What Did You Do Today?

[gja1000]

Diana, I hope Dae Lynn stays strong.mI know she wants it to work out, but there is nothing she can do to change the situation, Damon must change and that is not going to happen without intensive intervention. And that won't happen until Damon decides he has a problem and wants to get help.

Gary is better this evening, he wanted to get out of the house, so that is a good sign. The hospital called to schedule his heart tests on Friday. Hopefully, we will find out what is wrong.

Oh and the yard man called yesterday and he is going to start mowing next week. YAY!

[Janet]

Since I didn't have to drive the bus today I had an appointment to get my hair cut. So I did that and then went to town to pick up the rent from the people renting Mom's house. I just love talking with them, trouble is I end up being there so long because they just keep talking...lolol.

When I left there I ran by the other house rental house. No one was home. One of them has been off work and may have to have surgery, so they've gotten behing on a few of their bills (not us) and said they may have to move. We lowered the rent by $100 to help them out. They are good renters and take great care of the house. They do know that in a few months the rent will go back up.

There is a new shop that opened up that is kind of like a flea market. There are booths or you can just take things up there and they will buy them or let you sell them. They have so many neat things there. I bought this cute little 3 tier motive candle holder and a necklace that the owner crocheted or something and it's so pretty.

Just been a nice busy day. I also spoke with a realtor and we are going to go look at a house for Ricky. We still want the one with the beautiful hardwood floors, but just not sure Ricky can afford it without a roommate. So we are looking at a couple tomorrow.

Whenever I've seen something fun like flea markets or other things, I've been putting them on the calendar so if I want to do something I can look to see if there is anything going on.

[gja1000]

Gary had his echocardiogram this morning, well at 11:00. We ran some errands on the way to the hospital and then we went out for lunch afterward. By the time we got home we were both tired and so we took a nap. I slept too long, I'll be up half the night, I'm afraid.

After our nap, Gary changed the oil in my John Deere and then I hauled stuff that had accumulated in the garage that needed to go in the shop or shed. Gary helped me load it in my little trailer and then I unloaded it. We were both pretty pooped out when I got finished.

Now, I'm just chilling, watching some TV

[gja1000]

Well, it's 8:30AM, Gary is still in bed and I've been up since 6:30. I told you I wouldn't be able to sleep all night since I took that nap yesterday. Actually I went to bed at midnight and slept till a couple of little furbutts woke me up at 6:30. I was really surprised I slept so well. Guess I needed that nap.

So, I got up and finished unloading the trailer. There wasn't a whole lot of things, but took me about 6 trips back and forth. Thankfully it is parked about 20 feet from my backdoor! Then I found some more things in the garage to take down to the shop. They are just sitting out as I didn't want to fire up the John Deere this early. Our neighbors houses are not close, but they could hear my John Deere and I didn't think that was the neighborly thing to do at 6:30 on a Saturday.

Then I cleaned out the refridg - I didn't wipe it down (my housekeeper will do that if I ask her) but just got out all the old and expired things. Then I unloaded the dishwasher and after that I started shredding some accumulated mail, until the shredder overheated . Hope it will start up again after it cools off.

I'm going to put some fertilizer on the yard later, I use alfalfa pellets and dry molasses I get at the feed store. It is quite inexpensive for lawn fertilizer and it works great! My yard looks so beautiful this year. If you remember, last year when we moved here the yard was in really bad shape. So, I spent a lot of money getting compost spread all over the yard. I had to have the lawn company do that since my yard is so big. Then I had to water like crazy all summer due to the drought (more money spent). But this year the lawn looks absolutely gorgeous. So, I'll pop on my alfalfa and molasses and water that in. I'm sure the wonderful rains we've been having will stop soon and I'll have to start back up watering. But the grass trees such have enjoyed this wet winter/spring.

Oh and my beneficial nematodes. They are microscopic organisms that you spray on your yard and they will eat flea eggs and fire ant eggs, both of which live in the soil. i didn't use any last year because of the drought - the nematodes will die in extreme drought. But it is moist enough now to put them on and if I water the yard normally during the summer, they will survive. I hate to battle fleas on the dogs in the summer. And we have a lot of fire ants out here. I've gotten bitten so many times in the past year.

Well I hear Gary rustling around in the bedroom, better go check on him.

[judy]

I have been taking some time to relax and keep to myself the past week or so. I had been so busy running back and forth when Brandon was in the hospital, that I needed to unwind. I got my taxes done, I put an insurance claim in for my car. Remember when I drove it into a ditch a few weeks ago? I got $3600 from my insurance company!! I have never had collision, so have never put a claim in before. I paid myself back for the new clutch, and pout the rest in the bank. I don't need to have the body fixed. It's really only a dented fender, and it's a 2004, so I am just fine with it as is!

Jessie is mad at me because I haven't been coming around to help out since Brandon came home. I hate when she is mad at me, but I really don't need to be there. Steve is home, the girls are in school, and she is there for Brandon. I think she is really doing him a lot of harm actually, by enabling him. She babies him, spends all night awake with him, for his "pain," which nobody believes is real anymore. He hasn't been in school consistently since January. He has the whole family captive with all of this. I do think he had something wrong, but he had the appendectomy, which seems to have helped his stomach pain. His rash.....who knows? He hasn't had it in a few weeks. Jessie is exhaused, and her thinking is not clear. Her MS plus her exhaustion are clouding her brain. She is being nasty and short with everyone. Steve is keeping to himself, doing physical things around the house, and sleeping with Brandon from time to time, but Brandon wants his mother. It sounds terrible, but I just do not feel bad for the 3 of them. They are creating a crisis! I do feel sorry for the girls! They slept over Thursday, and I will have them over again.

They may expect me to help him with his school work that he has missed, but he does not do his work with me. I'm going to have to mention this somehow to them, to set them straight. It would just be a waste of time for me to even try.
I have tried many times before!

On the up side, I am getting a new puppy!!! One of Jessie's Japanes Chins had a litter, and I am taking the female. Her name is Sophie, and she is just so cute! She is a tiny one. There were 6 puppies, and the mommy is a small dog, so there are 2 runts, Sophie being one of them. I am hoping Max and Annie take to her. I think Annie will be jealous, but am hoping she loves having another dog to love. She sure loves Max.

Max really is limping, so he has to go to the vet Tuesday. He hurt his leg a few weeks ago, and must have reinjured it. Poor litttle guy!

Here are some pix of Sophie:

[Janet]

I hope Jessie doesn't stay mad at you for very long. It's tough to wait and let it run it's course isn't it. Little Sophie is adorable. I think Japanese Chins are so cute.

Today I paid bills and then cleaned out my van and washed it. I was on a roll so I cleaned Ricky's truck and washed it too. I am exhausted. Took my shower and now I'm just catching up on the computer.

Ricky isn't feeling the best, I think it's allergies, sinuses are draining so I gave him something to help relieve some of the symptoms. He said something was going around work and wasn't lasting very long so I hope it goes away quickly.

[gja1000]

Hi Judy, I've missed you! Sophie is absolutely adorable! She just looks like a little puff ball. I've always heard that female dogs sometimes have a hard time getting used to another female. I hope it all goes well, I'm sure it will in time.

Oh dear, you are caught in the middle with Brandon, aren't you. I think you have it pegged, with what is going on. He's got a good thing going and he knows it. I think it is called "secondary gain" and there is a fancy word for it, but I can't remember what it is. The illness creates attention and after awhile the "patient" can't stop being the "patient" because the secondary gain for being the "patient" is so good. You are right, the crisis is being "created" and you are wise to not be a part of it. He does need to catch up in school, but like you said, he doesn't do his work for you, so it's best for you to not even try. Jesse needs to do something though, if not he'll have to repeat the grade. Wait, does she home school them? I can't remember - but anyway, it is her issue.

I worked out in the yard all weekend. I had been gone for the past 5 weekends with Gary and my yard was looking pretty shaggy. Also, we had accumulated a lot of "stuff" in the garage and back yard that needed to be put away or thrown away and I did a lot of that. I cleaned out some plants in my garden from last year, and it looks good now. I only have tomatoes planted, I'm not sure if I'm going to plant anything else. We'll see.

My backyard is absolutely teeming with birds and squirrels. I'd rather not have the squirrels eating from the bird feeders, so I got a couple of squirrel feeders. I hope they take to them and leave the bird feeders alone.

I fixed beans and cornbread for Easter lunch (Gary's request) and mom came over to eat with us. After lunch mom and I sat on the back porch and watched the birds, then I took her to Walmart for a bit of shopping, then I took her on home. She is doing so well in the assisting living place. She has friends and I think she is finally adjusting to life there and I think she likes it. She asked me to come in and go out in their courtyard to see the roses. They were gorgeous! A lady at the center made her a little cloth thing to go on her walker to carry stuff in. It is so cute and she embroidered her name on it. Mom is still using her walker, but she pushes it ahead of her like a shopping cart, rather than actually leaning on the walker. I think she could go back to using her cane, but I think she feels more secure with the walker, so that's fine with me.

Well, it's back to the busy work life. I have a very long day tomorrow, but the rest of the week doesn't look too bad!

[Lindsey]

Sophie is adorable!!!!!!!!!!!!

We were at Scott's parents' house for Easter. Both of his sisters were around, and all the little kids. They think one of the babies is allergic to dogs, so they are getting rid of their dog, and when the baby was coughing at the house, they said they might have to leave if he gets worse, because our dogs were all there. When we were leaving, the 2 year old gave us hugs and told us he won't be able to come stay at our house anymore because of his little brother. I felt really awkward. It almost felt like they were hinting we need to leave our dogs at home if we want to see them.

Anyways, speaking of dogs, we got there on Friday and on Saturday morning I noticed Lucy had tons of yellow-green goop coming out of one eye, and it was really red and irritated. I was worried it was an infection. Scott didn't seem too concerned. He thought it could wait until we got home. I said no, I don't want it spreading to the other dogs, or the babies or other people. So we made an appointment with a vet there. It turns out Lucy had a scratch on her eye, so it's not contagious, but I think the two year old must have done it. I have never seen her scratch herself, just rub her face on something if it's itchy. He was running after her though and trying to get into her kennel. I know he ran over there when we were eating the night before, and he said he had to go to the bathroom. So I'm pretty sure that's when something happened. He was just acting like a little terror that night. But $100 later and 3-times-daily eye drops for a week, and Lucy should be better. Scott was very quiet about it all and wouldn't tell anyone we even needed to take her to the vet. He just told his mom "we need to go out"

Anyways, we also got to "go out" and have supper with my cousin and her boyfriend and her youngest daughter and his daughter (lol). I hadn't really talked to him much before but he seems like a good guy and I like him. The kids were okay at the start but got pretty grouchy and started screaming and running around the restaurant.

So basically what I got out of the weekend was this: birth control LOL... I am just not ready for all that! I have had my share of kids for awhile. I like adult conversation without screaming and crying and whining in the background because the kids are not the center of attention. I just couldn't deal!

[DianaB]

Judy, it sounds like you've done a good job of figuring out what's going on with Brandon. The family needs to "wise-up" before it gets any worse. I do hope that he can get caught up on his schoolwork before the end of the year.......and the puppy is just adorable!!

Gayle, you are such a busy woman!! I bet your yard is beautiful! Mine is a wreck! The chickens and ducks did a real number on mine last year and I don't hardly even have grass......just weeks!

Lindsey, Glad to hear that Lucy is all right. It sounds like you had a pretty good Easter with family.

Dae Lynn and I cleaned on Friday. Saturday Glen's family had their family Easter Picnic. It was rainy so we had it in a big metal shop. Dae Lynn and I went after Dean's nap and just stayed for a little while. I still had things to do to get ready for Sunday.

On Sunday after church the whole family was here. Mom and my step-dad, Art, were here as well. My brother and one of his daughters were suppose to come but called about the time we were getting ready to eat and said that they weren't coming. My poor Mom looked so disappointed. I don't care whether they come or not but to wait until the last minute to tell her and us is rude!!

I'm still dealing with pink eye. It's in my right eye now pretty good. It's so red and aches. I'll be glad when this is gone!!!

[judy]

OOH! Pink eye hurts! I hope your eyes and Lucy's eye heal up fast!

I am sitting here with Annie on my lap. I had Sophie on my lap before. Annie is afraid of Sophie, so she barks at her and runs away. Max comes in, and they corner Sophie. I put an end to it by lifting one of the girls. This will take some time, I think. Sophie is not afraid of either of them, but that's a puppy for you. I don't think there will be any attempts to bite, but I cannot leave the girls out of my sight.
On the plus side, Sophie seems to be trained!

Gayle, how does Gary feel?

Janet, how is your neck? I know you had to wash the carpet, but take it easy!

Linds, kids can be a real pain in the neck! You have to be ready for them.

[DianaB]

It will take a while but the dogs will get used to each other soon. I hope they learn to get along soon for your sake!

I still have pink eye.......and yes, it hurts. My eyes are watery and achy. I can't tell if the meds are helping or not. I'm glad that I have it instead of the kids because then we'd ALL have it. I'm being very careful about touching my eyes and washing my hands a lot!! I even put out the hand sanitizer today to start using it too. I'm so ready for it to go away!!!

[Lindsey]

Diana, I think you should go back to the doctor with your pink eye! Whenever I've had it, it is noticeably clearing up after a couple of days. Do you have any goop coming out of your eyes? If not, and they're just red and watery, it could be a viral infection and meds won't help - it will just have to run its course Scott had viral pink eye caused by allergies and taking allergy meds every day helped him feel a little more comfortable!

Last night I got back on my treadmill. I am going to try to make that a daily thing. I used to run and I'd dread doing it because I'd get so hot and sweaty and uncomfortable and I always get stomach cramps when I run for over 10 minutes! I would end up coming up with excuses not to do it I think I'm just going to stick with walking for now. I still break a sweat with a brisk walk, but I stay a little more comfortable!

[DianaB]

Good luck on the treadmill, Lindsey!!

Yes, I have goop and water coming out. My eyes are sealed shut in the morning. I missed a couple of pills and I wondered if that made a difference.....whatever it is it's not getting better. I'm taking antibiotics and have drops to put in. I may just have to let it run it's course. It's just so hard to keep my hands clean but I'm trying!!!

[judy]

The pink eye takes about a week usually. I hope it's gone soon!

It's a beautiful day here! I saw little blue thistles and yellow flowers already!!! I am so excited!

I took Max to the vet. His knee is slipping out of its' joint. I got a non steroid anti inflammatory for him. If this doesn't work, he may need surgery. Poor little Max! He shouldn't jump or run around. Since he is in pain, he doesn't jump much, but how do you keep a yorkie from running around?

Annie is a bit better around Sophie today. I think they convinced Sophie not to run after her so much! Who knows? I want them to love each other.

[Lindsey]

Poor Max!! I hope things get better without surgery. I hope Annie and Sophie get along soon. I still have the same problem with Kash and Layla! Lucy and Layla are good with each other, Lucy and Kash are great with each other, but Kash and Layla just rub each other the wrong way!

We had snow on the weekend again... no flowers for us yet!

I got an offer on my bike today.... $1000 less than I am asking ($1500 less than I was originally asking). I might just take it though... it's better than nothing. Together with Scott's bike sale, we'd make enough to cover our next vacation (AFTER the honeymoon vacation!) lol. I just want to keep going places!