly. I haven't had time to do more than skim it but NPR is a reputable entity so I am posting it here for my online writing friends.

I may try this when the next round opens up. It looks fun. And who know....

Tell Me It's Friday!

Please. I am really not feeling well today. I've been sick all morning. I feel absolutely "grotty" as Jilly says. I don't know what that means but is sounds terrible. That's how I feel.

You have to understand something. I don't get "sick" when I'm sick unless I'm really very, very sick. I never throw up and if I do, get me to the hospital because I'm really ill. No, I just feel like garbage. My stomach has bothered me for days. I've had headaches, lethargy, and a general all over ache. I need to lie down... badly.

I just went to lunch with Carolyn. We went to Bob Evans and I had potato soup. They have the best potato soup in the world. Small squares of potatoes sitting in a thick cheddery soup with crumbled fried bacon and scallions on top. Mmmmm, Sabrosa!

Anyway, it was good. And I had banana bread. That's delicious, too. But I still feel lousy. I'm annoyed by it because I have writer's meeting tonight. Last thing I want is to entertain but I don't want to cancel. I've been looking forward to this for two weeks.

I may just have to leave early and try to rest for a few hours. I don't know.

A Nice Evening to Watch the Leaves Fall

I've had a really nice evening. Ron arrived around 5:30. We decided to meet at my house rather than at a restaurant. We spent the evening, until 8:30 on the back patio talking and catching up on what is going on in our lives. We are both careful to avoid politics and religion since we are at opposite ends of the spectrum. This makes the conversation lots more fun because you can't talk about things that irritate the other person.

We came in at 8:30 because it got too cool for me. Being from Michigan, he is a bit more cold blooded. But I think it had even gotten to him. He drank a pot of coffee. He brought the coffee and we made it here. Dunkin' Donuts apparently sells ground coffee. I don't usually drink coffee at night so he had that 12 cup pot to himself. I told him he wouldn't sleep tonight. He says he has trouble sleeping anyway. With that much coffee in him, it is no wonder.

He just left about 30 minutes ago and I'm now showered and in my bed blogging before I turn out the lights. I vowed to myself to try and get in bed earlier tonight and see if I can rest. I felt sick most of the day. I still do not feel well but I did have a lovely visit with my friend.

He flattered me. I'm the only woman he likes to talk to. LOL, I don't believe it but he swore it was true. Apparently, I don't annoy him. I told him it was because I overlook the things that annoy me in him. He agreed that was probably true.

I needed the laughter. When he left he told me that we needed to talk more often. I agreed. Good friends are hard to find and when you do, you shouldn't forget to keep in touch. Having people come here to spend an evening talking and laughing does more for me than any pill. I feel better when they leave.

Tomorrow night is the writers meeting. I don't know how that will go. I hope it will be good. I'm sure it will. I like my writing friends. I'll tell you how it goes.

Now, bed. I'm tired. Stomach still doesn't feel good and I wasn't much for eating today. I had salad at McDonald's. I couldn't finish it. It just didn't taste that good to me.

Hope you all have a good evening.

Wednesday Winds Down

I'm getting ready to close shop for the evening. Twenty-five minutes to go. My friend from Michigan, Ron, is in town and is supposed to stop by to visit. We talked about going out but I asked him to come over and watch leaves fall. As long as I have coffee, he said he'd be fine with that.

I'm tired. Very tired and I just don't feel like sitting in a restaurant eating food that I don't feel like eating. I've not felt well for two or three days. Actually, last night and this morning I felt sick on my stomach. I don't know why. I thought when I got up I was going to be sick. I got better but lunch, a salad at McDonalds, was not good at all. I have no desire for supper. So, I'll fix a pot of coffee and we can sit and chat.

I do not know if I'll be back on today. Probably not. Once my guest leaves I'm going to bed.

I did hear today that my brother should be here Monday to work on the house. Hope so! I want to get it done.

Hope you all have a good evening.

What Day Will It Be?

Will it be another Monday? Or will it take on it's own identity? I'm undecided.

At the moment, I didn't have a good morning wake up. My upper back was hurting and my knees. I'm cold and I really wanted to sleep in for about another hour. The central unit has been off since Sunday. The temp inside is 70. That has become too cool for me since Jerry died. Not sure why but I was always was cold-natured anyway and bundled up in the evenings. Seems worse now is all. I'll be breaking out the electric blanket soon I suspect. I could wrap up but the weight of the blankets hurts my knees and feet. But I do love to snuggle under lots of blankets.

I'm finishing up my breakfast while I do this post and then headed to work. It dawned on me that I have to feed my brother while he is here so I need to sit down and come up with a couple of ideas. I don't cook anymore, remember? So, I suspect I'll be cooking these casserole meals that go a long way. Must remember to invest in disposable plates, utensils and cups.

I lay in bed last night and did nothing but watch Perry Mason shows on Hulu. I still love the show. And I listened to an old Abbott and Costello radio show. They are still funny. I wonder if the ever imagined they would be funny 70 years later?

I have nothing else to say.

Things I'm Looking For

This blog started out as one thing and morphed. No idea where it is going but let's see.

I'm looking for a good sleep. I'm here, tucked up in my bed... well, on my bed. I have decided to call it quits for today. I'm glad the day is done and that I don't have to face Monday for another week.

I'm looking for a good idea to blog about. I'm not sure I have a real blog in me tonight. I need to go over and start plotting my nano idea but I am not quite ready. I usually like an idea to simmer a bit before I try and put it on the page. If it is any good it will hang around and expand. If it isn't it fades.

I also am looking at ways to generate the drive to write. Haven't found it yet. Must look under the bed.... whoa, maybe not a good idea. Never seen those before... wonder ... hmmmm.

I'm looking for a million dollars. I didn't lose it. I'm just hoping to find it.

I'm looking for other things to do after work that will take me out of this house for a short time in the evenings. I don't want to join the Y again. I don't actually like it.

I'm looking for something to make my hair grow. Since Jerry died, I've lost about 50% of my hair. What little is growing back is white. I don't mind white. It's just a lack of color, pretty much reflects my state of mind and life.

Did you know that stress and aging causes the body to produce an excess of amount hydrogen peroxide in the scalp and this in turn causes hair to turn white. It bleaches it. Stop the production of peroxide and you stop your hair turning white. Simple. I suppose I'm looking for a way to stop the HP production. At the current rate, I expect to be totally white in two years . . if I have any hair left.

I'm looking for ways to cut utility cost. I want OFF the grid! B@$#@^&! I hate Vectren.

I'm looking for way to get the repairs done very cheap.

I'm looking for a tall, dark haired man with dark blue eyes. He used to live here.

Barack Obama: the Great Unravelling of a One-Term President? - Telegraph

Link

Finally, some optimistic news! From the foreign press, no less!

I always get annoyed by the American press. Seems they feel they MUST make our current leaders look good, even if it means covering things up or blaming the previous leaders. LOL, that is not the case in the foreign press. The delight in pointing out our warts. And we should want that in our country. Warts are contagious. They multiply exponentially.

One term? Dear God, from their lips to your ear!

You don't have to write and tell me how much you love our current president and how wonderful he is. I can read that in OUR press. Although, a 42% approval rating would indicate that our press is sadly misinformed.

What I found most telling is the comments. People are pretty much the same the world over. Spite, bitterness, racism, nationalism, ignorance of other cultures ... only the locations change. One comment makes it appear that all blacks are carrying guns and knives and involved in violence. This could not be further from the truth! There are many productive and law-abiding blacks, just as there are some whites involved in gun carrying gangs. Of course we have a growing population of illegal aliens from Mexico in gangs and with that lovely Nafta crap they just drive in on big trucks loaded with the stuff.

Ok, don't get me started on that. I'll be getting mail. Anyway, found it refreshing that someone else doesn't like our administration. All I can say is someone better come up with a super candidate soon. We may have to elect an out of work CEO. There are a lot of them since jobs went east, west, and south.

The Correct Answer

Regarding my post about the error in the article about Native American event here in my town.
Here is the original excerpt.

"We've got people on sight giving on sight demonstrations about native animals, food and gardening, spear throwing, teaching them all about the culture, first hand."

Here is the answer.

"We've got people on site giving on-site demonstrations about native animals, food and gardening, spear throwing, teaching them all about the culture, first hand."

The word sight refers to vision. the word site is a location.

Here is the link to the article if you want to read about the event. It was poorly covered as far as I'm concerned. This is an event with 10,000 in attendance in two days? http://www.14wfie.com/Global/story.asp?S=13219906

Oh My! It's Back!

Monday, I mean. I'm about to leave for work in a few minutes. Got to brush my teeth and take my medicine. Pain levels are manageable at the moment. My leg is not hurting much especially. It was acting up most of the day yesterday. I do still seem to have either a cold or allergy. Hanging on this long I'm thinking allergy but what do I know.

It is 55 degrees! I believe the sun is shinning but I got up first this morning, so he's lazy.

I hate this time of year where it gets dark earlier and stays dark longer. Daylight savings time doesn't do a think for the winter or summer. You can't make a day longer or shorter. It does it all by itself.

I'm dreading the cold months for what it will cost to stay warm. I really hate it. Someone suggested a fireplace insert. I don't have a fire place and I doubt I could do the wood chopping anymore. I did a load of that as a teenager. We had a wood stove back when I was between 11 and 15. I cut wood a lot, with an axe.

Now, I'm at the mercy of the utility company. We are higher than any place I've checked and there is no alternative. It is really horrible. And so many will have trouble keeping their power on when these bandits jack up the rates again. They do it about ever six months.

O.k. off to the mine to shovel. Please say a pray for me today. I get very depressed on Monday's. I don't know why but going to work is very difficult. Hope you all have a great Monday.

What's Wrong with This?

Here is a quote from an article from my local t.v. station. There is something wrong with it. Post your answers below.

Educational Program Assistant Corbe Ashby says, "We've got people on sight giving on sight demonstrations about native animals, food and gardening, spear throwing, teaching them all about the culture, first hand."