Blogging on the Block in June

Long time no blog. I thought once school was out I would slow down some. No such luck. Things seem to have picked up, at least until this week.

The week after school was out we went on a week long college tour. Going to NC and all over east TN. It was an awesome trip. My son has 6 favorite colleges now; and since he still has 2 years to decide where he wants to go, then he still has plenty of time to decide.

We were home for a week, but George had to get ready to go to ETSU. We spent the whole week getting things caught up at home and packed up for him to leave again. He left on Sunday, and I spent the next 2 days at the hospital with my MIL.

Monday my MIL had surgery on the artery in her neck. It all went well and she's home driving me nuts again. I thought I would loose my mind sitting at the hospital by myself. Oh, Fred and 2 of his brothers were there until after her surgery and they got to see her. But after that I was by myself (except for an hour when my best friend came by), and my cell doesn't work in the hospital, no ones seemed to. I sat in a corner of the ICU waiting room and waited for visiting in the ICU every 2 hours. I did meet some nice people, and some hateful ones too. All the nurses were extremely nice and they all did what they could to help ease my MIL's nervousness. They all told me they didn't know how I managed at home by myself. LOL, if they only knew. I seriously would not recommend my situation to anyone.

Two of the families that sat near me were very nice, one family didn't talk much, not even to each other. The other family were from the same county as we live in originally but now live in Knox. We even have some kin in common.

Oh, and on Sunday before George left, some kind hearted soul brought me a cat and 4 kittens. They dropped them off at the bottom of my drive way even. The mommy cat spends her days dodging the dogs and hunting mice and stuff for the kittens. The kittens have taken up residence in our feed barn. Cute little things, weaned and playful. One is solid gray, one is gray and white, one is solid black, and the 4th one is black and white. Now if I can just keep the yard dogs from eating them, or just used to the fact that they are here. We have 4 cats down at the big barn and the garage, down at my MIL's house. The dogs know they're there and don't bother them, but these are here in their territory. Life on a farm, always something.

George got home today from ETSU. It hasn't done anything but rain today. He didn't mind so much, even went to bed at 9 pm. He had to check out the direct TV that we got tuesday or he would have gone to bed at 3 when we got home. He said he had fun, but he didn't sleep much on the trip. Tomorrow I can look forward to him eating everything he can find, so glad he's home. No...really, I am!!!

Goodnight, blessings and hugs to all!

Blogging on the block 5-9-09

Things are always crazy here. Today is no different. This week has been no different. LOL!

Yesterday, the old spruce tree that was at the corner of the old house fell across the road. I got a frantic call from my MIL not to come home that way. At almost dark the local fire department finally got it out of the road. Of course by that time she was fit to be tied and nothing would calm her down. She really got peeved when the hubby took me out to dinner for mother's day. She wouldn't go with us and she didn't think we should go either. We went, and had a wonderful time!!!

So, today we decided to go to the mall. That's a big deal around here, we rarely ever go except for special shopping trips or around Christmas. We all went, even the MIL. She didn't really want to go, but did anyway. We went to Belk and got her a new outfit for Mother's day, and I got something too. We walked around the mall and then went to Target to get a wedding gift for a cousin getting married the end of the month. The boy and my MIL sat in a corner of Starbucks while we shopped with the registry. All was fairly calm, so we went to the bread store.

As we were heading for home the water pump went out on the car. So....we sat on the side of the road until the wrecker got there, trying to get a hold of someone to come and get us. One of my brother inlaws was at the race track with his son who races, another brother inlaw was 3 counties away, my youngest brother inlaw (who is happily older than I am) was in Myrtle Beach (lucky X!#%*$^), and the oldest of the 5 was nowhere to be found. Thankfully, my bestfriend came and got us.

So...I will have another crazy week. I'll have to get up and take Fred to work every morning and then go back and get him until the car is fixed. I just love getting up at 4 am, yeah right!

Hope everyone else is having better crazy days than I am. Hugs and Blessings!!!!

Blogging on the blog, back again

Been here, been there and back again. LOL. So much and nothing has happened here. One trip to the lakehouse, 2 trips to SC, and working almost full time. Yes, the MIL is pouting her buns off.

The boy got pink eye this week, so no school for him. He was glad, but Fred had to work on fence all by his self this week.

The MIL had a doctor's appt this week too, and her artery test came back bad. So now she has to have the dye test, of course she told everyone she was dying. You can guess the calls I got from my brother inlaws and her sister. LOL, all is fine now.

I haven't been able to post for a while, my desktop blocks me from posting. Hopefully my laptop will let me.

It was good to talk to you tonight on FB Jody! Hope you're doing well on your diet. I made it to the 35 pound mark, still have some to go though.

Planning a trip to SC the end of the month. Another dog hunting trip, hunting for a dog not hunting. That means George gets to stay home with the MIL, he's so excited.

I've read 12 books since my last blog. Mostly Ramsey Campbell's, but 2 Patricia MacDonald's, and 3 scary short stories books. Started a new one today. "Something Wicked" by Jennifer Rowe. I haven't read anything by her before, but thought I'd try a new author. Most of my book shelves have Dean Koontz, John Saul, Ramsey Campbell, Bently Little, Patricia MacDonald, Brian Lumley, Richard Laymon, Frank Peretti, and Robert McCammon on them. So I've been trading for some new authors, just to spice it up. I've read all of Sharyn McCrumb's Appalachian books and I couldn't get into her new series. I love scary, spooky, mysteries. I used to read all science fiction, then I got hooked on gothics, never really liked the romance stuff.

Movies, I haven't gotten to watch many lately. I dropped my subscription to the blockbuster online thing. Thought I'd save myself some money for my summer trips with George. We're going on 2 week long college trips. Appalachian State in NC, the rest are in TN - King College, Tusculum, Carson Newman, UTK, Pellissippi State, then MTSU. The second week will be at ETSU. I'm looking forward to it. The big trip this year is to California, but George doesn't want to go. Mostly because he doesn't want to fly out there.

Well, I've run out of things to write about for now. Hope everyone is doing well and I wish you blessings and hugs. Later!

Blogging on the Block 3/243/09

Everytime I think things are getting better they seem to get worse. Stress is a nasty little thing, just as nasty as the disease that takes my MIL's sanity and robs her of dignity. I hate to feel so helpless, so stressed, I feel her pain when she has a bad day, and that frustrates me beyond belief. I constantly await the moments I can escape and breath my own thoughts in, but sadly they have become fewer and fewer these days.

This weekend Fred took me away for a night, and it was nice to get away. But the dread filled me when we got back into town, before we ever got home. I felt quilty for leaving my son with my MIL. He said it wasn't so bad, but she made up for it with me this week already.

Anyway, here are a few pictures from the mountains I took as we took the parkway thru NC on the way back from SC.

Fred at one of the overlooks.

Well, goodnight, blessings and hugs, always!

Another Day on the Blog Block 2-23-09

It's hard to believe February is almost over. My days seem to drag by with the same thing day in and day out, but when I look at the calendar it seems to just fly by. My days have become so depressing that I just want to scream, although I don't really think that would help. Sometimes I question my own sanity, but in reality it isn't my sanity that's slipping.

Dealing with my MIL and all her issues is taking a toll on me though. I seriously need a break. My husband is feeling it too, so...this weekend we are going out of town. Just the 2 of us, and I'm so excited. We're not doing anything really exciting, but just getting away, just the 2 of us will be great. There's a hunting thing the hubby wants to go to in SC, but I'll take anything to just get away.

I understand my MIL has issues, I knew that 4 years ago. But, dealing with her flare ups is not easy on any of us. Being bipolar, manic depressive, suffering from anxiety, chronic pain, dementia and alzheimers really makes things difficult. I hear the complaining all the time, but when she gets the whinnies and squawlies I'm at my wits end. I can't sit all day with a 74 year old woman in my lap rocking her like a little kid who feels bad. For one thing she's too big and for the other she expects to be petted all the time and stubs up like a spoiled child when she doesn't get her way.

She has fits when my husband comes home and doesn't speak to her first. She has fits when the phone rings and she doesn't get to talk to whoever it is, doesn't matter if its a telemarketer or the family. She has a fit if I go to my mothers or the store, and she has a fit if I make her go with me or if I leave her at home. She has a fit if I buy something for George and don't get her something too. Example: She wants a cellphone because I got a new one.....I got her one, she doesn't know how to use it and now she wants a new one, says the one I got her isn't any good - how would she know if she can't even turn it on.

Then we have the bad attitude days as I call them, this is where she is constantly making snide remarks to me. Like, "I just don't understand how you can be so stupid and do all that for the school when they don't even pay you. You shouldn't let people use you, and you can't be here when I need you if you're always gone." She doesn't like it when I do things with the booster club for the sports programs at school, mainly because I'm not sitting here with her.

So, I'm really looking forward to this weekend. And......Then, the 2nd week of March I'll be going to the lakehouse for spring break. I've told my son if he has to practice all week he'll have to stay home and get his uncle to take him and pick him up.

Well, time to get a move on. I have to take the MIL to the doctor today. Regular check up, but I dread the sitting and waiting. And of course she's nervous about going out in public, and excited to get out, and talking about what she's going to make the doctor do. Yeah, it's gonna be a blast.

I hope you're doing well, in whatever you're doing! Blessings and hugs!

Blogging on the Block 2/15/09

It's been a crazy time around here. In more than one way. The MIL has had quite a few episodes, and I feel like I'm loosing my mind with her. We've been to 3 different dentist and Monday we go to a specialist. I hope he can make a special denture to give her some relief. Then maybe I'll get a break.

On the bright side, she does keep me on my toes. She tried to help on Friday while I worked, since my brother inlaw who sits with her was MIA, she decided to clean house for me. The diswasher really confuses her for some reason. She can't tell if the dishes are clean or dirty. Anyway, she loaded it for me, but she didn't know if it washed the dishes or not, so she took them all back out and put them on the kitchen table. They were dirty, because she couldn't remember how to start it.

Then she tried to mop the kitchen floor, but she didn't know which cleaner I used on the floor, so she used Tide. Yes, it was a mess.

She tried to sweep the carpets for me, with a broom, not the vacuum cleaner. It didn't work so well.

To top it all off, I didn't come home til about 11 pm, the boy had 3 ballgames to film, and I worked the gate and concessions. So, when I got home, I had to finish cleaning up her messes where she helped me. Hubby tried to clean up, but with her trying to help him he gave up. He now has a better understanding of what I go threw everyday.

I hope you had a Happy Valentine's Day. I worked 2 more ballgames, and the hubby got me a big ole box of chocolates (I haven't even opened them) and a very sweet card. Then he took me out to dinner at a nice place. I had an awesome house salad, ribeye steak, and a huge baked potato. And it was just the 2 of us. The boy stayed home and watch my MIL. He's a good kid, even if he did stay on the phone for 4 hours with a girl.

Well, since it is now 1 am Monday morning, I need to go to bed. Blessing and hugs!

Blogging on the Block Way Late 2/5/09

Ok, so I've been fighting with my computer for over a week now. My internet provider said I needed to update my browser, yeah right. So after tweaking and fiddling, comes down to the internet provider was having issues with some of their relays. Did I mention I really hate dialup. I still can't upload videos, and it is so slow....ugh!

Anyway, last week I tried not to focus on my internet issues so much, and the boy had tons of ballgames to go to and I worked all of them. This week, snow, snow, and snow all meant no school, and the days I was scheduled to work at the school were all null and void. So, with the boy bored, me bored, and the crazy MIL driving me even more nuts....the internet issue has bobbed to the top of my to do list. It is a little faster, but I sure wish we could get dsl or cable. Sadly, no one offers it in our area. If we could get directTV to come out, then maybe I could sign up for wildblue, but no promises. I guess that's what I get for living out in the middle of no-where, but I wouldn't trade it really. I love the privacy and the open space.

Well, I hope everyone is wonderful and happy! I'm off to check some email and read some blogs. While the internet is working. Hugs and blessings!