Fall garden!

This is it! I am way behind, but there is no need to plant anything unless we get rain. I have one more raised bed that I can water, but other than that, there will be no fall garden! Radishes and collards!

Whirlwind week!

Not sure where this week went, but it is gone!

• Finally bought groceries
• Finished my mildew project in Mom's living room
• Started on the dining room...same problem
• Cleaned out storage room and moved treadmill from dining room to there
• Worked on krewe cookbook
• Worked on krewe float
• Bought groceries for Mom
  
• Did little at my own home....OH....EXCEPT
• REFINANCED at 4.3%  WOOHOO!
  

Dinner!

Way to go, Mustangs!

I am proud to have been associated with West Orange Stark High School in Orange , Texas. Many years were spent there and they were the best of my teaching career. Although I don't live there anymore, I keep up with many of my former students on Facebook. Found out tonight that the young man who died on the sidelines a month ago was elected posthumously as the homecoming king. His father wore the crown and escorted the queen. What an awesome thing to do! This makes my heart smile!

Dang..I'm tired~

Busy, busy day! I'm not complaining though. It was OK. Still trying to de-mildew Mom's walls in her living room. I'm almost done and almost have the clean curtains re-hung.

I thought today might be a good day to mow the yard since we had a little rain a couple of days ago, but,alas, it was not. I was covered in dirt because every thing is still so very, very, dry.

Tonight I had a business dinner with our contact out of Nashville, TN in regards to the cookbook we are doing as a fundraiser for our krewe. I was so tired, but it was a nice meeting with the two of us from the krewe who are heading up 
this operation. Right now I am going to BED!

What a project!

I am involved in a project at Mom's that just keeps getting bigger. Due to their having a big house with central heat that they chose NOT to use in the winter, there is now mildew or mold on curtains and walls in the never used or heated living room. Dad was very frugal and couldn't understand why the whole house needed to be heated when he had space heaters in the rooms in which they lived. We have checked the heating system and it works fine. He had it completely
 disconnected, but we have had it reconnected and will be using it this winter. Now there is mold/mildew which would not be there if they had kept the heat on. My project is to take down the curtains, move all the furniture and clean the mildew/mold off the white walls. It comes off fairly easily, but the windows are wood and the paint chips off when I try to clean them. The hardwood floors even have mold/mildew on them around the walls and under the furniture....so I have my work cut out for me. I am doing it in small sections and one window at a time, so it is OK. Mom will be so glad to have it all clean again.

Oh, and thank you, sweet baby Jesus, for the ever so gentle rain today. We are appreciative of every drop. Now we need about 14 more inches!

Why? Why? Why?

The entire state of Louisiana is under a burn ban. My brother is a volunteer fire fighter and captain of his local fire department. I have not seen him in two weeks because he has been on duty at Lake Bistineau where the dried up lake bed is burning and will continue to burn until the lake fills back up. There is no way to put it out, but depending on the wind, some houses could be in jeopardy. Today I finally saw him as we were preparing for a
reunion tomorrow and he got a fire call while we were doing it. Found out that someone blamed their dog for turning over a can. First of all, it is against the law to have any fire outside and second, there was no can to be found. Straight up liar! The perp was ticketed, but he should have spent a night in jail for endangering everything and everyone! I guess common sense just isn't very common!

It's time!

Preparation has begun for the Mardi Gras season. Royalty has been crowned, fundraisers have begun and the transformation of the floats is on track. We will be working every Monday and Wednesday nights on the floats. Last night we were painting the inside of the children's float. As is usual, the same 4 of us showed up to work. This is really the only time I get involved because I enjoy working on the float and riding in a couple of parades. Last year I only rode in our local parade and it was so cold that I vowed to never do it again if it is supposed to be cold. The Gemini parade is just too long. It kills me to throw beads and dance on the float for at least 4 hours, so I won't be doing it again. Also, it is very expensive. Beads must be purchased from the Gemini krewe and the minimum is over $300 per person. Ummm, NO! I might as well throw cash! I will ride in the Highland parade if it is not too cold. Last year, I didn't because it was too cold. Our krewe is 10 years old this year, so our theme is Reflections of a Decade. There will be lots of mirrors on the big float sporting pictures of the last 10 years.

WooHoo!

Productive day!

• Lawyer paid and succession received by each of us
• Flowers on the monument
• Collards planted
• Radishes planted
• Football watched

Everything but groceries bought! I have nothing..no milk, no bread, no juice, no nothing, but I refuse to go to Wal Mart on Saturday and that is pretty much my only option for groceries without driving to Bossier or my favorite, the Kroger on Youree in Shreveport....sushi...yum!

Perfection!

Before I left the Dallas area this morning, I made a run by Whole Foods. This, my friends, is the reason I love Whole Foods.

RIP Matt!

Yet another weekend with a heavy heart. Last weekend I didn't mention it in my blog, but the young man who died on the football field last Friday night was from the school where I taught. In fact, his dad was there when I was. Such a tragic loss.

This weekend I woke up to all kinds of messages about yet another of my friends from that school...a young man named Matt Didyk, 38, died last night. He had a congenital defective heart valve replaced about a month ago and was doing fine until a staph infection showed up. He was  a beautiful, kind soul. I used to take some of my high school kiddos on ski trips during our Christmas break. He was already in college, but he went on the last one I took along with one of his brothers. My heart is hurting for his family. I always complimented him on his beautiful smile...and he was always smiling!

This is why!

Can't see the numbers on the letters, but this one scored 78 points! This is why I can't win anymore. My brain doesn't function like this!! Awesome move!

Very cool!

Look what I learned today! Screenshot from my iphone! Hey, at least I'm not too old to learn something new, YET!

I would have picked a game I'm winning, but, alas, I am not winning any of them with 4 different players. I have lost my touch...used to be a pro at scrabble!

It's finished!

The monument was done this morning. It's PURDY!

What a tragedy!

I spent a restless night after staying up late reading Facebook statuses about the quarterback of West Orange Stark High School. He died from a seizure completely unrelated to football. This was the high school where I taught in Texas. His father was class of 88, which is when I was there, and the coaches are all still the same ones. Football tradition just comes with the territory at West Orange Stark. The whole area is in shock and the news has been carried nationally. So, so sorry for this family and the entire school, teachers, students and friends of Reggie Garrett. May his soul have eternal rest.

Shared on Facebook by a friend!

Pictured is a young physician by the name of Dr. Roger Starner Jones. His short two-paragraph letter to the White House accurately puts the blame on a "Culture Crisis" instead of a "Health Care Crisis"..

It's worth a quick read:


Dear Mr. President:
During my shift in the Emergency Room last night, I had the pleasure of evaluating a patient whose smile revealed an expensive shiny gold tooth, whose body was adorned with a wide assortment of elaborate and costly tattoos, who wore a very expensive brand of tennis shoes and who chatted on a new cellular telephone equipped with a popular R&B ringtone.


While glancing over her patient chart, I happened to notice that her payer status was listed as "Medicaid"! During my examination of her, the patient informed me that she smokes more than one pack of cigarettes every day, eats only at fast-food take-outs, and somehow still has money to buy pretzels and beer. And, you and our Congress expect me to pay for this woman's health care? I contend that our nation's "health care crisis" is not the result of a shortage of quality hospitals, doctors or nurses. Rather, it is the result of a "crisis of culture" a culture in which it is perfectly acceptable to spend money on luxuries and vices while refusing to take care of one's self or, heaven forbid, purchase health insurance. It is a culture based in the irresponsible credo that "I can do whatever I want to because someone else will always take care of me". Once you fix this "culture crisis" that rewards irresponsibility and dependency, you'll be amazed at how quickly our nation's health care difficulties will disappear.

Respectfully,
ROGER STARNER JONES, MD
If you agree...pass it on.

GEEEZZZE!

It apparently takes a freakin' act of Congress to cancel the Shreveport Times. I have been trying for about two weeks now. Finally contacted customer service since they don't have any way to cancel online. They do, however, have lots of OTHER things I could have done...like pay my bill or have my paper stopped while I go on vacation. I went round and round with customer service who insists on charging me $8.15 for the first 10 days of September. I told them I wasn't going to pay it because it wasn't my fault that no one would cancel my subscription. I was told I had to snail mail a copy of my last bill and write a cancellation notice. Well, I sucked it up and did that this morning and included the $8.15. Now I'm wishing I would have sent it in pennies!!!! I just want this ordeal OVER! I also told them in my letter of cancellation that because it was so difficult to cancel that I would never re-subscribe even if it ever became a paper worth reading.

Never Forget!

Love it!

Too good not to share. I got this in an email tonight!

Another Mom episode!

My brother called me tonight and told me he found Mom passed out again. When she didn't show up for church tonight, he went to see about her. He found her in a dark house lying on her bed out of it. He woke her up and her blood sugar was 36! She had fallen asleep at some point without eating any food since lunch. I was there at lunch and watched her eat, so I know she ate at lunch. I don't know what we are going to do. I guess we are going to have to monitor everything she eats to make sure she does eat. I went on to her house to check on her and they had gotten her blood sugar back up and she was in bed. I'm just so afraid that at some point she is going to do that and NOT wake up. Thank you, God, for always alerting us in some way to go see about her!