I didn't get to post yesterday as our study is under an unplanned redecorating project......of which I believe....BELIEVE....that it is finished tonight. With all of the furniture removed for the refinishing of the floors, the 1st Lady decided that it was an "excellent" time to strip off the one wall of "den like" wallpaper and repaint the walls!! Sooooo, I had to unhook our internet modem, the HowserHouse wifi, and remove all from the room so they didn't get paint spattered.
Therefore.....NO post from yesterday....and hardly any online experiences or paper reading yesterday. Tonight.....well, we should be able to begin to move the furniture back into the room tomorrow. I hooked up the internet and wifi this evening......and so.....here I am!
We are slowly.....I repeat, SLOWLY.....beginning to get some of the things/stuff put away. The return of the furniture is foremost on our minds......and some things will just not be able to be returned to their proper spots until we get our appliances re-installed, the cabinet doors/drawers adjusted for straightness, etc., etc. Maybe by the end of next week?????
We have worked long hours yesterday and today. The painting has had to be done by the 1st Lady....as mine paint fume allergies have been really affecting me.....headaches, weird muscle feelings, etc., etc. GLAD when it is all completed. Yesterday morning I also climbed onto the roof and once again......emptied the gutters of all of the many wet leaves and crap that had blown into them recently. With the oncoming winter storm that is predicted, I thought it best to get them cleaned out.....for the last time this fall.....I HOPE!!!!
It will be interesting to see if the weather men are accurate in their dire weather forecasts for the next two days. Usually they are soooooo out of practice in forecasting winter storms for Missouri that they always miss their accuracy during the first couple of winter storms that are due in here. We'll seeeeee.........
And sooooo......more work to do tomorrow in this almost completed house. Sooooooo.....I will leave you with my usual....
Life is Great.....and I hope it is for all of you, also!!!!
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
Monday, November 27, 2006
ANOTHER catch-up post from the Holiday Weekend
SATURDAY…….
Hmmmm….for some reason “Granny’s House” has become a small hospital this morning!!! Granny(1st Lady’s mother) has contracted a head/chest cold……not to be unexpected as she continues to smoke while in her middle 80’s……the 1st Lady is fighting the onset of a migraine…..and Jeremy still has his hemorrhoid problems. Sooooo, Jeremy and I drove over to Hannibal to pick up his prescript meds from WalGreens. While there, we stopped briefly at Quality Inn…..sat in the parking lot….and I piggybacked onto their Wifi…..checking my email of 110 messages, and posting my blog posts
We returned within an hour…..and the 1st Lady had removed herself from the socializing with us to the darkened bedroom….blinds drawn, a cold pack on her forehead…..the typical things she normally does when she feels a migraine approaching. She also had taken one of her pills that helps to keep it from reaching a horrendous painful peak.
We were all supposed to have another Thanksgiving Dinner with her brother and family at their home out in the countryside……it is a really nice place overlooking their small lake as well as the surrounding hills and valleys. Sooooo, I went by myself…..ate way tooooo much, and enjoyed my nephews/nieces and great nephew/nieces. I took my leave as the afternoon began to disappear into early evening……and returned to “Granny’s Hospital”.
The 1st Lady had recovered….thanks to that WONDERFUL little pill……Jeremy was still laying around (sitting is more difficult)….and Granny was still hacking and snorting. The evening was spent watching a bit of the tellie…..and then later in the evening we located a GREAT special on the Kennedy family….and their supposed “curse”. It is almost easy to become convinced that something such as that is possible…….they have had such a horrific history of untimely and unusual deaths in the family. Sooooo sad….!!
SUNDAY……
A slow morning……Jeremy managed to run over to the local market and pick up a STL Post Dispatch…..and with coffee(NOT Fr. Roast, damn it) in hand…..the talking political heads on the tellie…and the STL paper in my lap, the morning passed in a slow and quiet way.
The afternoon was a lazy one…..warm outside, but a sleepy one inside. Jeremy finally got his things together and left for Evansville around 5:30pm. And true to his word, he called around 10:30pm saying he had arrived back ok…….even if it was a bit miserable sitting for that long. He had said it would take 5 hours….and so it did!
After watching “The Amazing Race”…….and enjoying it as much as ever, we also viewed the Hallmark Hall of Fame presentation. (What else is there to do in Monroe City???) The Hallmark show was …..just, OK…..that’s about it. The acting was somewhat amateur, to say the least…..which made it difficult to “get involved” in the storyline. Oh well……..
MONDAY…….
Left around 9:30am this morning for STL and then on to F’Town. Stopped in STL to check on our cab. doors that are having the glass inserts put in them…..and they were to be picked up late this afternoon, but we couldn’t wait for them today. Then we stopped at Home Depot and picked up the paint for the rooms that we plan on painting a mellow yellow.
Arrived home a little after 3pm……and slowly opened the door, greeted by fumes from the clear coat on the newly refinished floors,…..and then took off our shoes and began looking around at the DUSTY mess!!!! Even tho we had covered almost everything possible……it was HORRIBLE!!!!! We had to dust off ALL of the walls in the house, and everything….EVERYTHING that was under the sheets and plastic sheeting…….it was such a job that we are not yet finished with everything just yet.
We managed to get through to the bedroom in a couple of hours after we arrived home…..and then got our luggage inside. The floors really do look great, including the new floor in the kitchen and the new steps into the sun room and the entertainment room. I dusted the kitchen cabinets, the granite countertop, the walls, of all that I could reach and get to, and the 1st Lady quickly put a coat of paint on the coat closet in the hallway/foyer. SOOOOOOOO much dusting to do tomorrow……and then we want to paint the study/den before we move the furniture back into that room. We need to get ALL of the “stuff” out of the guest room so that the floor man can return later this week and get it refinished…….and then check to see when they will get the appliances installed. Still work for the construction crew to complete……!!!!!!!! I WANT IT DONE!!!!!!!! SICK OF LIVING LIKE THIS!!!!!!!
We finally gave up…..our noses thick with the dust from dusting….even with the attic fan sucking up as much as it could with all doors open. It will take ALL week to get this put back……and not including the piano (have to wait for 3 weeks before we can set it on the floor!!)
UGH!!!!!!!
Life is good…..and I hope it is great for all of you, also!!!!
Hmmmm….for some reason “Granny’s House” has become a small hospital this morning!!! Granny(1st Lady’s mother) has contracted a head/chest cold……not to be unexpected as she continues to smoke while in her middle 80’s……the 1st Lady is fighting the onset of a migraine…..and Jeremy still has his hemorrhoid problems. Sooooo, Jeremy and I drove over to Hannibal to pick up his prescript meds from WalGreens. While there, we stopped briefly at Quality Inn…..sat in the parking lot….and I piggybacked onto their Wifi…..checking my email of 110 messages, and posting my blog posts
We returned within an hour…..and the 1st Lady had removed herself from the socializing with us to the darkened bedroom….blinds drawn, a cold pack on her forehead…..the typical things she normally does when she feels a migraine approaching. She also had taken one of her pills that helps to keep it from reaching a horrendous painful peak.
We were all supposed to have another Thanksgiving Dinner with her brother and family at their home out in the countryside……it is a really nice place overlooking their small lake as well as the surrounding hills and valleys. Sooooo, I went by myself…..ate way tooooo much, and enjoyed my nephews/nieces and great nephew/nieces. I took my leave as the afternoon began to disappear into early evening……and returned to “Granny’s Hospital”.
The 1st Lady had recovered….thanks to that WONDERFUL little pill……Jeremy was still laying around (sitting is more difficult)….and Granny was still hacking and snorting. The evening was spent watching a bit of the tellie…..and then later in the evening we located a GREAT special on the Kennedy family….and their supposed “curse”. It is almost easy to become convinced that something such as that is possible…….they have had such a horrific history of untimely and unusual deaths in the family. Sooooo sad….!!
SUNDAY……
A slow morning……Jeremy managed to run over to the local market and pick up a STL Post Dispatch…..and with coffee(NOT Fr. Roast, damn it) in hand…..the talking political heads on the tellie…and the STL paper in my lap, the morning passed in a slow and quiet way.
The afternoon was a lazy one…..warm outside, but a sleepy one inside. Jeremy finally got his things together and left for Evansville around 5:30pm. And true to his word, he called around 10:30pm saying he had arrived back ok…….even if it was a bit miserable sitting for that long. He had said it would take 5 hours….and so it did!
After watching “The Amazing Race”…….and enjoying it as much as ever, we also viewed the Hallmark Hall of Fame presentation. (What else is there to do in Monroe City???) The Hallmark show was …..just, OK…..that’s about it. The acting was somewhat amateur, to say the least…..which made it difficult to “get involved” in the storyline. Oh well……..
MONDAY…….
Left around 9:30am this morning for STL and then on to F’Town. Stopped in STL to check on our cab. doors that are having the glass inserts put in them…..and they were to be picked up late this afternoon, but we couldn’t wait for them today. Then we stopped at Home Depot and picked up the paint for the rooms that we plan on painting a mellow yellow.
Arrived home a little after 3pm……and slowly opened the door, greeted by fumes from the clear coat on the newly refinished floors,…..and then took off our shoes and began looking around at the DUSTY mess!!!! Even tho we had covered almost everything possible……it was HORRIBLE!!!!! We had to dust off ALL of the walls in the house, and everything….EVERYTHING that was under the sheets and plastic sheeting…….it was such a job that we are not yet finished with everything just yet.
We managed to get through to the bedroom in a couple of hours after we arrived home…..and then got our luggage inside. The floors really do look great, including the new floor in the kitchen and the new steps into the sun room and the entertainment room. I dusted the kitchen cabinets, the granite countertop, the walls, of all that I could reach and get to, and the 1st Lady quickly put a coat of paint on the coat closet in the hallway/foyer. SOOOOOOOO much dusting to do tomorrow……and then we want to paint the study/den before we move the furniture back into that room. We need to get ALL of the “stuff” out of the guest room so that the floor man can return later this week and get it refinished…….and then check to see when they will get the appliances installed. Still work for the construction crew to complete……!!!!!!!! I WANT IT DONE!!!!!!!! SICK OF LIVING LIKE THIS!!!!!!!
We finally gave up…..our noses thick with the dust from dusting….even with the attic fan sucking up as much as it could with all doors open. It will take ALL week to get this put back……and not including the piano (have to wait for 3 weeks before we can set it on the floor!!)
UGH!!!!!!!
Life is good…..and I hope it is great for all of you, also!!!!
Saturday, November 25, 2006
Catch up on my posts!!!! Wed/Thur/Fri
Posted from the parking lot of Quality Inn in Hannibal MO.......wifi in parking lot.
Wednesday…….
WOW…..I was in the shower when I heard the front door UNLOCK…..and then I heard all of this noise in the living room…..and soon realized that it was the floor refinishing man….Marvin Starkey. He WAS early!!!! Soooo, all of sudden the 1st Lady and I were thrown into an EXTREME multi-tasking couple of hours!!!! DAMN!! And……horrors upon horrors, I didn’t even have my Fr. Roast coffee made……..
Sooo, started the coffee machine….and then before long we were moving things that hadn’t been yet moved, since we had been using a chair here and a chair there last night…..and now they needed to be moved into the three storage rooms. I could smell the wonderful aroma of the hot, deep and dark coffee……but, there was no time to savor the flavor! Between moving chairs and a bunch of other shit……and attaching sheets and plastic sheeting around the openings of the house……I managed to take a few sips of coffee…..almost enough to keep me going from room to room. AND…..we had to get packed and “organized”(???) for the weekend Turkey Day trip to N.E. Missouri where there is a void of cell service, hence no online communication service, either.
But…..the last task was covering the kitchen cabinets to keep as much dust off of them as possible……and then we loaded the car in spurts….and by the time we backed out of the driveway….I had NO idea what items I had packed to last me until our return on Monday!! OHHHHH, how I long for the days when I could do 11 or more things at one time without even thinking, or worrying about them…..HAHAHA….!!! For all you “younger” readers…..this time in your Life will arrive sooner than you might think…….that is if you can still “think” by the time it arrives….heheee!
After a quick trip up to STL, we drove right out to Manchester “Road”/Blvd….whatever…..and went to EXPO Design Center. We gathered up ALL of the drawer and door pulls that we need for the cabinets……and then almost passed out at the check-out counter when the clerk announced the total price!!!!! OMG…….we could have bought another cabinet for the price of the pulls!!!!!! THIS was NOT a fun purchase!!!!!! We then purchased some new curtains/drapes/window treatments….whatever the correct term is these days……and then it was on out to Bovva…..a furniture store that sells only imported….Italian/Scandinavian….very modern furnishings. We wanted to check out their bar stools, which we had looked at before but did not like the high price……and after purchasing the cabinet pulls….the prices on the stools looked even worse today!!!
We then went on out to Chesterfield Commons in the Chesterfield valley to check out a bar stool store there, but alas……we were toooooooooo late. The shop had closed down……for lack of business?????….or for prices toooo high??????? Anyway, we decided to get on the highway and head on to north to Monroe City.
Arriving about 7:30pm…..the evening was spent in visiting. Jeremy arrived about 2 hours later as he had not managed to get out of his office in Evansville, IN as quickly as he thought he would.
He had just returned from a week in Washington D.C. where he had taken “his” newly elected U.S. Congressman to attend all of the new orientation meetings for “freshmen” Congressmen. Said he had a great time……saw many old friends….and met with Nancy Pelosi, Steny Hoyt, and many others …all in private meetings. Guess he was warmly received after the election returns where “his” candidate received such an overwhelming percentage of the votes over the Republican incumbent!
THURSDAY….TURKEY DAY!!!
The alarm went off early this morning as the 1st Lady had to get the bread dough out so it could rise…..and then the big bird had to go into the roaster an hour later. Before long……..the morning had passed and the table was set and we found ourselves sitting at a groaning table…..more food than we could possibly eat, even with the 1st Lady’s brother and wife joining us for dinner. As expected……the meal was terrific…..and VERY filling!!!!
The afternoon went quickly with off and on again naps…..football games…..and more relatives dropping by to visit.
During the evening, the 1st Lady’s brother and wife(David and Ruthie) and the 1st Lady and I played Mexican Train Game….the domino game. Lots of fun……!!!
And then……still stuffed…..and still nibbling on the pumpkin pie and apple cake…..I passed out and feel asleep for awhile and later, decided to go horizontal on the bed…rather than on the floor where I had been laying as I watched “Survivor”!
FRIDAY……
A warm and sunny day today…..really nice!! The morning passed rather quickly…….watched a bit of tellie…..and spent a bit of time outside wandering around. This afternoon we decided to go in to Hannibal to see the movie, “Casino Royale”.
Jeremy was having some hemorrhoid problems this morning…..and it just became worse as the day progressed. He went with us to see the movie but only lasted about an hour and then left and went out to the car in the parking lot. When the movie was over, he was really hurting…..so we decided to make a trip to the ER at the hospital in Hannibal. It took about an hour before he got inside the actual ER from the waiting rom…..but after about 30 minutes he was out and back with us with a couple of scripts for the pharmacy.
The movie???? Yep…..I enjoyed it…..fast paced, lots of action, and some great scenes in places in Europe that I have visited and really enjoy..…i.e……Lake Como, Italy….and Venice, Italy. A bit different style for James Bond in this particular rendition……but a good way to spend a couple of hours!
And sooooo…..hopefully I will get this posted tomorrow…Saturday…..as we have to return to Hannibal to pick up the meds at the Pharmacy in the morning. Even with this old man gaining a couple of pounds in the past two days of feasting…..
Life is GREAT.....and I hope it is for all of you, also!!!! Good to hear from you...Steve and Tim
Wednesday…….
WOW…..I was in the shower when I heard the front door UNLOCK…..and then I heard all of this noise in the living room…..and soon realized that it was the floor refinishing man….Marvin Starkey. He WAS early!!!! Soooo, all of sudden the 1st Lady and I were thrown into an EXTREME multi-tasking couple of hours!!!! DAMN!! And……horrors upon horrors, I didn’t even have my Fr. Roast coffee made……..
Sooo, started the coffee machine….and then before long we were moving things that hadn’t been yet moved, since we had been using a chair here and a chair there last night…..and now they needed to be moved into the three storage rooms. I could smell the wonderful aroma of the hot, deep and dark coffee……but, there was no time to savor the flavor! Between moving chairs and a bunch of other shit……and attaching sheets and plastic sheeting around the openings of the house……I managed to take a few sips of coffee…..almost enough to keep me going from room to room. AND…..we had to get packed and “organized”(???) for the weekend Turkey Day trip to N.E. Missouri where there is a void of cell service, hence no online communication service, either.
But…..the last task was covering the kitchen cabinets to keep as much dust off of them as possible……and then we loaded the car in spurts….and by the time we backed out of the driveway….I had NO idea what items I had packed to last me until our return on Monday!! OHHHHH, how I long for the days when I could do 11 or more things at one time without even thinking, or worrying about them…..HAHAHA….!!! For all you “younger” readers…..this time in your Life will arrive sooner than you might think…….that is if you can still “think” by the time it arrives….heheee!
After a quick trip up to STL, we drove right out to Manchester “Road”/Blvd….whatever…..and went to EXPO Design Center. We gathered up ALL of the drawer and door pulls that we need for the cabinets……and then almost passed out at the check-out counter when the clerk announced the total price!!!!! OMG…….we could have bought another cabinet for the price of the pulls!!!!!! THIS was NOT a fun purchase!!!!!! We then purchased some new curtains/drapes/window treatments….whatever the correct term is these days……and then it was on out to Bovva…..a furniture store that sells only imported….Italian/Scandinavian….very modern furnishings. We wanted to check out their bar stools, which we had looked at before but did not like the high price……and after purchasing the cabinet pulls….the prices on the stools looked even worse today!!!
We then went on out to Chesterfield Commons in the Chesterfield valley to check out a bar stool store there, but alas……we were toooooooooo late. The shop had closed down……for lack of business?????….or for prices toooo high??????? Anyway, we decided to get on the highway and head on to north to Monroe City.
Arriving about 7:30pm…..the evening was spent in visiting. Jeremy arrived about 2 hours later as he had not managed to get out of his office in Evansville, IN as quickly as he thought he would.
He had just returned from a week in Washington D.C. where he had taken “his” newly elected U.S. Congressman to attend all of the new orientation meetings for “freshmen” Congressmen. Said he had a great time……saw many old friends….and met with Nancy Pelosi, Steny Hoyt, and many others …all in private meetings. Guess he was warmly received after the election returns where “his” candidate received such an overwhelming percentage of the votes over the Republican incumbent!
THURSDAY….TURKEY DAY!!!
The alarm went off early this morning as the 1st Lady had to get the bread dough out so it could rise…..and then the big bird had to go into the roaster an hour later. Before long……..the morning had passed and the table was set and we found ourselves sitting at a groaning table…..more food than we could possibly eat, even with the 1st Lady’s brother and wife joining us for dinner. As expected……the meal was terrific…..and VERY filling!!!!
The afternoon went quickly with off and on again naps…..football games…..and more relatives dropping by to visit.
During the evening, the 1st Lady’s brother and wife(David and Ruthie) and the 1st Lady and I played Mexican Train Game….the domino game. Lots of fun……!!!
And then……still stuffed…..and still nibbling on the pumpkin pie and apple cake…..I passed out and feel asleep for awhile and later, decided to go horizontal on the bed…rather than on the floor where I had been laying as I watched “Survivor”!
FRIDAY……
A warm and sunny day today…..really nice!! The morning passed rather quickly…….watched a bit of tellie…..and spent a bit of time outside wandering around. This afternoon we decided to go in to Hannibal to see the movie, “Casino Royale”.
Jeremy was having some hemorrhoid problems this morning…..and it just became worse as the day progressed. He went with us to see the movie but only lasted about an hour and then left and went out to the car in the parking lot. When the movie was over, he was really hurting…..so we decided to make a trip to the ER at the hospital in Hannibal. It took about an hour before he got inside the actual ER from the waiting rom…..but after about 30 minutes he was out and back with us with a couple of scripts for the pharmacy.
The movie???? Yep…..I enjoyed it…..fast paced, lots of action, and some great scenes in places in Europe that I have visited and really enjoy..…i.e……Lake Como, Italy….and Venice, Italy. A bit different style for James Bond in this particular rendition……but a good way to spend a couple of hours!
And sooooo…..hopefully I will get this posted tomorrow…Saturday…..as we have to return to Hannibal to pick up the meds at the Pharmacy in the morning. Even with this old man gaining a couple of pounds in the past two days of feasting…..
Life is GREAT.....and I hope it is for all of you, also!!!! Good to hear from you...Steve and Tim
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
A hurried and harried day!!!
This morning was "moving day" for us as we had to get all of the BIG furniture pieces out of the areas where the hardwood floors will be refinished this weekend. I enlisted the help of some friends......and in 20 minutes time the grand piano was moved successfully......two sofas, a 36" tv and stand, a large "L" shaped computer desk, several other chairs, three small tables, the refridge, and other smaller pieces to numerous to mention. I was happily surprised how well everything fit into the two areas we had designated for all of the above!!!!
THEN.....the day went downhill for awhile!!! The shower door which gave me many, many fits of anger last spring when Lowe's took over THREE months for my special ordered shower door to arrive........well.......the construction crew was to install it today....and they came out to the yard where I was visiting with a good friend following the move.......and said the door was only 48"......and not 60" inches as I had ordered!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I COULDN'T BELIEVE IT!!!!!
So, I hopped into the truck and headed to Farmington. There I immediately demanded to see the manager, told the tedious tale of the door from last spring and then told him it was NOT the correct size! We went to see the fellow who had ordered it.....and who had even come down to my house last spring to measure for it. He called the Sterling Company....they faxed his order down to us at Lowe's .....and sure enough.......the damn salesman had written the wrong size in the order form!!!!
By this time I had to leave to go to Park Hills for my Dr.'s appt......and so, after a quick specimen sample in a cup....I left with the news that it had only been a bladder infection, but that the lastest specimen needed to be analyzed to see if all of the infection was gone.
Returning to Lowe's, I grabbed the manager and he and the salesman and I had a hot and heated discussion about the incompentency of this guy who had even come to measure for my doors!!!! After much discussion, I was told they would refund all of my $624.00 for the door AND order me another one.......for no charge! BUT.........it took 40 minutes standing at the refund desk as the manager and other clerks attempted to have the computer refund my money.....and with some newly installed program on the Lowe's computers.......they finally had to just give me cash back! Sooooooo......now it will be ANOTHER FOUR WEEKS before the door arrives!!!!!!! Just can't believe this shit!!!!!!
Returned home to finish "cleaning" up the stuff that was left after the furniture was moved......and getting things ready for the refinishing. Still have some plastic to hang to attempt to keep the dust out......HA!!! Surely no dust will come from sanding the floors.....huh????
Then this evening, it was the monthly Board of Education meeting. I informed them that I would NOT be running for re-election next spring as we hopefully will be gone more than we are around......!!
And so.......after a very, very busy and argumentative day.......
Life is Great.....and I hope it is for all of you, also!!! (will be gone for the weekend without access to the internet on a daily basis.......don't panic, I am not ill!!!)
THEN.....the day went downhill for awhile!!! The shower door which gave me many, many fits of anger last spring when Lowe's took over THREE months for my special ordered shower door to arrive........well.......the construction crew was to install it today....and they came out to the yard where I was visiting with a good friend following the move.......and said the door was only 48"......and not 60" inches as I had ordered!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I COULDN'T BELIEVE IT!!!!!
So, I hopped into the truck and headed to Farmington. There I immediately demanded to see the manager, told the tedious tale of the door from last spring and then told him it was NOT the correct size! We went to see the fellow who had ordered it.....and who had even come down to my house last spring to measure for it. He called the Sterling Company....they faxed his order down to us at Lowe's .....and sure enough.......the damn salesman had written the wrong size in the order form!!!!
By this time I had to leave to go to Park Hills for my Dr.'s appt......and so, after a quick specimen sample in a cup....I left with the news that it had only been a bladder infection, but that the lastest specimen needed to be analyzed to see if all of the infection was gone.
Returning to Lowe's, I grabbed the manager and he and the salesman and I had a hot and heated discussion about the incompentency of this guy who had even come to measure for my doors!!!! After much discussion, I was told they would refund all of my $624.00 for the door AND order me another one.......for no charge! BUT.........it took 40 minutes standing at the refund desk as the manager and other clerks attempted to have the computer refund my money.....and with some newly installed program on the Lowe's computers.......they finally had to just give me cash back! Sooooooo......now it will be ANOTHER FOUR WEEKS before the door arrives!!!!!!! Just can't believe this shit!!!!!!
Returned home to finish "cleaning" up the stuff that was left after the furniture was moved......and getting things ready for the refinishing. Still have some plastic to hang to attempt to keep the dust out......HA!!! Surely no dust will come from sanding the floors.....huh????
Then this evening, it was the monthly Board of Education meeting. I informed them that I would NOT be running for re-election next spring as we hopefully will be gone more than we are around......!!
And so.......after a very, very busy and argumentative day.......
Life is Great.....and I hope it is for all of you, also!!! (will be gone for the weekend without access to the internet on a daily basis.......don't panic, I am not ill!!!)
Monday, November 20, 2006
WHERE to put "STUFF"....but everything!!
Today was the day that almost everything we own had to be moved and stored in two rooms........JUST two rooms. Our hardwood floors are to be sanded and refinished this weekend and EVERYTHING has to be out of the rooms by the time we leave on Wed morning. Well......most of the day was spent in just moving "stuff" into one room......and we have tooooooooooooo much "stuff" as I have mentioned before. I didn't think we would get it all into one room so that the other room would be able to hold the large pieces of furniture, the grand piano, and the fridge. I think we have it measured correctly so that it will all fit........tomorrow morning we will know for certain.
I have six friends arriving at 9am in the morning to assist with the heavy moving....i.e...the grand piano and the fridge. Then there are two sofas, an "L" shaped computer desk, a 35" tellie with stand, and a few other odds and ends in the furniture line. I don't believe we will ever, ever, ever find everything again.....and then if we do we will not know where to put it. We also had to move today all of the items/things in two LARGE double door closets as they have hardwood floors, also.
My body is screaming with muscle strain this evening from moving the "stuff" and I know it will be difficult to sleep peacefully tonight. Oh well........the light at the end of the "Remodeling Tunnel" is getting brighter. Our new kitchen sink, faucets, gas lines for the new gas range, and a few other things were installed today........I feel that it will all be completed by the end of next week......sure hope that I am not being tooooooooo optimistic!!!!!
I have an appt. with my Dr at noon tomorrow to check up on the results of one week of using this powerful medicine. As far as I can tell......everything is working properly.....guess I'll find out tomorrow.
Talked with my son, Jeremy, today.....and he had returned from a week in Washington D.C over the weekend. He and his client, the new Congressman from District 8 in Indiana, had been over there for the Rep. to participate in the orientation at the Capitol for new members of the House of Representatives. CNN did a three minute story on his candidate....Jay was the Campaign Manger for him for the past 1.5 years......and in watching the CNN special story, we saw Jeremy a couple of times.
And soooooo, my body says..."Lay me down, please".....and so, even though the time is early.....I think I will do as I am being commanded to do! Besides......I am into a good novel and can read myself into a relaxed state of mind and body very easily. As usual......
Life is Great.....and I hope it is for all of you, also!!!
I have six friends arriving at 9am in the morning to assist with the heavy moving....i.e...the grand piano and the fridge. Then there are two sofas, an "L" shaped computer desk, a 35" tellie with stand, and a few other odds and ends in the furniture line. I don't believe we will ever, ever, ever find everything again.....and then if we do we will not know where to put it. We also had to move today all of the items/things in two LARGE double door closets as they have hardwood floors, also.
My body is screaming with muscle strain this evening from moving the "stuff" and I know it will be difficult to sleep peacefully tonight. Oh well........the light at the end of the "Remodeling Tunnel" is getting brighter. Our new kitchen sink, faucets, gas lines for the new gas range, and a few other things were installed today........I feel that it will all be completed by the end of next week......sure hope that I am not being tooooooooo optimistic!!!!!
I have an appt. with my Dr at noon tomorrow to check up on the results of one week of using this powerful medicine. As far as I can tell......everything is working properly.....guess I'll find out tomorrow.
Talked with my son, Jeremy, today.....and he had returned from a week in Washington D.C over the weekend. He and his client, the new Congressman from District 8 in Indiana, had been over there for the Rep. to participate in the orientation at the Capitol for new members of the House of Representatives. CNN did a three minute story on his candidate....Jay was the Campaign Manger for him for the past 1.5 years......and in watching the CNN special story, we saw Jeremy a couple of times.
And soooooo, my body says..."Lay me down, please".....and so, even though the time is early.....I think I will do as I am being commanded to do! Besides......I am into a good novel and can read myself into a relaxed state of mind and body very easily. As usual......
Life is Great.....and I hope it is for all of you, also!!!
Sunday, November 19, 2006
Running out of time.....and spaces!
Today.....well, almost the entire day was spent in working on the house....specifically the sun room. And I must admit......in the last couple of years I have developed an allergy to paint fumes......soooooo, the 1st Lady has been doing the painting since we cannot have the windows/doors open with the cold temps. I did paint the edges of the ceiling where the paint roller could not do a good job......but, even with wearing a face mask that I purchased, the fumes had my head pounding with every heart beat. Eventually, it makes me very dizzy and weak.
Soooo, I stayed out of there as much as possible........but after an hour of exposure I then went back into the kitchen and vaccumed out the new drawers and cabinet shelves......getting all of the saw dust, etc., etc. out so we can begin to put the dishes, etc. into the new cabs.
Tomorrow....well, we must get the little stuff moved and stored.....somewhere! That way I hopefully will be able to get some muscle help to move the large pieces of furniture and get them off of the hardwood floors for the refinishing job this coming weekend. UGH!!!! Hope we can get all of this done!!!!!!
Enjoyed watching the Sunday evening CBS "The Amazing Race"!!!!! LOVE that show!!!! And this particular episode was exciting and frustrating......especially with the Cho brothers who just didn't want to take any leadership and push ahead......or get serious about asking for assistance from the locals. Just seemed like they had lost their steam on this leg of the race......
Feeling quite a bit better today......thankfully. Again.....for ALL of the many, many messages I have received from you readers........THANKS soooo much for caring!!!!! With soooo many people concerned, how can I not say that....
Life is Great......and I hope it is for all of you, also!!!
Soooo, I stayed out of there as much as possible........but after an hour of exposure I then went back into the kitchen and vaccumed out the new drawers and cabinet shelves......getting all of the saw dust, etc., etc. out so we can begin to put the dishes, etc. into the new cabs.
Tomorrow....well, we must get the little stuff moved and stored.....somewhere! That way I hopefully will be able to get some muscle help to move the large pieces of furniture and get them off of the hardwood floors for the refinishing job this coming weekend. UGH!!!! Hope we can get all of this done!!!!!!
Enjoyed watching the Sunday evening CBS "The Amazing Race"!!!!! LOVE that show!!!! And this particular episode was exciting and frustrating......especially with the Cho brothers who just didn't want to take any leadership and push ahead......or get serious about asking for assistance from the locals. Just seemed like they had lost their steam on this leg of the race......
Feeling quite a bit better today......thankfully. Again.....for ALL of the many, many messages I have received from you readers........THANKS soooo much for caring!!!!! With soooo many people concerned, how can I not say that....
Life is Great......and I hope it is for all of you, also!!!
Saturday, November 18, 2006
Dashing around STL.....and an evening dinner...
Things seem to be improving with this old man.......or at least I hope so. I ran up to STL this morning on several missions....all dealing with the house remodeling. Needed to purchase the granite tiles for the backsplash of the kitchen countertops, pick up a mirrored medicine cabinet for the new bath....check on a few Christmas present possibilities.....and then bring back three different colors of window treatments to decide on the best color for the sun room. I also bought a quart of paint of the color we THINK we will like so that we can paint a patch on the walls and check it out for being toooooo light or being tooooooooooo intense. Tomorrow....that will be the paint day.....
Then returning here late afternoon, I had a couple of hours to rest.....and I needed it as this medicine I am taking really does me in......from being dizzy at times to being disoriented and not being able to think clearly. Then we were off to Farmington to attend the 1st Lady's Beta Sigma Phi Sorority Turkey Day dinner. Being held at the home of Bill and JoAnn Banks....there were only 12 couples there for the catered event........it is a very nice home on several levels. Not sure I would want to climb all of those steps every time I needed something......but it works for them.
It was a martini reception hour.....of which I couldn't partake.....not with these meds. Then the dinner was the traditional turkey dinner..........hmmmmm, how best do I say this? Just not as good as I had expected......in fact, it really wasn't very good. Oh well.........it was very filling and we didn't have to prepare it! HAHA!
Back home......and I am feeling like an old man with an age of 63!!! So......this most interesting post will now come to a close.....as I close out my day. MUCH to do tomorrow around here in preparation for the refinishing of the floors this coming week. And sooooo.......
Life is better....almost good......and I hope it is GREAT for all of you!!!!!
Then returning here late afternoon, I had a couple of hours to rest.....and I needed it as this medicine I am taking really does me in......from being dizzy at times to being disoriented and not being able to think clearly. Then we were off to Farmington to attend the 1st Lady's Beta Sigma Phi Sorority Turkey Day dinner. Being held at the home of Bill and JoAnn Banks....there were only 12 couples there for the catered event........it is a very nice home on several levels. Not sure I would want to climb all of those steps every time I needed something......but it works for them.
It was a martini reception hour.....of which I couldn't partake.....not with these meds. Then the dinner was the traditional turkey dinner..........hmmmmm, how best do I say this? Just not as good as I had expected......in fact, it really wasn't very good. Oh well.........it was very filling and we didn't have to prepare it! HAHA!
Back home......and I am feeling like an old man with an age of 63!!! So......this most interesting post will now come to a close.....as I close out my day. MUCH to do tomorrow around here in preparation for the refinishing of the floors this coming week. And sooooo.......
Life is better....almost good......and I hope it is GREAT for all of you!!!!!
Friday, November 17, 2006
Friday evening.....editing this morning's post
Just a quickie......I am ok, not in the hospital, and hopefully getting better. The meds are affecting my aging body.....dizzy, squinting in the window light(we do have some sun today), and just generally not myself....YET. More later.....
EVENING:
I soooo appreciate all of you who called and/or emailed me today with your concerns for/about me!!!!!! Oh yeah.....last week and this week have been a couple of really rough weeks.......sure hope in this instance things don't "come in threes". My resistance is not quite ready for anything else for awhile.
Yesterday.....it simply went by in a fog.....instigated by the intake of the drug/meds I have been taking for the "infection". AND.....sad to say, I was not allowed to use any of my infamous dark red medicine. If I had......not sure what would have happened as the pill I am taking makes things blurry and foggy enough with my usual!
Soooo, as many of you know, I just didn't have the "right stuff" to even write a small report last night. And so, I just went to bed.....from my horizontal position on the sofa where I spent the day.....it was a short trip to the bedroom. The pill sure makes it easy to sleep......for more hours than I normally do.
Today.......have felt much better.....until I made a trip to the Bd of Education Building. I kept thinking it was sooooooo damn bright outside....even with just a hint of a sun sometimes peeking through the cloud cover. Couldn't figure it out.....I could hardly stand the brightness. After taking care of some board of ed business I returned home......and had noticed that during the "excursion" into the real world that I was not only squinting, but was a bit dizzy and shaky. Oh well.........
Then I remembered upon returning home that some of the warnings about side effects of this drug is that I should remain OUT of the sunlight......this drug eliminates any protection from the rays of the sun......and it makes it difficult to see in the bright light!!!! DUMB ME!!!! No wonder I thought the sun was unusually bright behind the clouds!!! SOOOO, tomorrow I will wear dark glasses........no need to worry about the skin.....it is toooo damn cold to be exposing any skin.
I AM tired of feeling this way......not 100% John Howser!! I made an appt. with my Dr. for Tuesday morning.....and was told the lab results from the tests had not come back to her office as of this morning. Will certainly be glad.....I HOPE....to get the results, hoping that it is ONLY the bladder/urinary tract infection. I have consumed.....and drained.....many, many, many gallons of water in the past four days.....and will continue to do so to cleanse and flush out the plumbing system in the lower extremities of this aging and sagging hulk of a human.
The countertop is finished and sealed......and now the backsplash needs to be done. We have decided......let me rephrase that.....the 1st Lady has finally agreed to do the backsplash in the same black granite tiles with the copper sparkle that we have on the countertop. I have pushed for that for the past few weeks.....and think she finally got tired of trying to find a better alternative!!??
I am making arrangements with friends to come over late Tuesday afternoon to assist us with moving the heavy pieces of furniture off of the hardwood floors. NOW.....just exactly where all the furniture is to be placed.......we don't have a clue. But....it has to be done as the floor man will begin on Wednesday afternoon and by the time we return on Monday after Turkey Day, the floors will be ready to move the furniture back into the proper places......except the grand piano. It will have to wait about three weeks to be certain the finish on the floor is totally "cured" before we carry it to the corner where it belongs.
And sooooo......you can see I am feeling better or you wouldn't be reading all of this ramblin' crap that has brought you to this point! I am going to close this for now.......tomorrow I am going to attempt to make a run to STL to pick up the backsplash tiles, the medicine cabinet, check out bar stools, check on the cabinet door that are having the ribbed glass inserts installed, find some black caulkin for under the new kitchen sink, and anything other little items. The light at the end of the tunnel of this LONG remodeling project is getting brighter and brighter......FINALLY! I may have to wear my dark glasses in the house......!!
And so........I am almost afraid to say.....that....
Life is becoming almost good.......and I hope it is GREAT for all of you(and that I feel the same in a few more days)!!!!
EVENING:
I soooo appreciate all of you who called and/or emailed me today with your concerns for/about me!!!!!! Oh yeah.....last week and this week have been a couple of really rough weeks.......sure hope in this instance things don't "come in threes". My resistance is not quite ready for anything else for awhile.
Yesterday.....it simply went by in a fog.....instigated by the intake of the drug/meds I have been taking for the "infection". AND.....sad to say, I was not allowed to use any of my infamous dark red medicine. If I had......not sure what would have happened as the pill I am taking makes things blurry and foggy enough with my usual!
Soooo, as many of you know, I just didn't have the "right stuff" to even write a small report last night. And so, I just went to bed.....from my horizontal position on the sofa where I spent the day.....it was a short trip to the bedroom. The pill sure makes it easy to sleep......for more hours than I normally do.
Today.......have felt much better.....until I made a trip to the Bd of Education Building. I kept thinking it was sooooooo damn bright outside....even with just a hint of a sun sometimes peeking through the cloud cover. Couldn't figure it out.....I could hardly stand the brightness. After taking care of some board of ed business I returned home......and had noticed that during the "excursion" into the real world that I was not only squinting, but was a bit dizzy and shaky. Oh well.........
Then I remembered upon returning home that some of the warnings about side effects of this drug is that I should remain OUT of the sunlight......this drug eliminates any protection from the rays of the sun......and it makes it difficult to see in the bright light!!!! DUMB ME!!!! No wonder I thought the sun was unusually bright behind the clouds!!! SOOOO, tomorrow I will wear dark glasses........no need to worry about the skin.....it is toooo damn cold to be exposing any skin.
I AM tired of feeling this way......not 100% John Howser!! I made an appt. with my Dr. for Tuesday morning.....and was told the lab results from the tests had not come back to her office as of this morning. Will certainly be glad.....I HOPE....to get the results, hoping that it is ONLY the bladder/urinary tract infection. I have consumed.....and drained.....many, many, many gallons of water in the past four days.....and will continue to do so to cleanse and flush out the plumbing system in the lower extremities of this aging and sagging hulk of a human.
The countertop is finished and sealed......and now the backsplash needs to be done. We have decided......let me rephrase that.....the 1st Lady has finally agreed to do the backsplash in the same black granite tiles with the copper sparkle that we have on the countertop. I have pushed for that for the past few weeks.....and think she finally got tired of trying to find a better alternative!!??
I am making arrangements with friends to come over late Tuesday afternoon to assist us with moving the heavy pieces of furniture off of the hardwood floors. NOW.....just exactly where all the furniture is to be placed.......we don't have a clue. But....it has to be done as the floor man will begin on Wednesday afternoon and by the time we return on Monday after Turkey Day, the floors will be ready to move the furniture back into the proper places......except the grand piano. It will have to wait about three weeks to be certain the finish on the floor is totally "cured" before we carry it to the corner where it belongs.
And sooooo......you can see I am feeling better or you wouldn't be reading all of this ramblin' crap that has brought you to this point! I am going to close this for now.......tomorrow I am going to attempt to make a run to STL to pick up the backsplash tiles, the medicine cabinet, check out bar stools, check on the cabinet door that are having the ribbed glass inserts installed, find some black caulkin for under the new kitchen sink, and anything other little items. The light at the end of the tunnel of this LONG remodeling project is getting brighter and brighter......FINALLY! I may have to wear my dark glasses in the house......!!
And so........I am almost afraid to say.....that....
Life is becoming almost good.......and I hope it is GREAT for all of you(and that I feel the same in a few more days)!!!!
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
Better.....??
THAT is a good question........that this morning I would have to most definitely said, "no", and that would been said very weakly. It was a terrible night with NO sleep......too many chills and tooooooooooooo many trips to the necessary room!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! At 8am, I got up for the final time and just moved to the sofa and drifted in and out of a few minutes of sleep.
A horrible no-caffeine headache had developed during the night, accented and encouraged by no sleep and my stumbling in the dark on a definite pathway on the carpet to the bathroom. BECAUSE the medicine I received had a TON of "do not takes" on the list.....and one of them was caffeine,I had not had any all day......just gallons of water that rushed through my pipes every 20 minutes or so. So, the 1st Lady called the Pharmacy and inquired as to the type of pain killers I could take with this high-powered prescription.......and, of course, it was the kind I use all the time.....which I could have taken early on during the evening.
I laid on the sofa all morning long......drifting in and out of consciousness for several hours. By noon I was feeling somewhat more human, even though I was still getting my exercise on the freshly made pathway through the house. The pain was not as strong.......and I did move about more.
Soooo, as the day progressed, despite the terrible cold rains and wind, I think that the meds are...hopefully....doing their assigned tasks. Time will tell......when I have to have another specimen taken......but I am hopeful.
Other than all of the above......the day has been rather a blur....having had no sleep last night. And, because of that I am writing this early......and will lay my exhausted body into the normal horizontal position for the night.......and HOPE that it remains horizontal for 99% of the night!
Life is getting better......and I hope it is GREAT for all of you!!
A horrible no-caffeine headache had developed during the night, accented and encouraged by no sleep and my stumbling in the dark on a definite pathway on the carpet to the bathroom. BECAUSE the medicine I received had a TON of "do not takes" on the list.....and one of them was caffeine,I had not had any all day......just gallons of water that rushed through my pipes every 20 minutes or so. So, the 1st Lady called the Pharmacy and inquired as to the type of pain killers I could take with this high-powered prescription.......and, of course, it was the kind I use all the time.....which I could have taken early on during the evening.
I laid on the sofa all morning long......drifting in and out of consciousness for several hours. By noon I was feeling somewhat more human, even though I was still getting my exercise on the freshly made pathway through the house. The pain was not as strong.......and I did move about more.
Soooo, as the day progressed, despite the terrible cold rains and wind, I think that the meds are...hopefully....doing their assigned tasks. Time will tell......when I have to have another specimen taken......but I am hopeful.
Other than all of the above......the day has been rather a blur....having had no sleep last night. And, because of that I am writing this early......and will lay my exhausted body into the normal horizontal position for the night.......and HOPE that it remains horizontal for 99% of the night!
Life is getting better......and I hope it is GREAT for all of you!!
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
A health problem surfaces today.....hope it is a small problem....
With the 1st Lady still up at her mother's home, for some reason I awoke at 4am this morning.......and feeling rather strange. I laid there and tossed around until 6am and then decided to get up. Taking a shower, I began to realize that I felt like I had fever......my eyelids ALWAYS become sooooo heavy when a fever attacks me.
Then when doing my morning #1.......a burning sensation became very strong during the evacuation process. Soooo, I finished my morning cleansing duties and got my Fr Roast and sat down in the den. As the morning wore on I found myself with this fever.....chills.....and getting out of the chair to take care of the necessary #1 problem. I began to drink 8 ounces of water each time I made a trip to the necessary room......and so that only made me head to that little room more and more.....until it was about every 20 minutes. I took some Ibuprfen(sp. is wrong) for the fever.....but it really didn't do much good.
At 2:15 another trip to the little room was necessary, but this time......well, the upsetting color of blood was highly visible. Sitting down in the den....I thought for a couple of minutes and then thought to myself that this will not get better by itself......so, I placed a call to our family doctor in Park Hills and requested an appt for tomorrow....only to be informed that the Dr's office is not open on Wed!!! BUT...the receptionist who seemed to know me when I introduced myself told me to stay on the phone....she would talk with the Dr. She then told me visit Dr. Damba's office here which is run by the nurse practicioner(sp)......and the office girl was a former student of mine. The nurse prac. was not in but Dr. Damba told me to get there and get specimen test taken......Which I did.....
And in doing so.....it was about all blood. She tested it,faxed the results to Dr. Damba, and in two minutes a prescription was called in to our Pharmacy here in town. Initial thought is that it is a bladder infection..........
The meds is HIGHLY potent.......expensive and can only take one a day......plus drown myself with water....which I am doing. Not having ever experienced this type of infection.....well, the worries are most definitely floating through my mind tonight. The lady at the Pharmacy assured me that with this potent medication I should tell a difference in two days.........she had just had the same thing last week and it cured her quickly.......but, we are all diffeent....right?
Soooo, the fever goes up and down....the chills still shake my heated body.....and there is not much of a varied color difference.....just not as intense.
Soooo, now that you know all the gory details and I have explained ALL that I know......I am very receptive to any of you with similiar infections and your experiences. At age 63......the mind ALWAYS goes negative when an internal problem develops.......none of use really know what is happening inside of us......do we????????????????
Life isn't quite as good as I hoped for today......but, for all of you I hope it is really GREAT!!!!!
Then when doing my morning #1.......a burning sensation became very strong during the evacuation process. Soooo, I finished my morning cleansing duties and got my Fr Roast and sat down in the den. As the morning wore on I found myself with this fever.....chills.....and getting out of the chair to take care of the necessary #1 problem. I began to drink 8 ounces of water each time I made a trip to the necessary room......and so that only made me head to that little room more and more.....until it was about every 20 minutes. I took some Ibuprfen(sp. is wrong) for the fever.....but it really didn't do much good.
At 2:15 another trip to the little room was necessary, but this time......well, the upsetting color of blood was highly visible. Sitting down in the den....I thought for a couple of minutes and then thought to myself that this will not get better by itself......so, I placed a call to our family doctor in Park Hills and requested an appt for tomorrow....only to be informed that the Dr's office is not open on Wed!!! BUT...the receptionist who seemed to know me when I introduced myself told me to stay on the phone....she would talk with the Dr. She then told me visit Dr. Damba's office here which is run by the nurse practicioner(sp)......and the office girl was a former student of mine. The nurse prac. was not in but Dr. Damba told me to get there and get specimen test taken......Which I did.....
And in doing so.....it was about all blood. She tested it,faxed the results to Dr. Damba, and in two minutes a prescription was called in to our Pharmacy here in town. Initial thought is that it is a bladder infection..........
The meds is HIGHLY potent.......expensive and can only take one a day......plus drown myself with water....which I am doing. Not having ever experienced this type of infection.....well, the worries are most definitely floating through my mind tonight. The lady at the Pharmacy assured me that with this potent medication I should tell a difference in two days.........she had just had the same thing last week and it cured her quickly.......but, we are all diffeent....right?
Soooo, the fever goes up and down....the chills still shake my heated body.....and there is not much of a varied color difference.....just not as intense.
Soooo, now that you know all the gory details and I have explained ALL that I know......I am very receptive to any of you with similiar infections and your experiences. At age 63......the mind ALWAYS goes negative when an internal problem develops.......none of use really know what is happening inside of us......do we????????????????
Life isn't quite as good as I hoped for today......but, for all of you I hope it is really GREAT!!!!!
Monday, November 13, 2006
A NEW week......!!
Ahhhhh......yes, it IS a new week and my mental and emotional state finds itself more into a John Howser frame of mind.......upbeat and optimistic. Not to say that "all is well", because as I wrote last week......the scars of last week's pain will never fully heal, but time does have a way of making the darkest of days (and nights) a bit more bearable.......and it does also clear the mind a little bit with each passing day.
I didn't write yesterday.....I was still trying to find my way through the fog and attempting to clear my mind of all of the events that occurred last week that were sooooo unpleasant. Even the election celebration party of Saturday night was only a brief respite......enough to let me see through the darkness of my mind and to understand that I had to surface and get on with my Life. And so.....I am doing just that.
I just hung out in the house......did some reading, did some online surfing, and did some planning for our upcoming 3 month winter trip to the Rio Grande Valley, Arizona, and Mexico. So, with nothing new to discuss, I took an evening off from this "business" of keeping those in this world informed.....and just....."hung out".
Today.......it was an early morning with the French Roast coffee ready by the time I emerged from the steaming shower......and I soon had a cup of very hot and aromatic coffee in my hand. Not too long after that the tile layer arrived and began the last day of putting the tile and bullnose edging on the countertop. And then.....the doorbell rang....while I was on the phone, of course......and it was the fellow who will refinish our floors. We made the plans and arrangements for him to return next week on the day before Thanksgiving to begin to take care of his part of our remodeling project. He should finish with everything except one room by the end of the Turkey Day weekend.....and then he will complete that room later the next week.
This afternoon.....I did some research on stainless steel wall plates and electrical switches as we are probably going to go ahead and put up granite tiles for our backsplash.....from the countertop up the 16 inches to the bottom of the new cabinets. Soooo, all of the outlets and switches will have to be extended forward to be flush with the granite tiles on the wall.
This evening........a former student and now a band director in Edwardsville....a VERY close friend, Andrew Gipson, dropped by on his back to Edwardsville after a day of deer hunting with is family. After touring the remodeled and very messy house, we went up to Farmington for dinner at the new Mexicano restaurante.....Las Margaritas. This is the first time he and I have had any time together.....just the two of us....in more than a year....probably closer to two years. Sooooo, needless to say......neither one of us came to a period or a pause during dinner and drinks. Not only was he professional life as a band director a huge topic of discussion, but also our personal lives were laid out on the table. We finally had to find the end of a paragraph so he could on the road as he has to teach at 7:30 in the morning. It was soooooooooooo great to finally have some time to talk....to discuss.....to just enjoy our friendship and to be together as best friends!!! The last time we were together was at his wedding this summer when I had the huge honor of being his Best Man for the ceremony.
And now.......with a GRANDE Margarita inside my aging and sagging body.......I find myself having to retype quite a few of these little lines.....hahahahaa!!!!!!
My Life is returning to something close to normal........and therefore,
Life is good.......and I hope it is great for all of you, also!!!!!
I didn't write yesterday.....I was still trying to find my way through the fog and attempting to clear my mind of all of the events that occurred last week that were sooooo unpleasant. Even the election celebration party of Saturday night was only a brief respite......enough to let me see through the darkness of my mind and to understand that I had to surface and get on with my Life. And so.....I am doing just that.
I just hung out in the house......did some reading, did some online surfing, and did some planning for our upcoming 3 month winter trip to the Rio Grande Valley, Arizona, and Mexico. So, with nothing new to discuss, I took an evening off from this "business" of keeping those in this world informed.....and just....."hung out".
Today.......it was an early morning with the French Roast coffee ready by the time I emerged from the steaming shower......and I soon had a cup of very hot and aromatic coffee in my hand. Not too long after that the tile layer arrived and began the last day of putting the tile and bullnose edging on the countertop. And then.....the doorbell rang....while I was on the phone, of course......and it was the fellow who will refinish our floors. We made the plans and arrangements for him to return next week on the day before Thanksgiving to begin to take care of his part of our remodeling project. He should finish with everything except one room by the end of the Turkey Day weekend.....and then he will complete that room later the next week.
This afternoon.....I did some research on stainless steel wall plates and electrical switches as we are probably going to go ahead and put up granite tiles for our backsplash.....from the countertop up the 16 inches to the bottom of the new cabinets. Soooo, all of the outlets and switches will have to be extended forward to be flush with the granite tiles on the wall.
This evening........a former student and now a band director in Edwardsville....a VERY close friend, Andrew Gipson, dropped by on his back to Edwardsville after a day of deer hunting with is family. After touring the remodeled and very messy house, we went up to Farmington for dinner at the new Mexicano restaurante.....Las Margaritas. This is the first time he and I have had any time together.....just the two of us....in more than a year....probably closer to two years. Sooooo, needless to say......neither one of us came to a period or a pause during dinner and drinks. Not only was he professional life as a band director a huge topic of discussion, but also our personal lives were laid out on the table. We finally had to find the end of a paragraph so he could on the road as he has to teach at 7:30 in the morning. It was soooooooooooo great to finally have some time to talk....to discuss.....to just enjoy our friendship and to be together as best friends!!! The last time we were together was at his wedding this summer when I had the huge honor of being his Best Man for the ceremony.
And now.......with a GRANDE Margarita inside my aging and sagging body.......I find myself having to retype quite a few of these little lines.....hahahahaa!!!!!!
My Life is returning to something close to normal........and therefore,
Life is good.......and I hope it is great for all of you, also!!!!!
Saturday, November 11, 2006
Return to the hectic Life of a retired Band Director....
Oh yeah......as I said last night.... "Life goes on (as it should)". Today I was off to STL by 8:30 this morning........and did return to F'town until about 5pm. Objective???? To purchase those damn two little pendant lights for the counter/bar, return some unused granite tile, look for a little black leather chair for the entertainment room, window treatments for the sun room windows, and medicine cab./mirror for the bathroom. So....did I complete my objectives?? Haha...what do you think?
Hell no....I did get the granite tile returned, I did look for the little chair, I did check out the EXPO DesignCenter for window treatments, I did look for a mirror/med. cabinet, and I DID look at several places all over STL for the pendant lights......however, the two I wanted will take 4-6 weeks to be shipped!!!!! DAMN!!
Sooooo, I returned home and immediately got online to search for the same two lights. I found them.....cheaper than at Metro Lighting, no taxes, and free shipping. Now, I just need to have a couple of questions answered when they open on Monday morning and then place my order.....and they should be here shortly thereafter!!
This evening I attended an election Victory Celebration for our new Judge.....Rob Fulton. It was a fun evening with many, many of his supporters and campaign workers there for drinks and finger food. It was a nice way to remove from my mind some of the depressing events of this past week. I made sure that I didn't overdose myself on my dark red medicine while there!!!!! Once a month is MORE than I need to do!!!!
And sooooo, another busy day in my retired Life........and....a day of healing so that.....
Life is getting better......and I hope it is GREAT for all of you!!!
Hell no....I did get the granite tile returned, I did look for the little chair, I did check out the EXPO DesignCenter for window treatments, I did look for a mirror/med. cabinet, and I DID look at several places all over STL for the pendant lights......however, the two I wanted will take 4-6 weeks to be shipped!!!!! DAMN!!
Sooooo, I returned home and immediately got online to search for the same two lights. I found them.....cheaper than at Metro Lighting, no taxes, and free shipping. Now, I just need to have a couple of questions answered when they open on Monday morning and then place my order.....and they should be here shortly thereafter!!
This evening I attended an election Victory Celebration for our new Judge.....Rob Fulton. It was a fun evening with many, many of his supporters and campaign workers there for drinks and finger food. It was a nice way to remove from my mind some of the depressing events of this past week. I made sure that I didn't overdose myself on my dark red medicine while there!!!!! Once a month is MORE than I need to do!!!!
And sooooo, another busy day in my retired Life........and....a day of healing so that.....
Life is getting better......and I hope it is GREAT for all of you!!!
Friday, November 10, 2006
Another day....and Life goes on (as it should!)
Arising at about the same time as usual.......and after a refreshing shower, I made the Fr. Roast coffee.....and hoped it would eliminate, or at least modify, a pounding headache that began during the night. Well......after laying around for a few hours and after a couple of large mugs of coffee......the headache remained. Sooooo, most of this day was spent by not doing much of anything........just trying to not make it any worse.
Suppose it was just tension/nerves that caused the pounding. This has not been the best of weeks, as most of you realize. And.....that is most likely the reason.....
For sooooooo many of you who wrote and sent me such kind words of support and thoughtfulness, my many, many thanks go out to you. This instant communication technology that we live with now certainly makes it easier to send messages of support from all over the world.......and that is exactly where sooooo many messages came from......all over the world.
THANK YOU!!
The 1st Lady left this afternoon to visit her mother for a long weekend......her sister from Kansas is also planning to be there. Me? I will be here attending to the construction......and running to STL to pick up a few more things that must be here when it is time for the installation.
The weather is changing radically. Northern winds are beating against the windows, a bit of rain fell, and a few tornado watches/warnings were issued for the area as the cold front roared out of Canada and dropped into S.E. Missouri this evening. But.....it is time!
Time to lay this aging hulk on the bed.........surely the demon in my head will exit while I am asleep!!??
Life goes on....and will get better......and I hope that Life is Great for all of you!!
Suppose it was just tension/nerves that caused the pounding. This has not been the best of weeks, as most of you realize. And.....that is most likely the reason.....
For sooooooo many of you who wrote and sent me such kind words of support and thoughtfulness, my many, many thanks go out to you. This instant communication technology that we live with now certainly makes it easier to send messages of support from all over the world.......and that is exactly where sooooo many messages came from......all over the world.
THANK YOU!!
The 1st Lady left this afternoon to visit her mother for a long weekend......her sister from Kansas is also planning to be there. Me? I will be here attending to the construction......and running to STL to pick up a few more things that must be here when it is time for the installation.
The weather is changing radically. Northern winds are beating against the windows, a bit of rain fell, and a few tornado watches/warnings were issued for the area as the cold front roared out of Canada and dropped into S.E. Missouri this evening. But.....it is time!
Time to lay this aging hulk on the bed.........surely the demon in my head will exit while I am asleep!!??
Life goes on....and will get better......and I hope that Life is Great for all of you!!
Thursday, November 09, 2006
An emotional.....very emotional day......
It has always been said that a parent shouldn't have to bury his/her child........but...I might change that a little to say that......a teacher shouldn't have to watch the burial of his student. Now.....I have done both during my Life.......and tonight I feel that there is really no difference in the two.
When a student comes into your class every day....I repeat....every day for seven years......plus, field trips...competitions....performances on weekends and nights.....and, even more importantly becomes an extended member of your household and your son's best friend..........that student becomes a big part of your Life...and your Family. And when that student's life is tragically taken away.......your Life changes.......that part of your Life is gone and the void becomes very quickly almost unbearable. And so it is.......tonight.
While David would have wanted today's services to be a celebration.....he loved to Party.....the circumstances surrounding his untimely death overwhelmed everyone....and a celebration was not part of the services. Music was a very important part of his Life........and so..it was only right that music was a large part of his services today. David loved the unusual.....and the first number was a song/poem accompanied by the singer on the spoons......an interesting choice for the rhythm background. Following that performance, a former student of mine, Vaughn Bentinganan performed a tribute to Dave on his alto saxophone......a piece composed by Vaughn in a jazz idiom. Vaughn.....now a professional jazz instrumentalist from Seattle....played with warmth and emotional expression.......Dave would have really enjoyed it.
The chapel was packed and overflowing with family and the many, many friends that arrived from places far and near to pay their respects and love for Dave. From St. Louis, his many friends and co-workers arrived by chartered bus.......a way of allowing their love for Dave to be shared on the trip down here. Many gave personal testimonies about Dave.....and what they said was sooooo perfect in defining this young man....his personality, his love for Life, and why everyone loved him. The message by the minister of his little country church gave a great message and shared with us his observations of Dave as he matured. A wonderful service for a wonderful young man!
And so......I am drained from the emotional 72 hours that have passed.........I find myself watching the clock and wondering how long this feeling of loss will last......... It will gradually pass and Life will continue.......it has before and it always will again. Time always heals these emotional upheavals........but the scars remain forever.....they don't go away.......
I hope your day was a great one.....as usual!
When a student comes into your class every day....I repeat....every day for seven years......plus, field trips...competitions....performances on weekends and nights.....and, even more importantly becomes an extended member of your household and your son's best friend..........that student becomes a big part of your Life...and your Family. And when that student's life is tragically taken away.......your Life changes.......that part of your Life is gone and the void becomes very quickly almost unbearable. And so it is.......tonight.
While David would have wanted today's services to be a celebration.....he loved to Party.....the circumstances surrounding his untimely death overwhelmed everyone....and a celebration was not part of the services. Music was a very important part of his Life........and so..it was only right that music was a large part of his services today. David loved the unusual.....and the first number was a song/poem accompanied by the singer on the spoons......an interesting choice for the rhythm background. Following that performance, a former student of mine, Vaughn Bentinganan performed a tribute to Dave on his alto saxophone......a piece composed by Vaughn in a jazz idiom. Vaughn.....now a professional jazz instrumentalist from Seattle....played with warmth and emotional expression.......Dave would have really enjoyed it.
The chapel was packed and overflowing with family and the many, many friends that arrived from places far and near to pay their respects and love for Dave. From St. Louis, his many friends and co-workers arrived by chartered bus.......a way of allowing their love for Dave to be shared on the trip down here. Many gave personal testimonies about Dave.....and what they said was sooooo perfect in defining this young man....his personality, his love for Life, and why everyone loved him. The message by the minister of his little country church gave a great message and shared with us his observations of Dave as he matured. A wonderful service for a wonderful young man!
And so......I am drained from the emotional 72 hours that have passed.........I find myself watching the clock and wondering how long this feeling of loss will last......... It will gradually pass and Life will continue.......it has before and it always will again. Time always heals these emotional upheavals........but the scars remain forever.....they don't go away.......
I hope your day was a great one.....as usual!
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
Sunny and warm outside.....but inside the dreariness remains.....
The morning arrived early......after remaining in front of the tellie until 2AM....until Claire McCaskill became Missouri's new Senator!! YEAH!! Upon awakening and moving my very, very tired and depressed body to the den, I turned on the tellie to discover that Missouri's Amendment 2 had also PASSED.......YEAH!!!!!! It was a great win in the elections: county, state, and national.......and now it is time to get our country headed in the RIGHT direction.
Later this morning, the 1st Lady and I took some food over to David's parents........and it was a very emotional time for all of us. His parents, who are older, are suffering so much......it is such a loss to them...of course. Such a loss for everyone......
This afternoon was a long one........Jeremy arrived around 5pm.....and we all got ready to go to the visitation at the local funeral home. Jeremy had difficulty get ready as his phone continued to ring.........more interview needed.....PBS called for an interview.....the business of national politics cannot come to a halt, even for a best friend's death.
We spent the evening at the funeal home......and even though the circumstances were not good, it was good to see many, many former band students from the time period that David was in band. Such an emotional evening...... Dr. Jeni and Darrel also drove down to be there at the visitation.
And sooooo, as I said above.....the day was beautiful...but it was an emotional dreary one.....
Life will be better......but, I hope it is great for all of you.
Later this morning, the 1st Lady and I took some food over to David's parents........and it was a very emotional time for all of us. His parents, who are older, are suffering so much......it is such a loss to them...of course. Such a loss for everyone......
This afternoon was a long one........Jeremy arrived around 5pm.....and we all got ready to go to the visitation at the local funeral home. Jeremy had difficulty get ready as his phone continued to ring.........more interview needed.....PBS called for an interview.....the business of national politics cannot come to a halt, even for a best friend's death.
We spent the evening at the funeal home......and even though the circumstances were not good, it was good to see many, many former band students from the time period that David was in band. Such an emotional evening...... Dr. Jeni and Darrel also drove down to be there at the visitation.
And sooooo, as I said above.....the day was beautiful...but it was an emotional dreary one.....
Life will be better......but, I hope it is great for all of you.
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
Continuing sadness and depression....
How difficult it was to awaken this morning and to have to realize that it has not been a nightmare......but is actually reality. I pulled myself out of bed and after a shower I made the coffee.....and found myself sitting on the sofa and staring off into space.........about 45 minutes after I sat down. The weather outside was a reflection of my feelings.......gray, wet, and somber.
I finally got on my feet and began to stir as the tile installer/layer was here and working on the countertop. Yesterday prior to him leaving, he came to the conclusion that we were 1-2 tiles short.......each tile is 24" x 24". So, at 7:15 this morning, I called The Tile Shop in STL to inquire if they had a couple of tiles in stock. I was told that they would have to check their stock when the warehouse opens.....around 8:30. The computer said they had 3 boxes in inventory, but we all know how the computer and the actual inventory never quite agrees. Sooooo, I poured some more coffee, sat down, and waited.....for a phone call.
By 10:30 I was on the road headed to STL to pick up the two tiles. Somehow I arrived in south STL.....before I knew I had driven up there. My mind was on David......his first attempts on his trumpet in 6th grade Beginning Band, his days in class in the Middle School Bands, his constant smile and wonderful postive attitude, his constant practicing to improve his natural talent on his trumpet, his competitiveness with his classmates in the trumpet section for the "1st Chair", the continuing efforts he gave to rise to the top seats in the large trumpet section in the H.S.Band....his solos and ensemble performances in the spring contests, how proud he always was of the Band's performances on the field and when we continuted to win the parade competitions......and most of all, his incredible positive attitude!!
And then......he spent sooooo much time at my/our home. First as a "best friend" of my son, Jeremy,.....and then as not just a student of mine, but as we became close friends. He was a fun loving young man......and as he matured, he continued to love Life and to enjoy it....and all of his many, many friends. Whenever he arrived at my front door and entered the house, OR.....when he left the house.....I was always the recipient of a big bear hug......a hug of intense friendship from such a warm and friendly young man.
During those years of high school.....and after he graduated and during the next 11 years....I was not only his friend, but his confident.....and a second father. There was never a subject that was not discussed.....openly and without any hesitation, even with our large age difference. We shared many cups of coffee in these discussions.....and then as he reached the age of freedom (21), we often shared a few beers or glasses of dark red medicine.
The wonderful smile that he always had on his face.......the balding head that we laughed about as he began to see his hair disappear, the tattoos that he added to his body, the earrings that became a part of his "look"......and then the maturity took over and the earrings disappeared.
And then.......his "girl" became his wife......and he had one of the most beautiful weddings with a string quartet for music... performing in the glass conservatory of Tower Grove Park in STL as the setting for the ceremony.
David Adcox..........a young man even at 29 years of age.......as he slipped under the wheels of a large, driverless semi truck that was moving down the street,......he slipped away from all of us.......and this young man and his wonderful smile, his wonderful bear hugs, and his positive attitude about Life will no longer be here to make our lives more bearable.
David's Life was Great........and I hope that all of your lives are great, also!
I finally got on my feet and began to stir as the tile installer/layer was here and working on the countertop. Yesterday prior to him leaving, he came to the conclusion that we were 1-2 tiles short.......each tile is 24" x 24". So, at 7:15 this morning, I called The Tile Shop in STL to inquire if they had a couple of tiles in stock. I was told that they would have to check their stock when the warehouse opens.....around 8:30. The computer said they had 3 boxes in inventory, but we all know how the computer and the actual inventory never quite agrees. Sooooo, I poured some more coffee, sat down, and waited.....for a phone call.
By 10:30 I was on the road headed to STL to pick up the two tiles. Somehow I arrived in south STL.....before I knew I had driven up there. My mind was on David......his first attempts on his trumpet in 6th grade Beginning Band, his days in class in the Middle School Bands, his constant smile and wonderful postive attitude, his constant practicing to improve his natural talent on his trumpet, his competitiveness with his classmates in the trumpet section for the "1st Chair", the continuing efforts he gave to rise to the top seats in the large trumpet section in the H.S.Band....his solos and ensemble performances in the spring contests, how proud he always was of the Band's performances on the field and when we continuted to win the parade competitions......and most of all, his incredible positive attitude!!
And then......he spent sooooo much time at my/our home. First as a "best friend" of my son, Jeremy,.....and then as not just a student of mine, but as we became close friends. He was a fun loving young man......and as he matured, he continued to love Life and to enjoy it....and all of his many, many friends. Whenever he arrived at my front door and entered the house, OR.....when he left the house.....I was always the recipient of a big bear hug......a hug of intense friendship from such a warm and friendly young man.
During those years of high school.....and after he graduated and during the next 11 years....I was not only his friend, but his confident.....and a second father. There was never a subject that was not discussed.....openly and without any hesitation, even with our large age difference. We shared many cups of coffee in these discussions.....and then as he reached the age of freedom (21), we often shared a few beers or glasses of dark red medicine.
The wonderful smile that he always had on his face.......the balding head that we laughed about as he began to see his hair disappear, the tattoos that he added to his body, the earrings that became a part of his "look"......and then the maturity took over and the earrings disappeared.
And then.......his "girl" became his wife......and he had one of the most beautiful weddings with a string quartet for music... performing in the glass conservatory of Tower Grove Park in STL as the setting for the ceremony.
David Adcox..........a young man even at 29 years of age.......as he slipped under the wheels of a large, driverless semi truck that was moving down the street,......he slipped away from all of us.......and this young man and his wonderful smile, his wonderful bear hugs, and his positive attitude about Life will no longer be here to make our lives more bearable.
David's Life was Great........and I hope that all of your lives are great, also!
Monday, November 06, 2006
Rain, drizzle, clouds, cool temps, and.....sad news
The weather was terrible today.....so nasty...wet...and cold. The 1st Lady and spent last night with Dr. Jeni at the Moser Estate as she had a dental appointment with Dr. Jeni this morning. She spent the remainder of the day in STL doing some Christmas shopping.
I spent the day....inside! The young man who is installing the large granite tiles on our countertop was here all day getting down to business. He made a lot of progress and things are starting to look good.!!
I had a horrible phone call around dinner time this evening. I was informed that a former student of mine, who was always my son's very best friend, was killed today in a freak accident. He was moving a semi truck, realized the back doors were open, got out of the truck and it started to roll....so in the process of trying to get inside to stop it, he slipped on the rain soaked pavement and the truck rolled over him and he was killed.
David Adcox was in the class of '95....and was one of the best trumpet players I had during my 30 years as band director. He and my son, Jeremy, were best friends all through their school years......he spent many nights here at our house.....and they did soooo many things together as friends. I had to call Jeremy.......and, of course, he was at a final campaign event as he is a campaign manager for an Indiana Congressional candidate, Brad Ellsworth. With the election tomorrow......well, Jeremy couldn't even talk so I don't know how he is doing with this terrible news. They were sooooo close. And.......with the election....well, I know he can't even concentrate.....on anything now.
I am soooooo upset. He was such a good friend of mine.......while in school and over the past 11 years. He rarely returned to F'Town that he didn't show up at my front door.....just to sit and visit. It is just soooo sad.......such an incredible young man with soooo much going for him. As I have always said....since the very unexpected and unexplained death of our 8 year old daughter 32 years ago, we must all live Life to the fullest each and every day......we just don't know what tomorrow will bring...........
Life is not good tonight for me.......but for all of you, I certainly hope that it is good for you....always.
I spent the day....inside! The young man who is installing the large granite tiles on our countertop was here all day getting down to business. He made a lot of progress and things are starting to look good.!!
I had a horrible phone call around dinner time this evening. I was informed that a former student of mine, who was always my son's very best friend, was killed today in a freak accident. He was moving a semi truck, realized the back doors were open, got out of the truck and it started to roll....so in the process of trying to get inside to stop it, he slipped on the rain soaked pavement and the truck rolled over him and he was killed.
David Adcox was in the class of '95....and was one of the best trumpet players I had during my 30 years as band director. He and my son, Jeremy, were best friends all through their school years......he spent many nights here at our house.....and they did soooo many things together as friends. I had to call Jeremy.......and, of course, he was at a final campaign event as he is a campaign manager for an Indiana Congressional candidate, Brad Ellsworth. With the election tomorrow......well, Jeremy couldn't even talk so I don't know how he is doing with this terrible news. They were sooooo close. And.......with the election....well, I know he can't even concentrate.....on anything now.
I am soooooo upset. He was such a good friend of mine.......while in school and over the past 11 years. He rarely returned to F'Town that he didn't show up at my front door.....just to sit and visit. It is just soooo sad.......such an incredible young man with soooo much going for him. As I have always said....since the very unexpected and unexplained death of our 8 year old daughter 32 years ago, we must all live Life to the fullest each and every day......we just don't know what tomorrow will bring...........
Life is not good tonight for me.......but for all of you, I certainly hope that it is good for you....always.
Sunday, November 05, 2006
STL again.....McCaskill AND BARACK OBAMA!!!
The morning flew by as the 1st Lady and I watched the morning talk shows......and then we spent some time with out sample cabinet door and drawer pulls. WHAT a job!!!! Do we want them horizontal....vertical....short....long....in the middle....at the edge........which length at which place......:???????????????? Did we decide???? What do you think??? Of course not......it will take another hour or two of trial and discussion before we can decide.....and it IS difficult with the tubular pulls we have selected!!!! Tomorrow????
Then Joe Brown who is going to lay the granite tiles on the countertop and I left for STL and a trip to The Tile Store on West Manchester in west STL. We discussed the ins and outs of laying this type of tile.....watched a video at the store on the correct placements, measurements, etc., etc. and then headed to Panera Bread for a quick, late lunch.
Following a great bowl of broccoli and cheese soup and turkey/cheese/etc sandwich we drove back to the center of town to Forest Park for the McCaskill Rally at the World's Fair Pavillion.
It was to begin at 4pm.......well,.......these political events NEVER begin on time, and by the time we had stood there for over 2.5 hours as close as we could get without a VIP ticket, the event began.....and the chanting, the cheering, and the great crowd roared and urged the speakers to greater moments in their speeches. There were several thousand people there.......and thankfully we were inside, even though the winds blew into the Pavillion, the crowds helped to keep the temps higher!
On the speaker podium and speaking first were Gov. Roger Wilson, Rep. Russ Carnahan, Sen. Jean Carnahan, STL dignitaries....and also sitting on the stage were Jay Nixon (state Attorney General), former Sen. Tom Eagleton, and many, many others. And then.......Claire entered and gave a rousing and exciting speech......and she was looking great this evening. THEN.....
Sen. Barack Obama came in and the crowd went wild!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WHAT a charismatic person.....but.....BUT.....what an incredible speaker!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He has a message that resounds with truth and honesty and feeling.......and his thoughts are with the COMMON folks.....and it is sooooooooooooo positive and full of HOPE!!!!!! WHAT A DIFFERENCE THAN THE NEGATIVE, FEARFUL speeches we have endured for the past 6 years!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It has been a LONG, LONG time since I have seen a person excite a crowd like Obama can do.....and did tonight!!!!! As tired as I am from standing for almost four hours in ONE square foot of space on concrete.......I have not been able to go to bed....I cannot come down from the "high" which he gave tonight to each and every person who was there.
Back in 1968 I attended a rally/speech in Omaha, NB for/by Bobby Kennedy.....just days before he was shot in a hotel in L.A........and that was the last time I have seen an individual work a crowd like I saw tonight by Obama!!!! AND.....their messages are sooooo much the same......it is all about you....me.....the good folks of our country.......and the hope that there is for everyone. Oh my God.........what an exciting, exciting hour!!!!!!!
And so.......after being sooooo pumped up by such an incredible individual.....
LIFE IS GREAT.....AND I HOPE IT IS FOR ALL OF YOU, ALSO!!!!!
Then Joe Brown who is going to lay the granite tiles on the countertop and I left for STL and a trip to The Tile Store on West Manchester in west STL. We discussed the ins and outs of laying this type of tile.....watched a video at the store on the correct placements, measurements, etc., etc. and then headed to Panera Bread for a quick, late lunch.
Following a great bowl of broccoli and cheese soup and turkey/cheese/etc sandwich we drove back to the center of town to Forest Park for the McCaskill Rally at the World's Fair Pavillion.
It was to begin at 4pm.......well,.......these political events NEVER begin on time, and by the time we had stood there for over 2.5 hours as close as we could get without a VIP ticket, the event began.....and the chanting, the cheering, and the great crowd roared and urged the speakers to greater moments in their speeches. There were several thousand people there.......and thankfully we were inside, even though the winds blew into the Pavillion, the crowds helped to keep the temps higher!
On the speaker podium and speaking first were Gov. Roger Wilson, Rep. Russ Carnahan, Sen. Jean Carnahan, STL dignitaries....and also sitting on the stage were Jay Nixon (state Attorney General), former Sen. Tom Eagleton, and many, many others. And then.......Claire entered and gave a rousing and exciting speech......and she was looking great this evening. THEN.....
Sen. Barack Obama came in and the crowd went wild!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WHAT a charismatic person.....but.....BUT.....what an incredible speaker!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He has a message that resounds with truth and honesty and feeling.......and his thoughts are with the COMMON folks.....and it is sooooooooooooo positive and full of HOPE!!!!!! WHAT A DIFFERENCE THAN THE NEGATIVE, FEARFUL speeches we have endured for the past 6 years!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It has been a LONG, LONG time since I have seen a person excite a crowd like Obama can do.....and did tonight!!!!! As tired as I am from standing for almost four hours in ONE square foot of space on concrete.......I have not been able to go to bed....I cannot come down from the "high" which he gave tonight to each and every person who was there.
Back in 1968 I attended a rally/speech in Omaha, NB for/by Bobby Kennedy.....just days before he was shot in a hotel in L.A........and that was the last time I have seen an individual work a crowd like I saw tonight by Obama!!!! AND.....their messages are sooooo much the same......it is all about you....me.....the good folks of our country.......and the hope that there is for everyone. Oh my God.........what an exciting, exciting hour!!!!!!!
And so.......after being sooooo pumped up by such an incredible individual.....
LIFE IS GREAT.....AND I HOPE IT IS FOR ALL OF YOU, ALSO!!!!!
Saturday, November 04, 2006
Today? It was St Louis ALL day!!
Yep......after a quick cup of my very dark and rich French Roast, I filled the travel cup and we were soon heading north to the city. Mission: To try to complete, as much as possible, the things we need to purchase and exchange for the kitchen.
First stop was at the company where we purchased/ordered our cabinets: Modern Kitchens and Baths with stores and offices on S. Kingshighway and on W. Manchester. I discovered a rough patch of unfinished wood on one of our cabinet doors, so I detached the door and took it with me this morning. The sales clerk that we have been working with for several months was really great at taking care of the paperwork to get a new door for the upper cabinets. Then we inquired about the two doors that are having glass inserts put into the front of the doors, as well as glass shelves for the two cabinets........but, they are not yet completed. I needed some more "filler" for a 2" x 24" inch area where our over the fridge cabs. do not quite meet with the wall, so that was ordered. All in all.....another VERY pleasant experience in working with this company!!!!!! Check them out if you are in the market for new kitchens or baths!!!!
Then it was out to West Manchester to EXPO to get various sizes of door and drawer pulls.......the brushed steel bars which are straight and round......these are very popular rightnow and we love the look of this the clean lines that they give to the cabinets. Not knowing exactly which size we want on the doors/drawers, we purchased one of each size.....and then will return the sizes we don't want and purchase enough to take care of each door and drawer. WOW.....this is going to be an EXPENSIVE purchase.......especially with ALL of the doors/drawers that we have in the kitchen!!!!! UGH!!!!!
For all of you STL area readers......if you haven't already, go visit EXPO, a Home Depot store that is full.....FULL of upgrades on all home appliances, cabinets, decor, etc., etc., etc. It is a GREAT store for ideas.....and for purchasing items which we have not really found in any other store in the city. Don't get me wrong.....it is not cheap......but you find some incredible things there, not to include the wonderful ideas that you can get there........visions for your new projects!!!!!!!
We had a late lunch at Red Lobster.........the best time to eat there. The prices are so great on the lunch menu.....and there is more than enough food served even with the good prices. We each had a dozen fried shrimp, huge salad, hot garlic/cheese biscuits, baked potato, and coffee/iced tea.....all for $20! Great buy......great lunch!!!
Several other stops kept us from getting home before dark.....arriving back in F'Town at 8:30 this evening. And.....in the morning, I'm back on the road to STL.....to attend a Rally for Claire McCaskill and also hear Barack Obama who will be there in support of Claire!! Should be great!!! And soooooo......it is a St Louis weekend, while living in the boonies of S.E. Missouri, but nevertheless.........
Life is Great.....and I hope it is for all of you, also!!!!
(Religion is regarded by the common people as true, by the wise as false, and by rulers as useful. --Lucius Annaeus Seneca )
First stop was at the company where we purchased/ordered our cabinets: Modern Kitchens and Baths with stores and offices on S. Kingshighway and on W. Manchester. I discovered a rough patch of unfinished wood on one of our cabinet doors, so I detached the door and took it with me this morning. The sales clerk that we have been working with for several months was really great at taking care of the paperwork to get a new door for the upper cabinets. Then we inquired about the two doors that are having glass inserts put into the front of the doors, as well as glass shelves for the two cabinets........but, they are not yet completed. I needed some more "filler" for a 2" x 24" inch area where our over the fridge cabs. do not quite meet with the wall, so that was ordered. All in all.....another VERY pleasant experience in working with this company!!!!!! Check them out if you are in the market for new kitchens or baths!!!!
Then it was out to West Manchester to EXPO to get various sizes of door and drawer pulls.......the brushed steel bars which are straight and round......these are very popular rightnow and we love the look of this the clean lines that they give to the cabinets. Not knowing exactly which size we want on the doors/drawers, we purchased one of each size.....and then will return the sizes we don't want and purchase enough to take care of each door and drawer. WOW.....this is going to be an EXPENSIVE purchase.......especially with ALL of the doors/drawers that we have in the kitchen!!!!! UGH!!!!!
For all of you STL area readers......if you haven't already, go visit EXPO, a Home Depot store that is full.....FULL of upgrades on all home appliances, cabinets, decor, etc., etc., etc. It is a GREAT store for ideas.....and for purchasing items which we have not really found in any other store in the city. Don't get me wrong.....it is not cheap......but you find some incredible things there, not to include the wonderful ideas that you can get there........visions for your new projects!!!!!!!
We had a late lunch at Red Lobster.........the best time to eat there. The prices are so great on the lunch menu.....and there is more than enough food served even with the good prices. We each had a dozen fried shrimp, huge salad, hot garlic/cheese biscuits, baked potato, and coffee/iced tea.....all for $20! Great buy......great lunch!!!
Several other stops kept us from getting home before dark.....arriving back in F'Town at 8:30 this evening. And.....in the morning, I'm back on the road to STL.....to attend a Rally for Claire McCaskill and also hear Barack Obama who will be there in support of Claire!! Should be great!!! And soooooo......it is a St Louis weekend, while living in the boonies of S.E. Missouri, but nevertheless.........
Life is Great.....and I hope it is for all of you, also!!!!
(Religion is regarded by the common people as true, by the wise as false, and by rulers as useful. --Lucius Annaeus Seneca )
Friday, November 03, 2006
A speedy day......and now only FOUR days left before we must make a CHANGE!!.
Another day of mess....created by "stuff" that can't be disposed of because "we might need it". Soooo, we walk.....go sideways down the hallway....attempt to get into the garage("warehouse")....and continue to keep the doors closed on rooms filled with stored "stuff", awaiting the end of the remodeling project. (Whew....what a sentence!)
After a couple of cups of French Roast coffee, the doorbell rang.....and it was the fellow that we contracted to install the LARGE granite tiles on our new kitchen counter. A lengthy discussion over just exactly how to achieve the effect and look we want.....and get this done with the European style cabinets we purchased.......went on for some time. A few questions began to enter my mind about our installer......he did a GREAT job with installing tiles on our new bathroom floor.....but I soon picked up vibes that he had never laid this large of tile on a countertop....especially the European styled cabinets. Soooooo, I suggested to him that he go with me to ST Louis on Sunday to The Tile Store where we purchased our granite tiles.....and where they have some excellent model kitchens/baths which show some examples of the effect I want to have.
I have received two tickets to the Claire McCaskill Rally on Sunday afternoon....and Barack Obama will be speaking in support of her.......so since our tile installer is a BIG Democrat.....I am going to take him with me. We may be standing a block away....but it will be great to just hear Barack speak.....SUCH charisma!!!!! Such a great speaker!!
I spent some of the afternoon cleaning the sun room tile floor. It is covered with drywall dust, drywall "mud", etc., etc., etc. So......as the 1st Lady steamed and pulled off the OLD wallpaper on the walls, I swept it up.....and then did a first mopping/washing of the ceramic tiles. After they dried.....it is VERY obvious that this will take some quality time on my knees with a scrub brush and some warm water to get it back to where it was prior to the new ceiling being installed. Soooo, more work on Monday.....
The 1st Lady and I are headed to STL tomorrow to select two pendant lights, pick up different sizes of pulls for the new cabinets, and make a final selection on the paint for the sun room, old dining area, and hallway, and pick up our two cabinet doors that are having glass inserted in the door centers. As to colors, we are leaning to a yellow.....not "in your face" yellow, but also not a bland yellow. The color will contrast nicely with the burnt orange on the living room walls and will also go well with the new cabinets. I will have to get the ceiling painted in the sun room SOON, as well as the walls in the kitchen that are not covered by cabinets.
With only four days left.......the time has come for a CHANGE when Tuesday comes to a close!!!!! And it is not just one CHANGE.......but many changes that are a MUST!!!! As I have stated before.......I have never seen nor experienced a more incompetent administration....AND President.....since the early days of my Life when I remember the Harry Truman administration. Yes.....Iraq is ruining us.....our country....and our country's position as a respected leader of the world........it was a BIG mistake to invade Iraq and one that will take many generations of our descendants before we recover from this mistake. We are NOT safer from this action........it has made us less safe....and I am not saying anything that has not been said before by more knowledgable and experienced individuals than me. Because of this invasion, we....as citizens of our great country......are less free, have lost many of our freedoms, and have experienced an administration that has walked on and completely ignored many sections of our Constitution. We have experienced the merging of church/religion and government......actions that will destroy our great country.......our country that was established by those who left other countries, including England,.....established and formed so that they/we would not have to live under a theocracy.
As an author of the U.S. Constitution and the fourth President of the U.S., James Madison, said....."Religious bondage shackles and debilitates the mind and unfits it for every noble enterprise." Our country's government cannot be "shackled" to religion as a way of governing our citizens........it is not the purpose of our government to be "in the business" of legislating our morals and values! It is time for a necessary change in our government and in the direction that the past six years have taken us and our country!!!
If changes are not made SOON......I may not be able to say that.....
Life is Great....and I hope it is for all of you, also!
After a couple of cups of French Roast coffee, the doorbell rang.....and it was the fellow that we contracted to install the LARGE granite tiles on our new kitchen counter. A lengthy discussion over just exactly how to achieve the effect and look we want.....and get this done with the European style cabinets we purchased.......went on for some time. A few questions began to enter my mind about our installer......he did a GREAT job with installing tiles on our new bathroom floor.....but I soon picked up vibes that he had never laid this large of tile on a countertop....especially the European styled cabinets. Soooooo, I suggested to him that he go with me to ST Louis on Sunday to The Tile Store where we purchased our granite tiles.....and where they have some excellent model kitchens/baths which show some examples of the effect I want to have.
I have received two tickets to the Claire McCaskill Rally on Sunday afternoon....and Barack Obama will be speaking in support of her.......so since our tile installer is a BIG Democrat.....I am going to take him with me. We may be standing a block away....but it will be great to just hear Barack speak.....SUCH charisma!!!!! Such a great speaker!!
I spent some of the afternoon cleaning the sun room tile floor. It is covered with drywall dust, drywall "mud", etc., etc., etc. So......as the 1st Lady steamed and pulled off the OLD wallpaper on the walls, I swept it up.....and then did a first mopping/washing of the ceramic tiles. After they dried.....it is VERY obvious that this will take some quality time on my knees with a scrub brush and some warm water to get it back to where it was prior to the new ceiling being installed. Soooo, more work on Monday.....
The 1st Lady and I are headed to STL tomorrow to select two pendant lights, pick up different sizes of pulls for the new cabinets, and make a final selection on the paint for the sun room, old dining area, and hallway, and pick up our two cabinet doors that are having glass inserted in the door centers. As to colors, we are leaning to a yellow.....not "in your face" yellow, but also not a bland yellow. The color will contrast nicely with the burnt orange on the living room walls and will also go well with the new cabinets. I will have to get the ceiling painted in the sun room SOON, as well as the walls in the kitchen that are not covered by cabinets.
With only four days left.......the time has come for a CHANGE when Tuesday comes to a close!!!!! And it is not just one CHANGE.......but many changes that are a MUST!!!! As I have stated before.......I have never seen nor experienced a more incompetent administration....AND President.....since the early days of my Life when I remember the Harry Truman administration. Yes.....Iraq is ruining us.....our country....and our country's position as a respected leader of the world........it was a BIG mistake to invade Iraq and one that will take many generations of our descendants before we recover from this mistake. We are NOT safer from this action........it has made us less safe....and I am not saying anything that has not been said before by more knowledgable and experienced individuals than me. Because of this invasion, we....as citizens of our great country......are less free, have lost many of our freedoms, and have experienced an administration that has walked on and completely ignored many sections of our Constitution. We have experienced the merging of church/religion and government......actions that will destroy our great country.......our country that was established by those who left other countries, including England,.....established and formed so that they/we would not have to live under a theocracy.
As an author of the U.S. Constitution and the fourth President of the U.S., James Madison, said....."Religious bondage shackles and debilitates the mind and unfits it for every noble enterprise." Our country's government cannot be "shackled" to religion as a way of governing our citizens........it is not the purpose of our government to be "in the business" of legislating our morals and values! It is time for a necessary change in our government and in the direction that the past six years have taken us and our country!!!
If changes are not made SOON......I may not be able to say that.....
Life is Great....and I hope it is for all of you, also!
Thursday, November 02, 2006
Another day that......just disappeared.....
Fr. Roast coffee while I spent a few minutes with the cast of the Today Show this morning.......I have always enjoyed their show, but I oftentimes feel that they are just getting into the "meat" of the story....and then it is on to something else! Oh well........
The contractor and crew arrived while the heavy frost was still on the lawn......and before long the hammering and sawing was in full progress. I left and went to visit Mike this morning......returning about lunch time.
The 1st Lady called me before I left Farmington....and wanted me to bring back some Halogen lights for the kitchen ceiling......and, of course.......I obliged and picked up the new light bulbs. After arriving home, I spent some time going over the plans with the contractor......and listing the items that were still on the "to get done" list. He is almost finished with hanging the cabinets.....and now we will be waiting on the fellow who is going to lay the granite tile on the countertop........and the next step after that will be the refinishing of the hardwood floors. Then the final installation of the appliances, the trim under the cabinets, and a few other minor things.
I truly believe that "THE END IS IN SIGHT"!!!!
Late this afternoon, the 1st Lady and I put together a broccoli-rice-cheese casserole to take to the monthly Madison County Democrat Club meeting. She had to go to Farmington for a dinner engagement with some of her former teacher friends, so......I baked the casserole......and, as I trying to get TheHowserHouse rv door locked, the entire dish and lid slid off of the metal steps and turned over, broke, and spread this steaming, delicious dish all over the driveway!!!! OMG.....but will I be in deep crap when she returns in a few minutes. THAT is why I am writing this now.......in case it turns out to be my last post...ever!!!!! She is going to be UPSET.....it was her favorite dish that she uses all the time!!!!
Sooooo, as the time gets closer for her arrival, I will close as always, fulling feeling that....
Life is GREAT.....and I hope it is for all of you, also!!
The contractor and crew arrived while the heavy frost was still on the lawn......and before long the hammering and sawing was in full progress. I left and went to visit Mike this morning......returning about lunch time.
The 1st Lady called me before I left Farmington....and wanted me to bring back some Halogen lights for the kitchen ceiling......and, of course.......I obliged and picked up the new light bulbs. After arriving home, I spent some time going over the plans with the contractor......and listing the items that were still on the "to get done" list. He is almost finished with hanging the cabinets.....and now we will be waiting on the fellow who is going to lay the granite tile on the countertop........and the next step after that will be the refinishing of the hardwood floors. Then the final installation of the appliances, the trim under the cabinets, and a few other minor things.
I truly believe that "THE END IS IN SIGHT"!!!!
Late this afternoon, the 1st Lady and I put together a broccoli-rice-cheese casserole to take to the monthly Madison County Democrat Club meeting. She had to go to Farmington for a dinner engagement with some of her former teacher friends, so......I baked the casserole......and, as I trying to get TheHowserHouse rv door locked, the entire dish and lid slid off of the metal steps and turned over, broke, and spread this steaming, delicious dish all over the driveway!!!! OMG.....but will I be in deep crap when she returns in a few minutes. THAT is why I am writing this now.......in case it turns out to be my last post...ever!!!!! She is going to be UPSET.....it was her favorite dish that she uses all the time!!!!
Sooooo, as the time gets closer for her arrival, I will close as always, fulling feeling that....
Life is GREAT.....and I hope it is for all of you, also!!
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
Stress......
As usual, the alarm ALMOST went off at 6:30 this morning, but I did get it shut off before it woke the 1st Lady. Yesterday, I had taken TheHowserHouse up to Griffon's Trailer Town in Park Hills to get them to fix a couple of small leaks, soooooooooo, I didn't have an RV to make coffee in this morning. I quickly headed out to the warehouse/garage and found the Gevalia coffee maker that I received for ordering some of their delicious coffees......and then made a pot of Fr. Roast.....in the bathroom!!!! There is no place else where it is safe to set it up.....tooooo much of a mess anywhere else.
Then.....about mid-morning......the contractor came into the den and informed us that two of the three new kitchen cabinets that are in the corners......were NOT the lazy susan type that we ordered!!! I almost went through the ceiling.......I was sooooo damn angry and upset. I quickly got on the phone to the company that we ordered them from in StLouis.....and after telling the salesman who worked with us on the order(and he is really great guy)......he said he would call up to Canada where they are made and see how quickly something could be done.
Our contractor said he could not put anymore cabinets in until this problem was resolved....as they had to be in place prior to the remainder of the base cabs. are installed. Well, it took about 45 minutes before I received the call that the company would expedite the sending of two kits for installing lazy susan shelving in pre-existing cabinets!!! WHEW.......what a damn relief!!!!! IF this had not been resolved, all of our mess would have been around for possibly a much longer time.......plus our contractor is on a schedule so that he can get to other building projects.....AND....the fellow who is contracted to lay the LARGE 24" square black granite tiles for the countertop is to begin the installation on Monday......hopefully. Followed by the refinishing of all of our hardwood floors in the house. SOOOOO, hopefully the "kits" will arrive within a week.......is that wishfull thinking????????????????
Then I had to go up to bring TheHowserHouse back home........repairs completed. A quick stop at Lowe's was necessary to pick up some light bulbs for our recessed/can lights, as well as one tiny Xenon bulb for the under the cabinet lights.
Wow.....the repairs of the weird leaks cost me only $20 for repairs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! UNREAL!!!! So I didn't have to use the extended warranty. Sure hope they got it all repaired correctly.
Returning home, I had three lessons to give and then a very, very light supper (peanut butter and toast). And so......with this stressful morning over the wrong cabinets being made and delivered to us........I am still very glad to say that....
Life is GREAT.......and I hope it is for all of you, also!!! (Hang in there, Andrew Gipson!!)
Then.....about mid-morning......the contractor came into the den and informed us that two of the three new kitchen cabinets that are in the corners......were NOT the lazy susan type that we ordered!!! I almost went through the ceiling.......I was sooooo damn angry and upset. I quickly got on the phone to the company that we ordered them from in StLouis.....and after telling the salesman who worked with us on the order(and he is really great guy)......he said he would call up to Canada where they are made and see how quickly something could be done.
Our contractor said he could not put anymore cabinets in until this problem was resolved....as they had to be in place prior to the remainder of the base cabs. are installed. Well, it took about 45 minutes before I received the call that the company would expedite the sending of two kits for installing lazy susan shelving in pre-existing cabinets!!! WHEW.......what a damn relief!!!!! IF this had not been resolved, all of our mess would have been around for possibly a much longer time.......plus our contractor is on a schedule so that he can get to other building projects.....AND....the fellow who is contracted to lay the LARGE 24" square black granite tiles for the countertop is to begin the installation on Monday......hopefully. Followed by the refinishing of all of our hardwood floors in the house. SOOOOO, hopefully the "kits" will arrive within a week.......is that wishfull thinking????????????????
Then I had to go up to bring TheHowserHouse back home........repairs completed. A quick stop at Lowe's was necessary to pick up some light bulbs for our recessed/can lights, as well as one tiny Xenon bulb for the under the cabinet lights.
Wow.....the repairs of the weird leaks cost me only $20 for repairs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! UNREAL!!!! So I didn't have to use the extended warranty. Sure hope they got it all repaired correctly.
Returning home, I had three lessons to give and then a very, very light supper (peanut butter and toast). And so......with this stressful morning over the wrong cabinets being made and delivered to us........I am still very glad to say that....
Life is GREAT.......and I hope it is for all of you, also!!! (Hang in there, Andrew Gipson!!)
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