R I P....Texas License Plate

So as not to be carted off to a Louisiana jail, I complied with the law today and got my Louisiana Driver's License and my Louisiana License plate. The only remnant of Texas, other than in my heart, is my car insurance. I spent a long time today trying to get it switched over, but didn't quite make it happen due to their computer malfunction and an imcompetent computer operator. I think I'll wait until after my trip to College Station this weekend to change the tags.........I'm hanging on for dear life!!!!!

LSU....NOT this time!

No, I am not a turncoat and did not become an LSU fan since moving to Louisiana, especially if they are playing Texas or Texas A&M. I have said it before and I'll say it again..... I have the best friends in the world. These beautiful flowers are compliments of my friend, Janis, in Austin in honor of my moving to my new home. I love me some purple and I love these flowers and I love Janis. Thanks, Sweetie!

Beautiful weekend...

It was just perfect as far as weather and working outside went. I went to Mom and Dad's Saturday morning and worked in their yard. Got all the mowing done for the first time this season and all Mom's flower pots ready for her to plant her masterpieces. She has a talent for making beautiful living baskets of flowers. When I finished at their house, I came back to mine and did the same thing. Big difference in the sizes of the yards. It takes me hours to do theirs on a riding lawn mower and not nearly that long to do mine with a push mower. I even had a little sunburn on my face after Saturday even though it was sweatshirt cool most of the day.

Money bags.....

One must nearly have an unlimited flow of money to move to another state. The topper and a HUGE surprise to me is that to transfer my car to Louisiana tags is going to cost more than $500. WTF. Seems that they would want to welcome new residents. Hell of a way to do it if you ask me......but, hey, no one asked me!!! Turns out I am already breaking all their laws here. I had 30 days to transfer my car and driver's license. Who knew? I have been here longer than 30 days, so already I am in violation of the law. GEEEZZZ!!! Well, this is the first thing that caused me any stress and I must admit, it didn't cause much. I am too happy for the little things to bother me. However, that $500 would buy a nice patio set.

Today's project...

I am very happy when I have a project that is house related to work on. Today this was my project. I am happy with the way it helps me be organized. Now when I need my hammer, I know exactly where it is :)

Even though it never got out of the 40's today, I was in the yard fighting my demons, also known as weeds.

Show some love....

"Married at the age of four, an Afghan girl was subjected to years of beatings and torture, finally escaping to discover that within all the world's cruelty, there is also some kindness. " Please read this story and send a note to this girl. This is why we obliterated the Taliban.

Rain, Rain, Welcomed Rain!

This area has needed rain for a long time. Even the lakes were drying up, but the past 3 days have alleviated many problems associated with drought. The one thing it didn't do was soften up my ground around the house enough to stick my hanging basket pole into the ground. I did get it in with the use of a very heavy hammer.....like a mini-sledge hammer...,but not where I actually wanted it. My brother was afraid to keep trying to put it where I wanted for fear of hitting underground conduits. Electricity is underground, but we don't know where. I had 6 inches of rain in my gauge since Friday.

My mother was in desperate need of groceries, so I went to get her and brought her back to Minden to the grocery store. My brother had been by earlier and I told him she was planning to drive to the grocery store. He and I agreed that we would prefer that she not drive in the rain, so I went to handle that potential problem. You know how you sometimes get annoyed at people who block the aisles in the store and are oblivious to others???? Well, I don't any more because that person is now my MOM!!

Yard preparation....

I have always wished I had a yard so I could grow flowers and tomatoes. Now that I do...although it is too hard to dig in right now....I have visions of what things will look like planted in various places. This week I started the process of applying stuff that is supposed to soften up the clay. This weekend is rain, rain, rain, so that will help, I hope. Anyway, the flower beds in front of the house are raised and filled with good soil, so today I ordered 100 caladium bulbs that I will line the beds with. These are the ones I ordered.

Mom Report...

On Thursday I took Mom for her regular cardiologist appointment. She got a good report and doesn't have to go back for 6 months. Her heart beat had a fairly good rhythm and her pulse and blood pressure were good. I am so thankful for that. On the other hand, she has really deteriorated mentally and she now walks like a little old lady with her cane. Of course, it is my brother and I who insists that she use the cane because of her tendency to fall. Her mind is nowhere near as sharp as it used to be and this has just happened since her bypass surgery. Her mind was her greatest asset. She was very smart. She still does her crossword puzzle every day, but it takes much longer and she doesn't always get them all filled in.

Sex offenders.....beware!

This place is very helpful in showing sex offenders near your home. Check it out. It even has a map showing where your home is and where the offenders home is.

Beyond frustration!!!

Do you see this little gizmo right here? Looks simple, huh? It took me two....count them....two freakin' hours and lots of sweat and choice words to put it together. I swore a long time ago that I would never buy another thing that had to be put together. I must have had a brain fart and forgot!!

Laugh Out Loud Funny!

If you need a good laugh......GO SEE THIS!

Dad time....

I called my dad today after the storms and asked him if he wanted to go to Home Depot with me. He gets so tired of sitting home unable to do much. It doesn't bother Mom to sit at home. She is perfectly happy there reading a book and sometimes I know she needs a break from him. He watches over her very closely so afraid that she will fall. I went and picked him and his truck up and off we went. I bought a lawn mower. Yesterday I bought a weed eater and a hoe, so I am ready to tackle the yard. There's just one problem. The ground is clay. It is so hard that I can't even get the pole in the ground that I hang my hanging baskets on. I bought a mini-sledge hammer and I still couldn't get it in the ground. I'll get my brother to try when he gets back from Branson. I hope I pick the right place to put it because it will be there to stay!!!

Stolen property

During a recent visit to a restaurant in Shreveport, someone relieved me of the center cap of my wheel. These are rare wheels and very hard to find. I looked several places before finding one through the internet. All I am missing is the 7" center cap......do you hear me....7" of metal. I can't find a new one at all, but a good used one is $35. I am ordering 2 just in case some jerk does this to me again. I love my shiny wheels. I don't know if I'll be going back to that restaurant. It was in the middle of the afternoon and the perpetrator even left me a Burger King cup on the ground by my car. What a gent!!!!

Lazy kind of day....

I spent the morning in the recliner, but I did manage to get my act together and get more stuff done this afternoon. I emptied the last box in the garage except the 3 that are going to Goodwill soon. The lady I bought the house from was next door today working, so I went over to make a suggestion for her next houses. There is not enough distance in the walk in closet in the master bedroom between the the rods and the bottom shelves and the rods and the floor. My clothes all touch the shelf or the floor. I made the suggestion that she put a little more distance between them in her next houses. She said she would have the carpenters come in and fix mine for me. I wasn't suggesting that she do that, but she volunteered and I am glad. If it stays like it is, my clothes will always be wrinkled and right now I don't even own an ironing board.

Dog tired farmer!

Ok...I am officially a farmer and a gardener now. I worked all morning trying to make my yard pretty. Dad brought an old rickety lawn mower here for me to try. It failed....well, I did get the front yard mowed, but the thing was backfiring so much that it sounded like the 4th of July. I gave up without doing the back yard. I think a new lawn mower is in my future.

Then I went to Dad's to help him garden. He thinks he can still do it, but when he tries he just can't do it. I tilled the garden and planted some tomatoes, radishes, turnip greens and potatoes. And yes, I am the one who will be eating heartily from the fresh veggies. You will wish you were here this summer when I am eating the produce! When I finished there, I came back to my yard and ran over the yard with the spreader broadcasting fireant killer and weed and feed. Then it all had to be watered in. I'm learning!!!

When I finished that, I cleaned up and went to the hospital to see my cousin, then came home, made dinner, ate, and now I am tired!

My future church home? Maybe....

This is my future church. I visited there today and it just felt right. The service was awesome, the music was awesome, and the people were very friendly. I have been invited here by several people and I saw some of them there today. I have not felt compelled to become affiliated with a particular church for a long time. My membership is still at the church where I grew up. I have attended other churches on a regular basis, but never felt the urge to join and get involved. I think this will be different. I hope so. I have longed for a church family for several years, but it just never materialized because I never felt at home at any of the churches I visited.

Excuse my RANT!

My phone has been connected for two weeks now. Imagine my anger and disgust when just 2 days after I was connected I started getting telemarketing calls. Now I have proof that it's the phone company (Bell South in this case) that sells the numbers. I am angry and as soon as is possible I will be switching to Vonage. If anyone knows any negatives about Vonage, please let me know. I will probably not be able to keep my same number, but I don't care!!! I barely know it anyway.

Progress Report

Today I got some major picture hanging done. I did it all myself, too. Instead of borrowing a stud finder (Who Knew!!!), I bought my own, learned how to operate the thing, and went to work. Now if the thing would only find me a stud. :)