Wonderful, glorious day in JUNE!

I emphasize JUNE because this morning at 5A.M. it was 60 degrees. I went out on the patio and just sat and observed nature as it awakened. To those in other parts of the world, this might be standard temps, but not in Louisiana in June. The whole day was one of absolute majesty. I haven't really done anything, but I wish I would have taken advantage of the day and played golf.

I just came in from sitting outside looking at the sky and watching the birds. The same pair of bluebirds raised 2 families in my bluebird box. Two of the fledglings have come out of the box, but the other two are not so brave, so their mom and dad are still feeding them bugs. They don't like for me to go too close to the babies, so they dive at me if I get too close. I yell at them, but it doesn't help. They are very protective of their young. I have done my part to help the bluebird population this year. That's 8 babies right here in my box.

New profession

I guess I need to be a car mechanic as well as a lawn mower mechanic. Yesterday after church my AC (air-conditioner for all you Yankees) wouldn't run. My mechanic showed me how to bump the housing for the fan motor to get it going again several weeks ago. Well, this time the bumping didn't work and I can't take any more chances of not having an AC since I have a road trip back to Orange this week. I got it fixed to the tune of $245. Ouch! Now my car and my lawn mower are working....no thanks to ME!

More incompetence....

One would think that ExxonMobil could afford to hire competent people. I moved in February. I sent in the change of address form before then to ExxonMobil.....you know where it says on the bill...change of address? Don't even believe that. No one, apparently, reads that. Since then I have called 5 times because they keep sending my bill to Orange, TX. I am fed up with the morons. I went online and looked at my account, but the address is correct there. I have told them that if the next bill goes to Texas, I will immediately cut the card up and never use it again. The only reason I use that gas is because of their participation in the Upromise program where they put one penny of every gallon into an account for the grandchildren. My patience is running out!

Lesson learned...

When one owns machinary, one must be a mechanic. I'm learning. I mucked up the spark plug on my lawn mower turning it on its side. The plug was very black, therefore, not getting a good connection. Dad cleaned it up and the air filter....who knew lawn mowers had air filters!!!!! Runs right once again until I do something else stupid!!

One of life's little annoyances...

A brand new lawn mower that won't start!!!!!.........Ok...it started and I finished the front yard, but then it ran out of gas. I filled it up again and it hasn't started since. That was hours ago. I just tried again a few minutes ago...no luck. I messed the thing up, I'm sure, when I tried to clean the grass from underneath it. I now know that the spark plug must stay on top when looking under the deck. I had turned it on its side before, but now I don't do that anymore now that I know not to. Fact is that I have used it many times since then, but it hasn't run right since then. I guess I'm going to have to ask my brother for help......I hate when that happens!!!!! He probably does too!!

Praying for sleep...

Since last Saturday when I heard that Mary Nell died, my sleep has been less than restful. In an attempt to overcome that now that the funeral is over, I have made the best preparations I can to sleep:

• Put my favorite clean sheets on my bed
• Taken a warm bath
• Swallowed 2 Tylenol PM's
• Turned the AC down to cold
• Brushed my teeth with my favorite Lemon Ice Crest
• Rubbed down with my favorite Tutti Dolci Lemon Merinque moisturizing souffle
• Put on my favorite soft, old, Texas A&M sleeping t-shirt
• Turned on the ceiling fan and the oscillating fan

Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep............

Yet another highly emotional day...

My brother was a pall bearer so I had charge of taking care of Mom and Dad during the funeral. The funeral was here in my town because they needed a bigger church than Mary Nell's own church, so my brother brought my parents to the church and I met them there. This was so hard for my dad because Mary Nell called him her other daddy after her own father died. I had to hold on to Mom every step, even though she had her cane, because she is just so unstable. I also had to go to the church an hour early so I could get a parking place close to the church since I had to take Mom and Dad to the cemetery. Mom cannot walk very far. Needless to say this entire day has been focused on the funeral and the gathering with the family after the funeral where refreshments were provided. It has left me physically and emotionally drained.

Back to Texas!

A year ago I had Conductive Keratotomy on one eye so I could discard my reading glasses. It is supposed to last several years, but after 5 months I was back using my reading glasses. Last week I sent a note to the doctor because they had sent me a card for my one year check-up. I told him I had re-located, but I thought he might like to know that my procedure did not last. Today I got a call from his office. They will do it over for me for free! I was so happy to hear that because once again I had reached a point where I could not see the caller ID on the phone. That was one of the main reasons I wanted it done in the first place. His office told me that several of his patients had the same experience and he wanted to make it right for each of us. So...I made the appointment and I am going back to Beaumont next week and have it re-done! That was a bright spot in an otherwise gloomy day.

A highly emotional day....

The morning started in the kitchen cooking some food to take to my friend's house who lost his sister. Of course, all the food has been going to his brother-in-law's home and rightfully so, but all my friend's children and grandchildren are in and they need food. His wife is just fresh out of the hospital from a hip replacement and she cannot cook for all her kids even though she would like to. I whipped up the always good crawfish cornbread and took it to their house.

Tonight I was at the funeral home for an hour and a half. I have never seen so many people. Every one loved Mary Nell. There were so many people that I have not seen in many, many years that we grew up with.

The autopsy showed a 90% blockage in an artery. This is a death that didn't have to happen if only the doctors would have listened. She told 3 doctors that her chest and arm hurt and none of them sent her to a cardiologist! This is a lady who never ever complained even though she had lots of health issues and could have complained mightily. This is reason enough that the doctors should have paid attention to the symptoms!!!

Totally bummed out...

I just got a phone call informing me that a friend of mine that grew up next door to me died today while shopping at the Dollar Store. She had been to breakfast with her husband, a son and grandson. An autopsy is being done tomorrow in Little Rock, AR. One of her sons is on a mission trip to Rwanda, Africa, and can not get here before tomorrow night. Her brother, Richard, graduated with me. This poor man has endured so much death. First his dad in a tractor-drunk driver accident (many years ago), then his wife died at 36 (many years ago), then his mother, then one of his twin daughters in a car accident which was driven by her sister, then a few months ago his brother....and now his sister. She is 7 years younger than me. Thank goodness he is a strong Christian man!!

What!!!!!!

As I was sitting in my recliner, reading my paper, minding my own business this morning, I heard a lawn mower that sounded way closer than my neighbor's yard. I looked out the door to see one of those huge honkin' lawn mowers had cut a large strip across my yard. Apparently, the new employee got the wrong yard and he should indeed have been in my neighbor's yard. The owner apologized and said he would finish mowing the yard. I told him the cut was much too low and I didn't want my yard scalped like that. Supposedly, he raised the deck, but I can't tell it. My beautiful thick lush, green, grass is scalped and looks horrible. I am very anal about my yard and this just makes me sick. I didn't let him touch the side yard or the back yard so they are still beautiful. Right now I have the water going on it to try to help it grow out some overnight.

I have grass....

Well, sort of! I got 20 squares of nearly dead centipede for $10.00. I need more, but I will wait for some that is in better shape. The business owner said that it will come back with lots of water over the next couple of weeks. We'll see!

Cars..the movie

This one did not meet my expectations. Adults will like it more than children because, as with all Pixar films, there are lots of innuendos that children just won't get. It's cute, but too long. Wait for the video! I nodded off a few times.

Lunch at 10:30!!!

I started cooking lunch at 9:30 this morning and it's only me eating!!! I have lost my mind having so many fresh vegetables that I helped grow and pick. Yesterday I picked green beans, cucumbers, squash, tomatoes, and corn and I ate some of every bit of that for lunch plus some new potatoes that I had already dug and brought home. Corn on the cob, sliced tomatoes, cucumbers with Italian dressing, cooked squash, steamed green beans and potatoes and green tea!!! Is that healthy or what? Then why have I gained 5 pounds since I moved????? Can one eat too many fresh vegies?

Now I realize that having stairs in my old town house really contributed to keeping my leg muscles fit. I work a lot outside here, but it's not the same as climbing those stairs a lot every day. Mostly my working outside here just involves a lot of sweat and not much muscles anymore. The hills are huge on my street and I could get out and walk them, but there is no sidewalk so it could be a bit hazardous. I miss my fitness center in Beaumont!! Didn't realize how much it was helping me until I don't have it anymore. Oh well....there are always positives and negatives and the positives outweigh the negatives many times over.

I am a Lily!

You Are A Lily

You are a nurturer and all around natural therapist.People see you as their rock. And they are able to depend on you.You are a soothing influence. You can make people feel better with a few words.Your caring has more of an impact than even you realize.

What kind of flower are you?

Incompetence.....gggrrrrrr!!!!

Six weeks ago I went to a Chase Bank branch in the nearest city to me to close my accounts in Texas. At the time there was some activity....automatic transfer from checking to savings...that happened every month. I was told to call the next day and the closures would be made. I forgot to call, but I called a day later and sent an email as well to the customer service rep who was handling the process. Naturally, I assumed it was taken care of......WRONG! It was not. I found this out when I got mail from Chase saying they had charged my credit card to put money into my savings because there was no money in the checking account! WTF! Of course, they also charge a fee to do this. I was livid and was back at that branch this morning before it even opened. Once again because there is action taking place in the account, I have to call them tomorrow to make sure they got it closed! Incompetence just makes me CRAZY!!!

Texas, Sweet Texas!

Just returned from a long weekend trip to Austin for a wedding reception. I love Austin. It's is such a neat city. The reception was held at Zilker Clubhouse which is up in the hills and looks down on the city and Town Lake. Very cool looking at night, but it was 99 degrees when I arrived there and I had a complete meltdown. NO AIR-CONDITIONER on the property!! It was a very beautiful reception in spite of the heat. The couple got married in Phuket, Thailand in March.

As I am prone to do on these little trips, I got sidetracked in Hillsboro at an outlet mall on my way back home yesterday and ended up spending last night in Dallas and taking a little spin around Grapevine Mills. Now I have to get out and mow the yard so that tomorrow I can go get Mom and Dad's yard mowed! The temp right now is 91 so it won't be nearly as bad as 99 in dress clothes and heels!!!!

Food and festivities.......

I must say that I am now eating really healthy; at least, as long as the vegies are ripening in the garden, then it will all be over. In the past 2 days I have eaten potatoes, squash, cucumbers, tomatoes, corn, and zucchini all that I picked myself out of the garden that my dad and I planted. It is wonderful to eat vegetables that we grew ourselves. I love it!!

Last night I went to a deck party and met some more people and socialized with some of the ones I had already met. I am surprising myself accepting these invitations because I tend to shy away from new social events with people I don't know. Since I don't know anyone here, that is the only way to get to know new people, so I have had to bite the bullet and just do it. So far, it has been fun and I have met some really good people.