Hi Everyone!

[Janet]

Those fire ants are nasty, Gayle. My Mom has some down in Florida where she lives in the winter. I'm sure glad we don't have them here.

I ventured out today and it's still cool, but perfect working weather..lol. I cleaned the garage. It didn't take very long...I try not to let it get too bad. My husband has a much larger garage and still manages to put stuff in mine. SO.....when I clean...I move it all or have him move it all back to his garage.

Feels like a bigger garage now.... LOL

[gja1000]

Well, I got the nematodes sprayed on the yard - hope they burrow deep down into the dirt tonight and just gobble up all those nasty larvae growing down there just ready to eat my plants and bite my babies!

I was all settled in doing some school work I had put off till the last minute, when my daughter called and asked me to come over. I needed to take Della home, so off I went.

THEN, they wanted to go to Buffalo Wild Wings (sports bar/restaurant) so off we went. The food was just so so - boneless buffalo nuggets (Janet, I think your pizza the other day was healthier!). Gary played poker on the TV and had fun. We all laughed and had a good time, but that's the last buffalo wings I want for a while!

Now, I'm back home and just finished the school work I needed to get done before tomorrow. Well, I have one more thing to read but I can do it in the morning.

[DianaB]

Everyone sounds so busy!! I went to Wal-mart on Sunday to pick out some flowers to plant in my new flower bed but they didn't have very much in. I picked up some daffodils that had already bloomed and were half off. I don't have any so they'll be a nice addition to my yard. I also got some begonias to go in a hanging pot. They are so good at filling in and they don't cost much...plus they add a lot of color since they bloom all summer!!!

We've had a cool spell....I even turned the heater back on Sunday night. This morning it's pretty cool outside but hopefully, like yesterday it will warm up and be nice.

Glen's in the field working as fast as he can go. It's nice that we haven't had the rain keeping him from planting like we've had the last couple of years. He's been taking his lunch with him so I don't see him until evening. It sure makes a long day for me to be alone. Jaci has school, then work, and I'm sure she's going to Nate's tonight. Sometimes I sure wish that the dogs could carry on a conversation!!!! Thank goodness for 4WT!!!

[judy]

Awww! It does get lonely sometimes Diana! Hope Glenn finishes planting soon and that you have company again.

It sounds like everyone is busy planting. I'm holding off until Memorial Day. Most of the natives up here advise this. I did plant some more bulbs in front of the house though. I was going to plant more, but I think I'll see how they come up first. I can always plant more in the fall for next Spring. I'm thinking about pansies, but I'm not sure yet where I want them. We're really not allowed to plant without submitting plans since we don't tend to the maintenance of the grounds, but a few here and there will be fine. My neighbor taught me to always tell management that "It was here when I moved in," works perfectly!

I can do whatever I want on the deck, but it snowed a few days ago, so it's too soon. I do want to put out finch seeds. I don't leave them out for long because they attract bears.

It is turning green up here and is just beautiful. I have been watching it turn from winter to spring over the last few weeks. It's lovely to watch this happen, especially in the mountains. The snow on the ski slope I can see finally melted this week.

I have been really enjoying the coming of spring, going shopping, or just sitting on the deck with a book. The kids are on spring break this week, so I'm getting them tomorrow, and maybe Friday night too. Then, Monday night, the Womens' Network meeting is in my house. I am very excited about that. A chance to show off my home! Monday night, the bell rang, and one of the women was outside my door! She thought the meeting was this week, so we visited for a while and she will be back on the 26th! Sunday, I am going to a social kind of meeting at a new friend's house, and I am still doing the writing on Tuesday mornings. I am hesitant about taking up pottery again. That studio was a bit chaotic. I would love to find a studio closer to me, but I haven't looked yet.

Here are some pix of my shoots from the bulbs I planted in the fall. So exciting!
And Max and Annie running around outside, eating who knows what!

I can't get the camera to connect. I probably have to restart or something. I'll post pictures later.

[gja1000]

I've had one heck of a week, or couple of weeks, or several months, I guess. Our school of nursing was preparing for our national accreditation visit this week. Every 10 years (or sooner) we are visited by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing and have to prepare a lengthy document called a self study. Ours was about 400 pages long. It contains information about every aspect of our school of nursing: resources, students, faculty, curriculum and evaluation.

I had to do a significant portion of it on our Nurse Practitioner programs (we have 5). I wrote the report last fall and then had to prepare all the materials for the visit this week. Materials consist of evidence for all the things you write about in the report. For example, they want to know about all the courses we teach in all the programs, so we have to copy the course pages with title, description, objectives, adn activities from each syllabus and put them on display.

They also want to see minutes of all our meetings, curriculum meetings, admission meetings, and the like. They want to see all our evaluation data, questions we ask the students about their preparation. They look at the pass rates for our RN exams and the certification exams for the nurse practitioners, and they look at a zillion other things too. It is just a massive undertaking. We have had someone working on it for 2 years and I've been working on it since September.

WHEW! The visitors were here Wed/Thurs/Fri. I had several meetings with them and at these meetings, they can ask you ANYTHING!!! You don't necessarily have to know all the answers, but you do have to get the answers for them. Of course, there are certain things that you SHOULD know, and I was able to answer all their questions. WHEW!

Anyway, in our exit interview today, we passed all criteria with no deficiencies, which will likely mean we'll get accredited for 10 more years. We won't know though for sure, till October. But things went exceedingly well this week, so I'm sure we will get the 10 years. That means we won't have another visit for 10 more years. YAY! (maybe I'll be retired by then. LOL!)

I am so tired though, I feel like I ran a marathon this week. And to top it off, I have to travel to Washington DC Sunday, for some very long and tedious meetings next week - Mon though Thursday. I won't be home till midnight on Thursday. I will be so tired when I get home I won't be able to wiggle!!!

So I'll be reading the forum all next week, but probably won't post too much as I'll only have my phone to get on the internet.

You all don't get into any trouble without me!

[Janet]

WOW....all I can say Gayle is "I'm exhausted" just reading. I'm sure glad it's over for another 10 years for you...that is a lot of work. I'm not good at that kind of mental and information gathering work. Give me something physical anytime...LOL.

At least you can read what's going on here next week. You will definitely be missed.

[gja1000]

(sigh) sitting the airport.

[judy]

Poor Gayle! At least the evaluation is over! Just think...before long it will be summer vacation!

I highly recommend a discrete mp3 player with earphones and a really good audio book for airports, plane rides and boring conferences!

I hope you get to enjoy yourself, even though you don't really want to be there!

[paula1961]

Gayle you are one busy lady! Sorry you are sitting at the airport. Are you going alone?
Try to at least get to do a little something fun while you are there. Hope you have a safe trip. We'll hold down the fort while you're away.

[gja1000]

Hi guys! Up early this morning getting readyfor a long boring day. Oh Boy!

Gary wasgoing to come with me but our daughter is having minor foot surgery a d so he stayed home to help her and so she wouldn't have to keep our boys. It's best though, I don't get finished before 5:00 any day so we wouldn't have been able to make it to any museums anyway.

Y'all have a good day!

[judy]

I'm having a Board meeting of the Catskill Women's Network here tonight. I'm making chicken with green beans and feta cheese. It's really delicious and easy to make. We all bring a dish to these Board meetings.

I have Marcia coming to clean later, and then I'll set up, and I'm ready. I'm so excited to be able to have people in my home. I love entertaining!

Yesterday, I went to a new friend, Lynn's house. She started a Giving Circle, and I originally didn't want to bother, but I am so glad I got to know Lynn and went to the meeting. She is a lovely woman, with 3 daughters in college, and not enough money! She manages well though. Her home is a beautiful country house, and I met some very nice new people.

I had the grandkids Thursday through Saturday, and enjoyed them so much! They were just so much fun! It is much better when the weather is nice and they can run around outside. Brandon and Kassidy found an earthworm, Swimmie, and made him a house in a cardboard box with dirt and leaves and water. This took a lot of work! Swimmie did not make it though, and I grabbed him and threw him into the dirt before they could put salt on him. I am not so sure he was 100% dead yet.

Jessie had TWO unexpected litters. She has been busy with the deliveries and the pups. Then she told me that the two little Japanese Chins tied! I just laughed at her I am not sure they understand the dog approach to reproduction! Female goes into heat...male smells it...she lets him tie on certain days....oh...puppies!

Well, they are adults, and will manage it however they manage it. I keep saying "How wonderful!" a lot. It keeps things so harmonious!

[lynne b]

Saturday we celebrated my mom's 75th b-day, she has come along way from almost 3 yrs ago. She was so surprised that I had planned this for her. My brother and sil came home from California, my uncle on my dad's side and his family came in from Ohio and then turned around and drove back home the same day, about a 5 hr drive one way, pluse i got as many cousins and high school friend and other friends to come also, and as many g-kids and gg-kids, there was probably around 40/50 people there, we had the party at the house where us kids grew up, my brother owns it now, it felt just like old times like whenever my mom would plan the family get togethers. The weather was gloomy but ended staying dry so the kids could play outside. The emotional part of that day is my brother is here to see about fixing up the house to rent it out, it has set empty for almost 5 yrs and just needs updated. The thought of someone else living in the house that i grew up in is really bothering me, even though it has sit empty i have always known that it was the one place i could always go to. I have visions of renters living there and me just going there and walking in on them just like i always walk into the house. LOL
Sunday we went to Coloumbus Ohio to a dog show, a 5 hr drive one way, we met the breeder that i bred Sadie with last April, well i kept her little girl, the breeder kept her and if she has the attitude for the ring she is going to show her for me, she definatley has the looks, everyone was just in aww of her, she got her 1st show bow put in yesterday, she looked so good in it. I none the less was a wreck having to leave her there, she is such a sweetheart of a girl and my 1st little one, she weighs 4lb on the nose. well we should know in a few weeks weather or not she has what it takes to be shown. she will be living in Michigan during this time so i can't just pop in and see her, i know this is harder on me than it is her, the 5 hr drive home was a very queit one for both me and my hubby.
The 1st pic is my mom and only some of her g-kids, gg-kids and the youngest boy held by his mom is a great great g-son, there are other g-kids that were not able to make it. the girl in the white sweatshirt is my daughter and her 2 daughters are in there also, 2nd pic is g-kids, 3rd pic is my Serena who we left yesterday and last pic is her daddy, he is very close to being dual championed.

[Janet]

I'm so glad everything went so well for your Mother's surprise party. After speaking with you I know she had a great time.

Serena looks gorgeous Lynne. I hope she'll have the attitude to become a Champion....how great would that be???? I know you miss her already, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed for her and you!

Love the pictures....I was hoping to see one of your brother...lol

[Blueyes]

I loved the pictures too, Lynn. Sounds like a really nice party
Judy, I'm so glad you are busy with your friends!

Everybody is busy, busy...and it's not even summer yet, lol!!

I've been busy, too. I'm trying to spend as much time as I can with my kids before they leave the country. They couldn't get their visas to do mission work in Scotland, so they'll be moving to Cebu, Philippines. I'll be keeping y'all updated, but right now I can barely even type about it. I'm really going to need you ladies...

I love you all

[judy]

Awww, Lynne. What an event you guys had! It is wonderful that your Mom's health has gotten better! You have a beautiful family. The dogs are gorgeous!
I hope Serena makes champion! She has the looks for sure. I bet you do miss her!

Betsi, you are in my heart. It will be so hard to say goodbye. The Philippines do sound like a beautiful place to go though, and I hope you get to visit a few times a year.