Week 6 Day 5

Friday, finally.  I will now have 2 whole days to come up with something to write about all next week.  So little time, so much to think about.

I still don't know what I am going to say today, so we'll just see where this leads us. 

Was expecting to get our Federal Refund back today, didn't happen.  I am not much for the waiting.  As the commercials say "It's my money, and I want it now!".  Different concept, same result.  It has been so long since we had any extra money to play with that I'm not sure we still know how to shop.

Hopefully it will come in the beginning of next week, if not I suppose I will have to contact the IRS to find out what the delay is.  Fun, fun.

Speaking of hope, we have all had our share of hopes and dreams about how our lives would turn out.
I know that I did.  From the time I was little I always thought that I would be working in an office, have a large family and have my kids and grandkids around me a lot.

Well, I'm not working in an office, although I have done so.  The large family didn't work out, not for want of trying.  The kids live far enough away that we only get together occasionally and only have 2 grandkids right now.  It works out ok, but still not what I had pictured it being.

Right now I am hoping to get a dream job.  I just keep plugging away at it, eventually something will turn up.
I applied for a General Manager job at a restaurant in Buffalo, so have my fingers crossed that I will at least get a call for an interview.  If not, will just keep applying until I do find something.

The worst part of being unemployed is the boredom that comes along with it, especially during the winter. You are so limited to what you can or want to do.  I'm not a fan of snow, cold or wind, so that leaves out anything to do with outside activities.  There is nothing on tv worth watching that I haven't already seen, and I don't play video games.  I can only read so many books and do so many puzzles.  After awhile my brain starts to feel like mush.  Don't get me wrong, I love to read, the problem is I can read a book a day and still have time left over.  And, yes, I do comprehend what the book is about.  Even remember it if I pick it up again in 6 months or so.

Anyway, whatever your hopes and dreams for your life are, I wish you all the success in getting everything you want out of life!

Week 6 Day 4

Okay, so the day has started out pretty good.  Just got done applying for a job as General Manager for Perkins in Buffalo.  Hopefully something will come out of it.  Always so nice and exciting to see a job for which I feel that I am actually qaulified.  Keep your fingers crossed!

Got all of the garbage hauled out this morning, I really hate doing that job.  Not because it is so diffibult, but it is supposed to be Arlens job.  I decided today that I can't clean around bags sitting on the floor, so just did it.

Now I can clean my kitchen.  I ran uptown as I needed a new mop, got one.  I now have no excuse for cleaning the floor.  First I have to get the dishes done.  I think this time I will use the dishwasher, that way I can get the dishes and the floors done at the same time.  Multi-tasking is my middle name, actually it's Louise but who's counting.

Got all my laundry done yesterday, yeah!  The time on my dryer kept getting stuck on the one setting so had to switch to a different one, oh so many decisions and choices to make in one day.  I'm surprised that I was able to do it without having a complete meltdown.

Talk to both of the kids and my mom about the Luepke Cousin Bash that occurs every year.  Haven't gone for about 3 or 4 years now.  So guess it is about time.  We all decided that if my mom couldn't make it because of the weather, the rest of us weren't going to attend either.  Since it is scheduled for March 20, the weather is going to play a big part in it.

Week 6 Day 3

Am willing to try this at all different times of day.  Still haven't found one that seems to plug into my brain waves and let me know what to write about.

Talked to my daughter yesterday.  Hates her new job.  I think that it is more a matter of not being challanged enough mentally.  She is so used to being the only one in the office, so most of the office stuff was left up to her.  Hard to go from that to answering phones and scanning all day.

Face it, we've all had jobs that we absolutely hated.  I had one that I lasted one day!  I went to work in a manufacturing setting.  In my opinion, that job could have been performed by a monkey that could count.  All I did all night was sit in front of a machine that spit out little round disks of plastic that were used as plugs in headphone sets.  Of course it only spit them out when the machine was working correctly.  I cried the next night at the thought of going back to that.

I have had other jobs that I didn't care for, but didn't actually hate.  When I lived in the cities I got hired by a drug store to work in their office.  They had advertised for an office worker, when in reality they wanted an accountant.  The work itself wasn't too bad, the hours were good, and the pay at that time was good.  Didn't have to drive since it was only 3-4 blocks from where we lived.  The problem with it was the guy in charge of the store.  Still don't know if he was the owner or just the manager.  He was the kind that one day he would tell you to do something one way, and then the next ask why you were doing them that way.  Hard to enjoy the work when you have bosses who don't know the first thing about the departments.

Some of the jobs that I have had that I really enjoyed were waitressing, working in the Welfare office as a receptionist, home care and of course my managerial jobs in the convenience stores.  I evidently must be a "people" person since the jobs that I like best all involved one on one with others.  I never thought of myself that way.  I don't like crowds, and I have very low tolerance for stupid people.  Not that they are stupid in the mental sense, just in the common sense department.  After all, how many times can you explain to someone how to hit a key on a cash register to tell you the correct change to give back?

Week 6 Day 2

Okay, so to get started, yep ran into a roadblock on that one.

I'm not sure what to write about, so I guess I will just start rambling and see where it takes me.

A while back I started talking about school and memories.  How many of you remember your very first date that your parents allowed?  I do.  I was 14, 8th grade, new school (thank goodness the last one) and my very first official date was with Arlen.

We went to the Homecoming dance.  Can't remember if I had a good time or not, do remember not dancing very much.  Of course back in '71 the music wasn't that great to dance to.  It was neither slow or fast, how do you move to that?  The next time we had a date was in '75 for, you got it, the Homecoming Dance.
Although at Jr. Prom, we had a good time, unofficially.  Neither of us had dates, like a lot of other people.  So all of us dateless people sat togeher and had the best time.  We could dance with whoever we wanted, talk about all the losers other people brought and in general just have fun.

We didn't get together again until '81 when my first husband and I split up, and the rest as they say is history.
We are coming up on our 28th Anniversary this year July24.  Hard to believe all that we have been through, seen and discovered in that time.  Some of it good, some not so good.  You just take what the good Lord offers and try and do your best with it.  Hopefully during that time we have made good use of our time with the kids and grandkids.  There are days that I have serious doubts about that. 

I know that we raised the kids right, they were both ready to go out and conquer the world when the time came, and they have done well.  Could not be more prouder of either of them then we already are.

Don't talk to them as much as I would like or see them very often.  They are both really busy with jobs, family and life in general, but I know that they both love us and will always be there when we need them.  There is no doubt in my mind about that.  So, we did good.

See where rambling will get you?

Week 6 Day 1

I decided yesterday to only do this blog Monday through Friday.  It will give me 2 whole days to try and come up with something to say.  This would be a lot easier if I were gifted, talented, extremely knowledgeable about anything, but since I'm none of those and have very little knowledge of many different things, this is hard to do every day.

My job search has come to a screeching halt.  Not because of anything that I have or haven't done, but simply because there just are that many jobs out there right now.  I would be willing to do anything at this point, but for some reason I just can't seem to get a call back from anyone.  I know, I know, there is a job out there some where just waiting for me.  Please.  My mother keeps bringing up going back to Casey's, I don't think that would be an option.  I enjoyed my time(s) there, just not sure if it would be a step forward or a step backward, if they would even have me.

My daughter started her new job today.  Good for her.  I told her that it wouldn't take that long for her to find something, and I am positive that she will be one of the best employees they have ever had.  She has the perfect personality for almost anything and the capability to get along with everyone.

Although it will take away from the time she is able to spend with Lily, the time they will have together will be all the more precious and memorable.  She is a very lucky daughter, wife and mother, she has all the support from family and friends, the love she needs to succeed and the confidence to see it through.

My niece is getting married in Las Vegas on April 24 of this year.  We are unable to attend due to finances and health issues.  My mom is going to go down with her brother and his wife, good for her.  Every Grandma should be at these weddings.

Time to start thinking about tomorrows blog and what I should hit upon.

Week 5 Day 6

Finally getting around to this today.  Sat and thought about it for most of the daylight hours, couldn't focus, so decided to put it off until now.

How many of you have ever felt defeated, depressed or just down in the dumps.  You can't put your finger on what is causing it and can't for the life of you figure out what to do about it.  Heaven forbid you mention it to someone else, their response, "suck it up", "join the crowd", "get over yourself".

These are not helpful answers.  A lot of times we just need someone to listen, to hear and to feel with us what we are going through.  I, myself, lately have felt all of this and more.  My job search is going nowhere, winter is taking too long and I don't have enough to do during the day to keep my mind busy.

It's very hard to find a job when you can't even get an interview and the job pickings are very slim.  When you reach a certain age it becomes almost impossible.  Age discrimination is against the law, so what I usually hear is "we are looking at other candidates more qualified for the position".  BS.  Heaven forbid you want to change what you do for a living.  Most of the time you don't get the chance to explain anything to the powers that be.  In this economy, staying in your chosen line of work is either a miracle or just dumb luck.

If my former boss hadn't been so greedy and wanted to become a big time entrepenuer I would still have a job and wouldn't be in this position.  Not everybody is cut out to own their own business.  Some of them think they are, but if they can't even work in the business that they own, how can they make any money off of it?

So yes, I'm becoming very depressed and cynical about finding a job, and I wish that everyone would just stop telling me that the right job will come along.  Instead, just agree with me that right now my life sucks, don't try to be a cheerleader for me, I am way too old to fall for that.  If you really want to help, find some leads for me that I can follow up on.

Week 5 Day 5

Let's see if we can make this a 5 day write up without making it seem like a long, boring book.

Tuesday I had issues with my computer, it would not connect to the internet, got that fixed.  It was also my in-laws anniversary and would have been our son Jeffery's 27th birthday.  Hard to believe that much time has passed.  Seems like just a moment ago.

There are lots of times that I wonder what he would have been like as a little boy, teenager, young man and adult.  We had him with us for such a short time, he never really revealed his personality.  What little we did get to see was all very serious.  He didn't smile very much, but when he did, you knew that you had been blessed with a very special gift.

Wednesday I was sick again.  I HATE being sick.  Not used to it.  Have gotten used to being sore all the time and I guess that I would prefer being sore to throwing up.  Whenever I get the flu it usually afects the other end, so I don't know what was going on there.  It is finally over, I hope, and I also hope that I don't get it for another 20 years.  My husband told me that I couldn't be sick, because he didn't know what to do to make me feel better and I was the one who was supposed to take care of him.  Men.

Yesterday, I got up and got the bills paid, that is enough to send you right back to bed.  At least it is done.
Now all I have to do is clean up the mess in the kitchen that Arlen has managed to make all week, including doing dishes that he hasn't done all week.  Thank goodness for a dish washer.  I don't use it much, but am always glad it is there when I do need it.

That brings me right up to date and almost ready to think about what to write about tomorrow.  Who knows maybe our tax money will come through today and I can bore you all with what we did with it.  Have a good day and a better weekend.

Week 5 Day 2, 3, 4

Sorry about this, I haven't been feeling too great lately and one of the days my computer wouldn't recognize anything about the internet.  New writings coming shortly.

Week 5 Day 1

I've been sitting here thinking all morning.  Thinking can be either over-rated or under-rated.  All depends on where you are, what you are doing, who you are doing it about, why you are doing it and how often you do it. 

If you are thinking something through for the first time, how do you know that you have given it enough thought?  And if you haven't, when do you give it more?  If you are thinking things through for the second time, does that mean that you didn't give it enough thought the first time, or was it just the wrong way of thinking for that situation?  What happens if the second time around you come up with a totally different conclustion than the first time?  Does that mean that you were wrong, or just going down the wrong path?

See what I mean?  So many questions, so few answers, at least the ones that you want and are willing to accept.  For the most part, I try not to over-think anything.  It is always said to go with your first instincts no matter what the decision is.  The problem with that is that if you are wrong, you then have to try to defend your position, which, you got it, involves more thinking.

It is hard to believe that people actually get paid to do studies on this and everything else that you can think of.  We all thing, why aren't we all paid to do it?  Heaven forbid you have a job that requires little or no thinking.  What kind of a challenge would that be every day?  There are times when I think so hard, I lose my train of thought.  Mostly we just put this down to a brain fart or a senior moment, I personally think it is more a matter of not having enough room in the old noggin to continue to a reasonable ending.  But then, what do we toss out to make more room?  Then the whole cycle starts over again.

Think about it.

Week 4 Day 7

Wow, it is amazing how little interest a person has when they don't feel good.  You will notice that a day is missing from this week.  I was so sick with the stomach flu, I didn't even have the energy to turn on the computer.  It takes what, 1/2 a second to push the button!  Just didn't care, the world could have blown up around me and as long as it didn't make me throw up, I would have been fine.  Feeling much better today, now I get to play catch up.

Arlen was wonderful during that time, did all the dishes, took out the garbage and kept asking if I wanted anything.  Too bad most of it involved food, it's the thought that counts.

Happy Valentine's Day to you all, I hope all your loves remember to at least say it.

As I sit here thinking back on ALL of the Valentine's Days that I have had in my life (and it is quite a few) I can't think of any one that stands out.  The ones in High School were probably the best, young love and all that, getting cards from boyfriends and special dates.  Memories are great, we can always make them better than what they were.

In 2 days my in-laws will be celebrating their 61st Anniversary.  Isn't that just awesome!  Too bad that in those 61 years they have only had 2 years where they didn't have brothers or kids living with them.  They are at the age where they should be able to take vacations whenever they want or go to Arizona or someplace to get out of the winter for a while.  Alas, they have their youngest (43 soon to be 44 year old) son living with them.

How sad when a child is too lazy to get a life of his of her own.  Sometimes it is a matter of neccessity, sometimes it is just plain selfishness.  If he were helping and contributing to the household it would be completely understandable, however, he thinks he is in charge of their health and their social lives.  Any time something comes up that they would like to go to, he doesn't feel well enough to drive them there.  Heaven forbid if someone wants to come and stay there for a couple of days to visit. 

A couple of years ago, we went down to have a bridal shower for our daughter there.  As we are unpacking the car, he asked us where we were going to be staying.  Can you believe it?  Where else would we go?  I have lots of relatives down there that we could have stayed with, but these are my husbands parents for crying out loud.  Where else would we stay?  Because of him, we haven't been back for almost 3 years.  We were going to go down for Christmas, but you remember what the weather was like, so needless to say we didn't make it.

I miss talking and playing games with them, but it is so uncomfortable to be in the house, knowing that he is upstairs and resenting the intrusion from anyone.  I feel bad that we don't go, but when you are made to feel so unwelcome, there isn't much you can do.  Maybe this summer we will get together and have a family picnic, that would be really nice.

Time to get caught up on other things, talk at you later!

Week 4 Day 5

Going to be a very short one today.  Came down with the stomach flu yesterday, yuck.  I have not had this in I don't know how long.  Just watching tv and the movements on it make me queasy.  Thank goodness that I am the age that I am and that my lifestyle is such that I don't have to think about the other possibilities of being sick.

I can't keep anything down except a little bit of tea, not even soda crackers work.  So I am just going to stay in bed as much as possible and be thankful that my bathroom is less than 5 feet away.  My poor cats don't know what to think of this development, and a couple of them worry so much that they won't leave my side.
How cute is that?

I'm not even sure how I picked this bug up, it's not like I am out and about amongst people everyday.  In fact when I was I never got this.  Would end up with pnumonia and bronchitis, but never the stomach flu.

My mom is in Fargo today to see a nuerologist.  She has been having some problems with her legs giving out on her if she walks or stands to long.  This has got to be very hard on her, as she is one of those people that never stops doing something.  Hopeully they will figure it out.

Gotta go, bathroom calling my name.

Week 4 Day 4

Insomnia.  Have you ever suffered from it?  Do you ever wonder what causes it?  What would you give to be rid of it?

I can't remember the last time I had a decent nights sleep.  I can usually manager 1 -2 hours at a time and then up for 1-2 hours, this will go on all night.  So tonight at 12:21 am I decided I may as well do this, maybe when the time comes in the morning, I will be asleep.

Insomnia ranks right up there with depression.  Which is probably one of the major causes of not being able to sleep.  Makes it hard to function the next day.  I am hoping that once I find a job, most of these problems will go away.  Please don't tell me to take Tylenol PM or any of the other sleep aids out there.  How do you think I manage the 1-2 hours?

I have tried forcing myself to stay up later, no difference, I have tried taking a nap in the afternoon, no difference, I have tried not drinking any caffeine, no difference.  I have even tried a hot shower.  Nothing.
As soon as I lay down, wide awake, then when I sit up I am yawning and can't wait to go to bed, only to be disappointed one more time.  So, I am going to finish this, play some solataire until I go stupid and try anything else that I think may help.  Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Sometimes I think that if I could have the window open just a crack to get some fresh air it would help alot.  But who can afford the heating bill?!  Spring can't come fast enough, I need the fresh air and to get the staleness out of the house.  For some reason this year, winter seems to be lasting forever.  With all the snow we have, who knows when it will warm up enough to open the windows.

So, I am off to play my games, please wish me luck in the sleep department.

Week 4 Day 3

Woke up to the realization that I need to do some major re-structuring in my life.  Going to look into some sort of schooling that I can do from home.  May not be the best alternative, but better than nothing, and if it will help me find a job, all the better.  Now I just have to decide what I want to do.  Something quick and not too difficult, my brain isn't getting any younger after all.

Finally stopped snowing for a couple of days now.  The sun is suppose to shine, but that also means that it will be colder.  The joys of living in Minnesota.  At least we didn't get what they got out East.  I don't know what I would have done with another 24" of snow.

February is probably one of the most boring months out of the year.  It is either snow or cold, the only holiday is Valentine's Day (not counting President's Day) it is a good thing it is also the shortest month of the year.

Miranda came got Lily yesterday, so it will be pretty quiet around here.  I'm not sure who missed who more.  They were both pretty excited to see each other.  That is a good thing.  All parents should have that kind of relationship with their kids, makes parenting so much easier.

Short blog today, nothing left to say.

Week 4 Day 2

All right, so we are all tired of the snow.  Oh to find the thermostat somewhere and change the settings.  It is pretty and white and fluffy and irritating.  Not that I have anything important to do outside, just ready for a change.

So, the girl is still with us, Miranda is hoping to be able to come and get her this afternoon.  Road conditions depending.  She is fun to have around, but last night she was starting to realize that she was here longer than usual and starting to get a little fussy with us.  That's okay, I totally understood, she needs to get back to her regular routine, which I am sure is far different from ours.

Today I get to start the process of appling for an extension in my unemployment benefits, I would much rather worry about how long it will take to get to work, but what do you do?

Another day of disjointed thoughts, seem to be having a lot of them lately.  I can't seem to finish one thing before something else pops in there!  I don't have that much room left for new thoughts, and the old ones just keep getting more boring.  Maybe it is cabin fever setting in.

Have you ever had days where you know that you should be getting something done, but just don't have the energy or oomph to get up and do it?  Where you get tired just moving from one room to the other, and a nap every other hour starts to sound good?  I'm so tired of being cooped up and having no place to go.  I can't afford to go and have a cup of coffee or hot chocolate and heaven forbid I have enough moola to go shopping just for the sake of shopping.  Everything revolves around paying the bills, buying the food, etc., etc., etc.  As Arlen and I say, we are just feeling fuddly.  Not really sick, but not really all that well either.  Hopefully that will change soon.

Week 4 Day 1

Okay, the weather sucks again.  it is after all February in Minnesota, no surprise there.  The big surprise is that the weather people were right.  How often do we get to say that?

Went to log into Facebook this morning like usual, and was told that my account is temporarily unavailable due to site maintainence and that I should check back in  a few hours.  How many is that?  Why can they not do this at 2 or 3 in the morning, what if you are already there, do they kick you off to do their maintainence?

So many questions, not enough answers.  Maybe after I have my first cup of coffee I will be able to come up with some.  Ha Ha.

I can't figure out these school districts, the roads are crappy, and yet do the ones in this area even bother to think of the kids or the drivers safety?  No, as long as they get the number of required days to get their state funding, they don't care.  Don't worry about what the other districts are doing, take care of your own.  Heaven forbid, that they would have to cut short one of their planned vacations, teacher workshops or even add an extra day to the end of the year.

I remember snow days.  How fun!  No bus ride, no homework, and all kinds of stuff to do out in the fresh snow.  Of course I don't feel that same way now.  But then I don't have a bus ride or homework and for the most part, snow has lost its charm.  Must be my age showing.

I also wonder about the mentality of the drivers out on the roads.  Why do they insist on driving like it is the middle of summer?  Do we have snow packed and ice covered roads in the summer?  No.  They are reporting on the news numerous spinouts, accidents and what have you.  My solution, drive according to the road conditions.  So what if you have to leave a little earlier, at least make sure that you get to work or whereever safely.  Not only your safety but the other persons as well.  If you don't have to go anywhere, don't.  Nothing is as important as your life.

Well enough of my tirade about the roads.  I'm just glad that I have no place to go and no reason to not go there.

Looks like Lily will be spending at least one more day with us. That is just so hard to take. (Not)  She is probably the easiest 1 1/2 year old I have ever seen to take care of.  She just does her thing and goes on about her business.  Lets you know when she wants to eat, doesn't fuss too much about nap time or bed time and at certain times during the day she gets very cuddly.  I'll take it.

Just about time for her to wake up and want to eat breakfast. 

Week 3 Day 7

Here I sit, another year older.  Birthday is over for another 364 days, yet I am doing the same thing I did yesterday and the day before.  Drinking coffee, ah that first cup of the day, and writing this.  Thank you to those of you who sent birthday greetings.  They were greatly appreciated.

We have our granddaughter at least until Monday, depending on the weather.  Suppose to get a snow storm, but so far nothing.  It was suppose to start snowing yesterday late in the afternoon, well it's now 5:42 am and still no snow.  Not complaining, don't really need any more, we have enough to last us now until it is gone.

Last month we had this beautiful hoar frost.  Why is it that this kind of frost can make almost anything outside look extremely beautiful and peaceful?  It is almost like God's way of saying, here is a little peace of the wonder that I am capable of.  Frosting on the cake.  Yes, I spelled peace correctly.

Had a wonderful meal yesterday, prepared by my daughter-in-law and daughter.  Amber brought down a pot roast and Miranda made a cake for desert.  I like the days when I don't have to cook.  I like cooking, don't get me wrong, but somedays you just shouldn't have to.  Like> your birthday and Mother's Day.

I'm kind of skipping all over today with the subject matter.  But that is just the way my brain is working this morning.  Waiting for Lily to wake up and make the day worthwhile.  She was in a very cuddly mood last night, I will take it whenever and whereever I can get it.  I'm greedy for that kind of thing.    I will have to download the pictures from my camera.  When I took her pony tail out, her hair decided to have a mind of its own.  Cute, very cute.

Take all the hugs, cuddles and kisses that you can when they are available, make them into memories for you never know when they will come again.

Week 3 Day 6

Sat here all day yesterday feeling like I was forgetting to do something. It was driving me crazy. About 8 last night I realized that I never did the blog for the day. So yes, I am missing Day 5.

I have had other days where I have felt that something was forgotton or missing, most of the time I could never come up with what it was. I hate it when that happens, and then I can only hope that it was anything important that I was supposed to do or anyplace I was supposed to see.

Today the kids and grandkids are coming to celebrate (and I say that skeptically) my birthday. I just don't see it as a celebration. Just a day that I have to remember to change my age if someone asks. I don't have a problem with telling people how old I am, I turn 52 today, just a problem when after being told, they go..ahhh.
Is that good or bad?

I have never had a birthday all to myself. My brother is exactly 1 year older. He at least got his first birthday almost to himself. The only year in school when he wasn't around was my Senior year. I guess that's better than kindergarten. We always had to share a party, and make sure that our friends got along. Very hard to do when most of the time you figure your siblings friends are just creepy, gross, stupid or any of those other endearments. At least until you hit Jr. High and Sr. High. By then you just hope that their taste is friends has changed or yours had.

Evidently my brothers friends by then turned out ok. Especially since I dated one for either 3 or 4 years. Most of the time I got along better with his friends than I did with my own. He on the other hand never dated my friends. Some of mine decided to become so called friends with me because of him. Those friendships didn't last very long.

Mike and I have just started re-connecting, usually by IM. We do talk on the phone when something comes up about our Mother, but not at all in the past 5 years or so. it is nice chatting with him, getting caught up on things and just all around feeling like we can exist together again. During our childhood, we were basically each others best friend. We moved around so much that it was just easier to hang with each other than it was to try to make new friends every couple of years. Once he moved out of the house to join the Air Force, things kind of turned the corner and we started drifting apart. Naural progression.

I am so thankful that my son and daughter stay in touch and enjoy doing things with each other and their families. I hope and pray that nothing ever comes between them and that they will always be there for each other.

Week 3 Day 4

Just checked the temp outside, it is 19 above at 6 am. Hopefully this means the day will be a nice one.

You know when I was in high school, I used to be pretty good at writing poetry. Sure none of it made a lot of sense, but at that age what did I know about life? Now the only thing that goes through my mind is the rythym of a limerick. How sad is that? I'm going to give it a try and see if it will cease being in my mind.

There once was a girl from St. Cloud,
Who said "For crying out loud",
I just lost my job,
But I'm not a snob,
In my daughter I'll always be proud.

Not my best work, but it will have to do for now.

Yes, my daughter found out yesterday that she will be laid off after today. She is a bright, kind, hard working, industrious young woman. She will land on her feet and keep on running toward her personal goals. Of this I have no doubt. When I told her brother her circumstances, he totally agreed with me. So sweetie, if you read this today, just know that you are not alone and we are all behind you 100%.

Job hunting no matter what your age or experience is always a scary thing to do. You are reliant upon other people to decide not only your present but your future.
Sometimes you just have to have faith that everything will turn out the way you want.

It's amazing how we learn to cope with almost any situation that is thrown at us. Sometimes it is with anger, or sadness or even with joy. Most of the time we experience all 3. Doesn't matter what order it is just a natural progression in life.

So to my darling daughter, I love you lots, never forget that and never doubt that I will always have your back in any decisions that you make.

Week 3 Day 3

I'm doing this much later today than normal. Not because I slept really well last night, or didn't, depending on your viewpoint. Just because I haven't felt like sitting down in front of the computer.

Am going to Waconia to see Arlen this morning. Hopefully they will let him come home. The peace and quiet is always appreciated, but now I need someone to make some sort of mess. I have absolutely nothing left to do. I could clean my bathroom, but....

The sun is shining right now. Always nice when that happens, the problem with it the temperature stays colder. Must have that balance. I can't wait until the snow starts to melt and the black earth starts appearing, then the sun will be most welcome and Spring will arrive. Well, it'll get here no matter what is going on with the weather, and no matter what the darned ground hog says, it is always 6 weeks until Spring. Look it up on the calendar people!

Feb. 3rd, nothing special about the date or the day. How many of those do you suppose we have every month? More than the ones that are special. Valentine's day is coming soon, wow. Never had much use for it. Never received anything special, no card, no flowers, no candy, didn't go anywhere. Just another day in February.

For those of you lucky enough to receive one or more of the above, Congratulations.
You are envied by those of us who don't. Every year you just keep hoping and praying for something, and then all of a sudden there it is Feb. 15 and the only thing to happen is that one more day has gone by. Such is life.

My Dad was a great believer in any occasion he could find in getting my Mom a big bouquet of red roses. Sometimes just because he would go past a florist and decide to stop in. That lasted through their whole marriage, which would have been 50 years the year he died.

If you had to choose between receiving something on Valentine's Day or receiving something everyday that was just between the two of you and not the world, which would you choose? Think about it.

Week 3 Day 2

Let's see if I can get this done all in one shot today.

How many of you thought you were closer to one or the other of your parents as you were growing up only to find out that it was all on your side?

I came to that realization only after my father had passed away. Then only when my mom was telling me that he had told my niece to let go of the bad feelings that she had with her dad, because he didn't want to see a rift last between them, like it had for us. I didn't know that we were out of sorts. Came as a surprise.

The only thing I can think happened was this, when my first husband and I split up, I did what everyone else usually does before they get married. Went out a lot, went dancing, dating, drinking, your know your basic 3 D's. Dad got a little upset when one night my cousin and I were on the way home, hit an icy patch in the road, hit the ditch, and had to call someone for a ride. My son was with his aunt, so he was taken care of and safe.

Dad didn't like it much, threatened to take Collin away if I didn't straightened up. Hence the beginning of a lot of things.

I did finally have my fill of doing all that stuff. Thank goodness. Came to my senses, but I never thought that it caused any big problems. Evidentally(?) I was wrong, and never knew it.

My parents have always been more partial to my brother, wondering why I couldn't be more like him, that kind of thing. At family gatherings if he wasn't around, he was the only one you ever heard them talk about. My daughter experienced this during a family reunion on my dad's side that we had. I know that you don't usually talk or brag about the people that are there with you, but my brother was there.

I guess that no matter how old you get, sometimes the old resentments still exist, even if only in a very small corner of your mind. I had made mine up that there was no way I would ever turn out like my brother. Did a good job of it too. While I was doing my own "thing", he was getting all the respect and pride of parents lavished on him.

I wonder sometimes how it all affected him emotionally though. He finally settled down with his 3rd wife, after she told him he had to basically choose between her and his kids. Guess who he chose? Yep, the kids were shipped off to live with his ex-wife. Not hard to see why there might be some resentment there.

No matter how many children you have, treat them all as if they are your favorite. Treasure them for their unique talents and goals, never compare them to any one else, let other people compare their children to yours and want theirs to be as awesome as your children are. Self esteem is so very important to young and old people, and it is one of the hardest things to maintain about yourself.

Week 3 Day 1 Part 2

Here I sit again, ready, willing and hopefully able to write something down. If you live in this area, it is snowing again. Not heavy, just the realy light stuff, bore aggravation than anything.

I have managed to accomplish quite a bit this morning. Made the bed and straightened out the bedroom, cleaned the living room, got dishes done and put away, kitchen swept and mopped, finished up the last little bit of laundry, just have the bedrooms to do yet.

It is amazing what you can do when you are home alone. Arlen ended up in the hospital last night. For those of you who know the circumstances, he has another infection and they are giving him mega doses of antibiotics to fight it. Nothing life threatening, just aggravating. Will probably be there for at least one more day.

It's been so long since I have had any time to myself, I don't know where to begin. It is nice just having 1 tv going at a time, otherwise we both watch different programs, so the backgound noises sometimes get interesting. He is into all the history and science stations, I enjoy the CSI and decorating shows. Like I said, gets interesting.

If there was actually anything on tv worth watching it would be wonderful. I don't know when it got to be so repetitive and boring. I can see why Lily enjoys the commercials, their short and to the point, they don't keep you waiting to see if they will turn out the way you want, and they are easy to walk away from if you don't like them. You all know why the volume gets louder on the tv when a commercial comes on don't you? It is because the advertisers know that you are leaving the room, and yet they still want you to hear their spiel.

TNT had a deceent movie on last night. 1408, with John Cusack. Of course that made it so I had to watch it. I think he is just one of the best actors around. It was based on a Stephan King short story. I remember reading it, but I was so tired last night I fell asleep before the movie got over. Now I just have to hope that it will be aired on Free Pass on On Demand. Better that way, less commercials.

All right, enough for part 2 of Day 1, will contact you all again tomorrow, stay tuned.

Week 3 Day 1

You know I would title these if it didn't involve more thinking!

Monday morning, yuk. I say that with a smile since I really have no reason to not like the day. Oh yeah, still don't have a job. One more day of sitting at home with nothing to do. I shouldn't say that, I do have things to do, just don't get paid for them.

Can't think of anything to write, so maybe will continue this later.