Yeah, I'm cooking now, but the chances are good that next time I try to do this I won't remember how. That's how I roll!

Please disregard...I am playing and learning!

What is this? Send me an email!

This has never animated on blogger before, but if I upload it to Google Docs & Spreadsheets and post it from there, it works.

WooHoo...

Edited to add:

I screwed up. This post published on top of an old one because I used the same graphic. I'm learning....it's Google Docs...and I learned something new today. 9-25-07

Sometimes I am just a slug while other days I am a ball of fire. Today was a ball of fire day. I am almost completely packed and that is no easy task considering all the different functions requiring differing requirements of dress. The only one I know I will be dressed properly for is the Sunday bar-b-que after the wedding on Saturday for the out of town guests who are still in town. That's more my style...jeans!

Mom is doing great after her dental procedure yesterday. She and Dad surprised me with a brief visit today. I have purposely not told him that I have a new computer and it was sitting on the counter with all its pinkness gleaming. He never even saw it!

I think it will be fun to update this blog whenever I can while I am on the road. I have read several blogs of people who were on trips and enjoyed them immensely. I'm really hoping to get to see some fall foliage before I get home. While I am at my cousin's house in Virginia, I probably will not get to post because she lives out on the Rappahannock River in the country and only has a dial up connection. Those drive me crazy. That's what my brother has as well....only because it is the only thing available where he lives.

Standing by

Edited to add: She could not get on the next flight. Next one will be around 8:30, so she has one more chance.

I went to the hospital this morning to relieve my cousin who has spent every night there with her mother. Last night they actually put a bed in there for her. Why didn't they do this Monday? She was going to go home today to her home in Shreveport because they were moving her mother to the rehab floor. No one can stay with patients while they are in rehab. I came on home and got a phone call from her other daughter. She lives in Virginia, but she had managed to get to the Dallas airport. She flies free and stand by because her daughter is a flight attendant for American Airlines. Two planes have left Dallas for Shreveport and she couldn't get on either of them. There are still two more flights tonight, so I am standing by to go pick her up at the airport if she does get on one of those flights. She may be stuck there tonight because of the holiday weekend.

Complete waste of skin....

That would be me today. I did absolutely nothing with only one small exception. I sewed the first of many appliques on my tux tails that I am required to wear to all non formal Mardi Gras events...mostly on the floats in parades. I will be riding on our float in two parades. It looks like it is so much fun to throw beads to everyone. The only thing is that we purchase our
own beads and they cost quite a lot because we throw so many of them. My Mardi Gras tails are going to be all junked up with patriotic appliques and a few TEXAS ones. The patriotic beads are expensive so I will probably throw only a few of them to people I recognize in the crowd. Behold my very first applique applied today...........

I have the beginnings of yet another urinary tract infection. That's what made me so sick a couple of months back. I went years never having one and now all of a sudden I get two. I still had some medicine from the last episode so I started taking that today. For that reason, I didn't want to go to the hospital today. My mom and dad went, but I don't believe there was anyone to relieve my cousin so she could go home for a while. I'll try to go tomorrow. I hope she went home tonight. I really think my aunt would be OK to stay alone tonight, but that's not my call.

I hate incompetence!

Once again my Dell laptop was not shipped on 8/28 as I was told. The new ship date is 9/5, but I am losing faith that the deadline will be met. None of the people, according to the message boards, got their computer shipped on 8/28 as promised. This is just one huge mess and those morons are still accepting new orders that they know they can't fill. It's also very annoying that every customer service rep has majorly broken English. I have managed to get a $50 compensation....or at least that's what he said. I'll believe that when I see it as well. If I didn't want that PINK computer so badly, I would cancel. I'm such a DORK!

My shift is over!

I went to the hospital at nine this morning to relieve my cousin that spent the night with her mother. That's tough duty that just makes me so tired, so I am off to take a nap. Looks like I'll do the same thing every day until my aunt is able to be alone. Being a nurse is just not my calling. I am just not cut out for it.

Yet another whirlwind day...

I went to my mom's to help her peel pears this morning. While I was there my cousin in Virginia called and told us that her mother, my aunt, my dad's sister who lives in the assisted living facility right down the road from me, fell last night and broke her hip. She is 91. We had to abandon everything and get to the hospital. Her other daughter, who lives in Shreveport, finally got there after they took her mother to surgery. We left the hospital after my aunt got back in her room because she was just in too much pain for visitors. I hope her daughter stays the night with her, but one can never tell about her. She's a strange one!! If it were my mother, I would have cancelled whatever I had to do and got to that hospital. She, on the otherhand, dawdled around taking her damn sweet time getting to the hospital. I was pissed!

Imax

Ever since I moved here one and a half years ago, I have wanted to go see the Imax film, Hurricane on the Bayou. Today was the day. Every Louisiana citizen should see this documentary. The Weather Channel had started filming it to document lost wetlands 3 months before the storm. Apparently, their cameras were rolling during the storm. I don't know how else they could have gotten such awesome pictures. They had film of baby alligators simply being blown away. After the storm, only one was still with the mother at their nest. I have never seen an Imax film that wasn't just incredible.

Damnit...

I need to stop screwing around with my computer! I have been watching lots of Elvis stuff on TV this month, so tonight I decided to purchase some Elvis songs for my ipod. Big surprise was that when I clicked on itunes, it told me to reinstall it. It had some missing parts. What? I haven't opened itunes in months, but I guess I screwed something up. I have spent the last hour downloading it again and re-installing and hoping all my songs would be there if I ever got it to work again! HOT DAMN! Everything is there and it works. I have to have my ipod. I don't use it nearly like I used to because I don't have a nice fitness center to go like I did in Beaumont. I can't use it mowing the yard because I sweat too much, but I LURVE my ipod!!! It's sweet!

My next read....

My next read will be The Reagan Diaries. I sat in Barnes and Noble one day and started reading this book, but I didn't buy it because it was too expensive. Last week I saw it sitting on a table at a friend's house. She told me to take it with me, but I forgot. Tonight she brought it to me. I am looking forward to kicking back with this book.

Lucky day for me...

At a Krewe meeting tonight, we all put our initials on a dollar bill, wadded it up and threw it in a basket. At the end of the meeting, a dollar is drawn and the winner gets half the pot and the other half is given to the homeless shelter, our charity. I won! I don't even know how much was in the pot. I donated all of it to the shelter, but I immediately went and bought Powerball tickets. They gave me one of the dollars back to buy a ticket for the Krewe....300 million! We would have one kick ass float!!!

I was busy all day and missed my nap. This is a good thing. It helps me sleep better at night. Lunch with the ladies ran right into meeting my folks at the hearing aide place and going to help them get groceries at Wal Mart. In between those activities, I am just trying to keep my grass alive.

Tomorrow I have to go take my parents to a graveside service for my aunt's sister. My aunt just died a couple of months ago and now her only sister is dead. Her body and family is coming from New Jersey. Since I moved here, I have been to 4 funerals and even more funeral homes. I started thinking about those who are left that are related to me. Still quite a few! Yes, it's not a fun thought.

Did I make a costly mistake?

I have been on some Dell message boards and found out that Dell is having major production problems. People who ordered their Dells in June still have not received them, yet Dell is still taking orders that they cannot fill and they fail to mention that when the order is placed. According to the message boards, they have lost many, many customers over this. I had hoped to have mine up and running and know how to use it...plus have all my stuff added on it before I leave at the end of September on my road trip. That may not happen. It seems that the magic ship date is August 28th. Everyone seems to have been given that as a target date. Mine was originally due to ship on July 31st and they knew when I ordered it that they were having problems. I just didn't know!! Unlike most people, I don't need mine for work or school. I can wait. All the reviews of the one I ordered are excellent, so I guess I can just chill!!

It's all a blur.....

and NO alcohol was involved. Friday was spent preparing food for the coronation again. We worked from about 9 A.M. until 2:00 P.M. getting all the food to the venue; then at 6 all dressed to kill (black tie event) we were back at the venue getting the food put out to serve. Everything was beautiful and delicious and I have been eating left over stuffed strawberries for two days now. We stuffed two flats of strawberries with cream cheese and powdered sugar mixed up together. Ummmm....GOOD! At 8:00 Saturday morning I was back at the country club helping clean everything up. That didn't take long, but I had to then get ready to take my mom to a bridal shower in another town. As soon as we got done with that, we all went out to our favorite catfish place to eat.

Today I am going to rest. If I had just read my church bulletin earlier, I would have left after Bible Study and skipped church. The sermon was on "marital harmony". Hello....I don't care! Next week he is finishing up that sermon. I will know to leave early next time. It was tortuous for me to sit there this morning.

Get my rocking chair ready!

After having lunch at a friend's house and helping her prepare some of the food for the Coronation tomorrow night, I went to the Social Security Office. I am not now, nor will I ever be eligible for medicare, but my primary insurance tells me that at age 65 I am required to purchase Medicare part B. I did that today effective November 1. It is supposed to reduce my premium that I now pay for my primary insurance. Yeah, right! We'll see! another $93 per month...bye bye!

I was wrong!

I thought today would be a day for hanging out at home and just staying cool! Didn't happen. Dad called this morning to ask if I could meet them at Wal Mart and help Mom get groceries. Of course, I did. He handed me a $100 bill as I was leaving. Nice TIP!

This afternoon I had to go to Bossier City to my friend, Joy's, aunt's house. Joy's father has had one of my antique clocks for several months because it wouldn't run since my move. He brought it to Bossier City and I went over to get it. He only had the insides of the clock. I still had the case hanging on my wall. I took the case over there and he put the clock in the case, hung it on a wall and we waited to see if it was going to run. It did. He loaded it in the car and it promptly fell over on the first turn, but I have it hung up now and it has been running for an hour and chiming beautifully. Yep, I'm happy.

Hot Damn!

It's 101 actual degrees right now! Going outside is NOT an option. I took Mom to the senior revival this morning. She enjoyed it, but it was hard on her. The church is too big and involves too much walking from the parking lot (even the handicapped parking) to the chapel, then to the cafeteria for lunch. She was exhausted. When we got to the cafeteria, I sent her to a table to sit down and I went and got her lunch. I don't think we'll be going to that event anymore.

Meanwhile, my brother was taking care of getting Dad to his audiologist appointment. I believe tomorrow is a day that I can stay home. I hope so.

Things are looking up!

Mom called and told me that both audiologists had been in touch with them. Tomorrow afternoon I have to get Dad to the audiologist here and he is going to make a new impression and the manufacturer is going to make Dad a completely new hearing aide at no cost. This old one has never fit properly and has fallen out. Thank goodness it fell in his shirt pocket or we would have never found it.

Tomorrow morning I had already made arrangements to take Mom to a Senior Revival at my church. She used to go to it every year and one of the ladies from the church called me and asked me to serve coffee. Her main reason in asking me to serve coffee was that she wanted me to bring my mom. I agreed to it, so now my day will once again be full tomorrow. Maybe my brother will be able to take care of Dad tomorrow.

I'm tired already

It's only 1:30 and I am done for the day. My dad's hearing aide died again yesterday, so I found an audiologist here in my town and went to visit him to see if I could bring my dad to him. He said yes....so I went and got Dad and brought him to see the man. He told him something was wrong with the hearing aide and it was not just stopped up. We left it with him for him to send back to the manufacturer since it is still under warranty. Dad has had nothing but trouble with that hearing aide, which is supposed to be top of the line. He told Mom that he wished he could just die and get on out of the way. That makes me sad that he thinks he is in the way. He is not. We will take care of him just like he has taken care of us.

I picked a bucket full of okra when I took him back home. Okra is one of my favorites, so I'll be having that later on today. Right now it is nap time while I water the yard!!!

Well, Duh!

I have lived in this house 18 months and have wondered why the master bath is freakin' cold in the winter and hot in the summer. Finally, I climbed up tonight to feel in front of the vent...NOTHING is coming out! Now I will have to call the people who put in the AC Monday to come out and check it out. Since I waited so long, I will probably have to pay them now. I'm such a procrastinator...Now it could cost me. I hate for anyone to have to go in the attic in this heat. It was 100 degrees in my garage today, so it is 130 in the attic.

Testing animated gifs!

Hotter than HELL!

The temp on my computer right now says 99 degrees. I don't enjoy hot weather, but I went with a friend early this morning to our Krewe Den where our Mardi Gras float is stored. It's a 40,000 square foot unairconditioned building and we were there to clean it up and get organized for the upcoming season. There were 6 of us and we knocked it out quickly so we could get out of there. Our theme this year is "Hello, Broadway" so we will begin soon to change the float up some to reflect that. I have to pay my $50 float riding fee and buy 2 cases of beads to throw. I'll probably ride in two parades. That looks like the most fun of all the activities.

When I left there, I had to go buy eggs and take them to my mom. Dad walked with me out to see the tomato plants that the moles are eating, but he went to his room to lie down after that. He is going to the community party at their church tonight. He wanted me to come, so I have to get ready to go back down there for that. What ever he wants...that's what I will do and I will do it without complaint!

Downer!

I called my mom a little while ago. Since Dad was not in the house, she told me that he was in bad shape, but he didn't want anyone to know how bad off he is. He cannot breathe in spite of the fact that he uses his nebulizer on a regular basis. He told her that he thought he was nearly dead. Lately, he doesn't even want breakfast. Usually, that's the only meal that he will eat. He weighs 147 pounds. He is tired and ready to go to his heavenly home.

Holy Crap!

When I walked out through the garage this morning to go get the paper, there was yet another ground rattler snake in my garage. It was smaller than the last one, but it was still a SNAKE! After that happens, I am traumatized for a while. No one is more afraid of snakes than I am. This one was traveling along next to the wall headed straight for the door. Thank goodness he was on that side of the garage where there is not much stuff. If he came in the other side, there would be lots of places to hide. I would just die!!!!

After lunch with the ladies today, I tackled my mother's prescription drug company. Her doc gave her a prescription last Thursday for some pain patches. The damned insurance company says that has to be pre-authorized! Forget that the doctor says she needs it....what does he know! Of course, insurance companies all know more than doctors!! I lost the battle and the pain patches are $200, which Mom will not pay. Those insurance companies really chap my ass!! I'm MAD! My mother should be able to put one of those on her hand that hurts all the time or her foot that hurts all the time. GRRRRR!!!

The best "living will"!

I, MAXINE , being of sound mind and body, do not wish to be kept alive indefinitely by artificial means. Under no circumstances should my fate be put in the hands of pinhead politicians who couldn't pass ninth-grade biology if their lives depended on it, or lawyers / doctors interested in simply running up the bills. If a reasonable amount of time passes and I fail to ask for at least one of the following:
Glass of wine

chocolate

Margarita

chocolate

Martini

Cold Beer

chocolate

Chicken fried steak

cream gravy

chocolate

Mexican food

chocolate

French fries

chocolate

Pizza

chocolate

ice cream

cup of tea

chocolate

Chocolate

Sex

It should be presumed that I won't ever get better. When such a determination is reached, I hereby instruct my appointed person and attending physicians to pull the plug, reel in the tubes, let the "fat lady sing". . . and call it a day!

Disclosure: I got this as an email and I totally concur!!

Just Damn!

First of all, Dell should show up on the caller I.D. instead of "toll free number". I don't answer toll free numbers. They left a message that my order ship date wouldn't be until August 28th and I would have to call them and give them the "go ahead" to complete my order. They are required to do this since shipping is delayed that much. I called and was on "hold" for over an hour before I gave up and used the email address they had given me to use. I would have preferred to talk to a person, but DAMN....I got tired of their asinine music and "we are sorry for your wait...please hold"! Well NO...I'm not going to hold any more and I came really close to cancelling the whole order because of that long wait!! I didn't, but I sure thought about it.

Computer update...

I finally called customer service to find out why my computer hasn't shipped or the status hasn't at least been changed to a new ship date. Finally a HUMAN that spoke relatively good English found that due to the color I chose (pink) there was a delay. Apparently, a lot of people have ordered pink laptops!!! Who Knew!!! New ship date is supposed to be tomorrow. That's just great because the young man who is going to help me set everything up wirelessly starts back to school!!! CRAP!

Too freakin' HOT!

We have been really, really lucky this summer with our weather because we have had lots of rain and not so hot weather. That all changed this week. I had to water my yard and postpone working to get a fall garden ready to plant at Dad's. I can't get motivated to get out and die of heat stroke.

Today I toiled on a much needed task of cleaning house. Even a new construction needs a good cleaning of the floors, baseboards, and under furniture. I have a problem with tiny little spiders that live under the baseboards and spin webs outside the baseboards. They are highly annoying. I bought some spider killer that I am going to spray along the baseboards and see if that helps. It seems that I am always battling some varmit.

Crazy day.....

First of all, it's tax free weekend in Louisiana. At Wal-Mart, that translates into redneck chaos. I didn't know it started today until I went to Wal Mart to get meds for my parents. The meds weren't ready, which could only mean that I would have to go BACK there later today! I didn't want to, but I did and the meds still weren't ready....which means I will have to go back tomorrow!

This afternoon I went to the funeral of someone I didn't know just because she was in my Sunday School class and they have no family. The pall bearers were all men from the class and most of the people in attendance were as well. Otherwise, the poor man would have had no one for her funeral. Sad, sad situation.

Tonight I went back to the home place and went to dinner at our favorite catfish place with the family. Let's just conclude that I am tired!!! mmmmmkay?

Where's my computer?

My estimated ship date was July 31. That didn't happen, so I just checked the website and it still says "in production" with ship date of July 31. Hello! It's August. I deserve an explantion or an update on my account.

Mission Accomplished....

I can't get in to the edit mode for some reason to edit the last post. I got the bird out. He was so exhausted that he just perched on the garage door. I was able to climb up to where he was and pick him up in a towel and take him outside. He did fly away, but not very fast!!

My hummers are Dumb!

For the 3rd time, I have had a hummingbird in my garage all day long. He just flies around the top and can't find the big huge OPEN door. I even took the car out and left the door open each time I left today. He has had no food all day and has surely used all his reserve, but I can't get him out. I even went to try to buy a butterfly net, but I couldn't find one. I'm leaving the door open tonight and the car out hoping he will find his way out. The other two that did this eventually found their way out. I never saw them get out and it might have happened after they fell to the ground and saw their way out. I give up. I don't know what else to do.

God at Work

Someone from my Sunday School class called this morning to tell me that another of our members had died. She and her husband were evacuees from Katrina and they lost everything. Both were in poor health, but they faithfully came to Sunday School even though they are Catholics. A fund was started by our class this morning at 8:30. I took my donation to the church this morning and told my cousin the story. My cousin and I were having dinner tonight at a restaurant when my Sunday School teachers came in with the husband of the deceased wife. My cousin had just given me some cash to donate to the fund. My Sunday School teacher came over to say hello and I told her that I had another donation to make to the fund. She said we didn't need any more. People had been so generous that one of the men from the class is taking the husband to buy him a suit tomorrow and we are buying some casket flowers and the casket. That's what it's all about.....doing the right thing!!!