Before and AFTER

AHA.....I didn't get back yesterday to this blog of mine!!

AHHHH, just where was I yesterday??? Here in our stick/brick inhaling the stain all day and evening from the refinishing of the guest room floor. Every 30 minutes or so, we would open the doors and turn on the attic exhaust fan and bring some fresh air inside the house. BUT......are actions were limited and the odor was not pleasant which led to some head booming problems, but not serious.

Needless to say, I didn't get back on my blog during the evening. Soooooo, what did we do yesterday afternoon???? WORK.....WORK.....WORK.....on the house details. Still some baseboards to install in the sun room, and some touch-up painting to do out there. Then......WHEN we can get back into the guest room, we have soooooo much to put away in there.

This morning, the refinisher is back and buffing and putting on the horrific-smelling sealer and then finishing up some trim on the new flooring he did a couple of months ago. Sooooo, by the end of this morning, the floor job should be completed.

I am awaiting the arrival of the tile layer to do the grouting on the backsplash this morning......AND....AND.....a call from Lowe's in Farmington to inform me that the truck has arrived and that my SHOWER DOOR is on that truck!!!!!! HOPEFULLY....I WAIT!!!!!

Later today we hope to get back into the sun room to work......but not while all of these new "family members" (the work crews) have departed and we won't be stepping over them, or having them step over us!

This evening I have a school board meeting followed by the annual School Bd Christmas Dinner with spouses, administration, etc., etc attending. It will be a late evening.....and, we have to leave early in the morning to drive to Eldon to spend most of the day with my mother. She is showing more signs of slipping downward: memory, sleeping most of the time, etc., etc. We have to make some hard decisions....they are hard to make....about her welfare and care. What to do......what to do? I know everyone faces this at some time or another about a loved one.......but that still doesn't make it any easier for anyone, does it?!!

Soooo, hopefully I can fill in the rest of the day later this evening.......

But, if not.....Life is Great.....and I hope it is for all of you, also!!!

A wee bit late with my ramblin's

Monday morning: Yesterday was another busy day......a trip to visit Mike and then upon return, Jeremy had arrived to spend the afternoon and night with us before he returned to Evansville, IN. Within a few minutes of arriving back in town yesterday afternoon, we began to empty/evacuate the last room.....our guest room.....so that the floor refinisher could begin early this morning!

WHAT another task it was!!!! We have "stuff" stored everywhere in our house, which will have to remain in these step-around-them locations until Thursday. It took two solid hours of carrying, removing, and deciding where everything could be placed for a couple of days, including a king bed mattress and springs!!! Needless to say, our house is a total mess once again!!!! BUT.....BUT.....this is the LAST ROOM that needed professional assistance......we have a bit of detail work to do in the sun room, but perhaps by this evening that will be completed....I hope!!!!

This morning, I was up at 5:45.....made the coffee and then woke up Jeremy so he could shower and get on the highway to return to his office in Evansville......a four hour drive from here. Since the campaign is over.....his job has calmed down considerably.

Soooo, today....???? Stay out of the dust and hopefully keep the dust contained(hahaha) in the bedroom!!!! We'll see......and I'll let you know!

More later.......

How MANY times do I have to........???

Her 60th birthday DAY!!!! And so, I became vertical as quietly as I could and quickly showered and dressed.....and then sneaking out of the front door, I hurried over to the ONLY grocery store in town and picked up some fresh(??) pastries for the 1st Lady to consume for her birthday breakfast. Arriving back home before the appointed time to awaken her, I arranged for her tea to be ready, the pastries artfully arranged and her birthday card laying beside her plate and tea cup.

I quietly woke her up at 8am, as usual.....but she decided to sleep another 30 minutes. Soooo, the tea water quickly cooled down, and by 8:30 I had to reheat the tea kettle. She got up and was pleasantly surprised at all of the calories that I had arranged for breakfast!!!! HAHAH.....we NEVER have caloric pastries any more!!!!

Shortly after 8am, while she was still in bed, the lights dimmer and returned to their full brightness, but there was a LOUD explosion and then all was ok. The 1st Lady sent me to WalMart but upon arriving there were no cars.....all lights were out and the doors were closed. The entire town.....except our northern area, was without electricity!!!! And this lasted for four hours.......the last hour our lights also were gone! Soooo, back to WalMart I went....and then home and then to the grocery store again.....and to WalMart again....and by the end of the afternoon I HAD to make SEVEN trips to aquire the items the 1st Lady needed for "this and that" to take some appetizers to her sorority Christmas dinner which we attended this evening.
Needless to say......I became rather irritated at ALL of these various trips to purchase 2-3 items......EACH TIME!!!! Oh well........

During the morning, the 1st Lady received her dozen red roses which I had ordered for her earlier this week. They were beautiful and she was very appreciative!

We dressed and went out to one of the sorority member's homes outside of town.....and there were many people there for drinks, appetizers, dinner, and the annual gift exchange. It was a pleasant evening.....the group even presented the 1st Lady with a small bd cake and candles followed by the traditional "Happy Birthday" song!!

A busy day???? Yep....cause I didn't even mention above that we painted and installed baseboard around two of the walls in the sun room. The floor refinisher is returning on Monday morning at 7am to do the guest room where we have had everything stored for the past two months!!! UGH!!!!! NOW where do we move all of the "stuff"to?????????????????

And so, hopefully for the last time, we will move the "stuff" somewhere and then get everything returned to the rightful place after the floor is completed!!!!!!! Do you REALLY believe that????? hahaha....neither do I!!! But........so it goes......

Life is Great......and I hope it is for all of you, also!!! (Jo...thanks for the cake for the 1st Lady!)

The setting sun is blinding for the "Grammy lovers"

 

Jay bounces up into the air!!

 

Time for a rest.....

 

Great fun for 18 month old Ava and 60 year old Grammy

 

Survivors of the Trampoline Hour!!!

 

TOOOO much fun on the trampoline for Ava!!

 

Family dinner celebration

 

60 year old 1st Lady

 

Becky with daughter Rachel

 

Becky with Dr. Jeni's Meghan

 

The 60th BD weekend for the 1st Lady!!

After a night at the Moser Estate......the 1st Lady and I headed into STL for her mid-morning appointment with her dental surgeon........time for him to check on how her implants are doing(TEETH implants...heehee).

Following the quick check-up, we ran around the city hitting various shops and stores that we enjoy purchasing from, both for Christmas presents and for our stick and brick project. STL is becoming a really great place to shop for soooooo many items.....really enjoy it.

Then by early afternoon we went out to Chesterfield Commons (a huge two mile strip mall with great shops and chain stores located there).....which is west of STL on I-64. A surprise BD Party was planned for 3pm.....or as soon as everyone arrived at the designated location.......and that place was "Sky Zone"......a recreation facility that is full of HUGE screened off trampolines......difficult to visualize, I know....but each one is as large or perhaps larger than a regulation basketball court. WHAT A PLACE!!!!!!

Upon arriving, the 1st Lady was VERY surprised and Dr. Jeni and Mike's wife, Becky....had pulled the surprise off very successfully!!! I had told her we were going to meet Dr Jeni and family members for dinner and so she was quite shocked when I parked at the Sky Zone facility and standing there were the three granddaughters, our son Jeremy from Evansville, IN, Dr. Jeni and Darrel, and Becky. Sooooo, we entered and were soon putting on our "gym shoes" and then climbed up to the level of the trampoline......and after the rules of the house were explained to us, we soon took to the air, as we jumped.....we fell.....we landed on our asses, and had a grand time for an hour!!!!! Actually, this was my first time on a tramp. and I found it really exciting to be thrust into the air and then return and just as quickly......up in the air again!!! Think we will do this again!!!!!

Dinner was already reserved at The Longhorn....just down the road along the Chesterfield Commons restaurant row. Festive balloons decorated the table......BD napkins and gifts were spread out on the table. After a round of drinks and wine, our orders arrived: salmon, ribs, steaks, etc., etc. And the food was outstanding!!!! The remaining event was the presentation of the birthday cake......a special order by Becky from an excellent bakery in STL. And....it was really super tasting cake!!! And so......the day, the evening, the dinner.....everything was a great surprise for the 1st Lady......and all of it was excellent!!!

What more can be said, but.....

Life is GREAT.......and I hope it is for all of you, also!!!

Shopping in STL and on to the Moser Estate

The 1st Lady and I left this morning for STL to do some Christmas shopping......and, of course, we spent the entire day doing just that!!! Did we finish??? Hell NO........which means more to do tomorrow or next week. Next week is hardly an option as we have everyday "booked" with activities are travel to my mother's and to the 1st Lady's mother's house(s) for Christmas celebrations.

We had a very late lunch and then headed out to the Washington-New Haven area to the Moser Estate. We weren't really there too long before leaving to go the elementary school which is only a mile from their home. The place was packed......and Darrel and I arrived 45 minutes early in order to save seats....on the front row. HAHAHA!!! Were we ever wrong!! There were sooooo many others there ahead of us that we were about six rows back from the stage, which meant that I couldn't get any pictures of any quality of the concert/program itself. Oh well.......

We are back at Dr. Jeni's home for the night. The 1st Lady as a an appt. with her dental surgeon to check on the progress of the implants in her mouth.....and then we will do some more shopping. We are to have dinner with the Moser Family to celebrate the 1st Lady's 60th birthday....which actually is on Saturday. While the 1st Lady knows about the dinner....she has no idea that there is a bit of a surprise element that has been planned..........tomorrow she will find out!

And soooooo, another day of busyness.........is that a word???? Anyway......as usual,

Life is Great....and I hope it is for all of you, also!!!!

On stage following the Concert

 

After the Christmas Concert

 

Meghan at home in front of Christmas tree

 

ANOTHER day of not being retired!!!!

An hour of sipping Fr. Roast before the 1st Lady and I began another day of manual labor as we hurry.....HURRY...to get our tasks completed before next week and the Holiday traffice that always occurs in TheHowserHouse/stick and brick. I loaded the long bed of the truck to overflowing with cardboard and other recycleable goods and took them to the recycle center here in town this morning.......right after I finished my coffee.

The weather was already wonderful for the middle of December.........by this afternoon it reached the mid-60's!!! Returning home, I continued to put things away......shift a few items in the garage......and then helped the 1st Lady with some painting. She spent a great deal of the day in the kitchen/sun room......these two rooms are now ONE, since the removal of the wall between them. I found some needed "quarter-round" lengths and painted them OUTSIDE so that the fumes would not get to me.

Upon finishing them, I grabbed the lawn mower and began to attempt to finish mowing the leaves into mulch. They are still WET....very wet, after all of the rain we had a couple of days ago, but time is rushing by and with the warm, beautiful weather I mowed for a couple of hours. It was then time to listen to the first of my students lessons......and before long it was after 6pm.

The tile layer who is putting our granite backsplash on the walls arrived at 3pm and worked until he was finished....shortly after 6pm. All that remains is the grout which he will do on Monday.......and then our contracted jobs will be completed, except for the infamous shower door installation, when it arrives. We still have painting, baseboards, and window treatments to complete in the sun room portion of the room, plus I have some "hands on" work to do on my knees with scrubbing the ceramic tiles on the sun room floor. The light at the end of the long, long tunnel is getting sooooo BRIGHT that extra dark sun glasses are needed!!!!!!!!!

This evening.......well, we are both exhausted and I have a few aching muscles that have decided to punish ME as they scream out in pain. OK....I can take it.......knowing that this long ordeal is almost completed!!!!!!!

Tomorrow evening we go up to the Moser Estate......Meghan's Christmas program is being held tomorrow night. We will remain overnight there as the 1st Lady has a dental appt. in STL pertaining to her implants. Then we will remain in the city area as Saturday is the 1st Lady's 60th birthday and we are going to have dinner with Dr. Moser and family. I imagine we will remain at their Estate until Saturday and then return to TheHowserHouse.

Saturday evening we are going to the Beta Sigma Phi Sorority Christmas Party.......always a jovial event, to say the least. It appears to be a busy weekend with no time to get our many things done at the house. UGH!!!!!!!

I am watching a tellie show that I shouldn't be watching!!! It is about traveling in Italy.....and my mouth is salivating strongly!!!! It has been five years since I have been over there....and that is the longest period of time that has gone by since being there since I began going to Europe regularly.....back in 1980. I have been there 12 times.....and there is always more to see and do. Perhaps next fall........!!!!!!! Italy is my FAVORITE country!!!!!!!!!

And so.......with my muscles screaming, I believe I will close this little posting........

Life is GREAT.....and I hope it is for all of you, also!!!

I MISS my retirement!!!!!

Today.......up at 6am again......Fr. Roast coffee, a bit of the Today Show.....and soon the 1st Lady was up and ready to start putting everything back into the kitchen!!!! Sooooo, we worked all morning and most of the afternoon attempting to get things placed in the "right" cabinet or drawer. NOT an easy task, since everything in the kitchen has a new configuration.....and nothing, of course, is the same dimensions as before.



I kept carrying items from the dining room table in the sun room, carrying boxes of dishes, etc., etc from the guest bedroom, where it has been stored for 9 weeks, carrying items from the garage..........and soon the new counter was laden down with things that had to find a new home. It took forever........and, of course, we have NO idea where anything is located now!!!!



Then as I began to clean up for some private music lessons in the sun room , where the piano is still located, the construction crew arrived for some items that needed to be finished, and at the same time, Joe Brown,the tile layer also arrived. SOOOOOO, I hastily called my students and told them to attempt to come tomorrow,....same time, same place.



The crew worked for a couple of hours, and Joe worked until 8pm this evening. The 1st Lady and I had Subway sandwiches.........and now there is a bit of peace in the house.......hahaha!! BUT....tomorrow is another day.....and there are tons of things STILL in the guest room that must be returned to their rightful locations....and soon!!!! I believe the floor man is going to come on Monday....????.....to refinish the floor in that guest room(has been a storage room).

The backsplash that Joe is installing with the granite tiles, from the countertop up to the bottom of the top cabinets is going to be GREAT!!!!!!!! It will tie together the bottom cabs and the top cabs......and the black granite with the copper shiny flecks looks wonderful!!!! The copper flecks enhance the wood tone of the cabinets..........so beautiful with the halogen mini-lights that are under the top cabinets shining down on the countertop!!!! Pictures will be posted SOON, but not until it all finished!!!

Our friend's daughter in Chicago that I wrote about last night......well, I was on the phone to Chicago and to their other daughter in Tucson.......and it appears that they were going to HAVE to take the baby sometime this evening. Audra...who lives in Tucson......called just before she got on the plane for Chicago late this afternoon to give me the latest. The docs feel that Danielle is not in a life threatening situation at this point in time.....but,........?????

And sooooo, another day of completing the project(s).......and more ...much more work to be done tomorrow, but........

Life is Great......and I hope it is for all of you, also!

OMG....what a hell of a day!!!!!

The alarm threw me out of bed at 6 this morning......and tried to sneak out of the bedroom and not wake the 1st Lady. The early morning passed quickly.....I had to lay out the plastic sheeting all over the hardwood floors.....it was raining this morning......and didn't want the crew to track in wet leaves, etc., etc all over the floors.

They arrived shortly after 7am.......and began to work as quickly as they good with the goal of finishing by this evening. Then the backsplash/tile layer arrived and he began to work on putting up the granite tiles on the backsplash. All during this time, I was needed for decisions.....STILL ON THIS LAST DAY.......and so I couldn't even get my Fr. Roast drained....the very first cup of the day!!!

Then the phone began ringing and for the next hour and a half I was attached to the black phone as I was trying to work out some issues with my oldest son's circumstances and events that have recently transpired that could be MUCH better. Decisions had to be made.....and ones that are not easy to make.

THEN......a mistake by one of the work crew resulted in the holes for the drawer pulls being drilled to closely together......so, I had to rush to STL to get smaller pulls for these three drawers......of which they did not have any and so in order to get them before we leave for Texas, I had to contact the Chicago store and have them ship them to our store in STL.......details, details, etc.

Then our tile layer said we would need three more tiles, so I had to pick them up while in the city. FINALLY heading south to F'town.....I encountered two wrecks at two different places that stopped traffic completely at each wreck.....and so I sat in the pouring rain while the cars were removed form the highway.....luckily I was not anywhere close to the accidents!

Then arriving home in the rain......the crew was attempting to move the fridge....and so I helped and then they finished up. Guess it is almost finished.....I have a couple of issues still that I need to have them fix.........

Pictures will be taken soon....and posted here. Just tooooooo tired to do it tonight......

THEN....just received a call that our good friends here in town....their daughter who was in Jeremy's class and last married a fellow from Turkey who works in Chicago where she lives ....anyway....she is having great difficulty with the pregnancy and was just told the baby will have to be taken SOON for the health/life of Danielle, the mother. Our friends had rushed to Chicago last night from here........Danielle and husband had just returned from several weeks in Turkey.........and she was rushed straight from the airplane by ambulance to the hospital!! The baby is not due until the first week in March!............

Soooo, this day has gone from bad to worse!!!!!! I was going to discuss my Christmas Humbug history......but, after the phone call, I'm not in any mood to do that.......perhaps later!!!

Life is Great, I suppose......and I hope it definitely is Great for all of you!!!!

ANOTHER disappearing day!!!! CRAP!!!!

I was up at 7AM this morning.......awakening with another sinus(?) headache. Not certain if it is sinus or the fumes from the floor refinishing......but whatever it is, I do not like it. It has been pounding all day, no matter what OTC pain killers I ingest.

I spent the entire day......ENTIRE DAY......getting out the Christmas/Holiday decorations, putting up the tree, and then in between........attempting to get more kitchen items put away in the new cabinets/drawers. Soooooo, I hauled seasonal stuff out......and I put stuff back into new locations(and we will never find things in the kitchen). This is becoming OLD very, very quickly........

I am NOT a fan of Christmas/Holiday decorations.......at least I don't like to put them up and then a few short days later, take them down again......BAH...HUMBUG!!!!! Most likely this is my most negative time of the entire year........always has been, always will be! Decorating is not my way of getting into the Christmas "spirit".......and this year especially since we are still in this elongated remodeling project.

OK.....OK......I can just hear some of you right now.........the old man is a grouch!! Hmmmmm.......tonight you are not toooooo far from the truth. I am really out-of-sorts this evening!!!!!! Have you ever had one of these days???????? Surely, you have!!?

The best part of the entire day was The Amazing Race!!!!! Yep......my pick of the pairs WON the million dollars for arriving first from their 13 country round-the-world race!! YEAH!!!!

And sooooo, the day slid by quicker than sliding on owl shit! This week is hectic....and the next one is even more so......UGH!!! When does retirement begin???????????????????????????

Life is great......and I hope it is for all of you, also!!!!

SATURDAY MORNING......and later in the evening

This will be brief......with more later this evening. Yesterday was a day of a bit of stress as we watched the crew begin to bring things together.......as they hoped to finish by the end of the day. Well....they didn't....and it didn't surprise me........nor did I want them to do a "hurry-up" job just so they could finish!

In the kitchen, there are still drawer/door handles to be attached, the kick-plate under the cabinets to do, the pendant lights to hang, and then some work left to do on the sun room portion of the kitchen. Another day....Monday, ...and perhaps......?? There is also the backsplash on the countertop to be done by the tile layer.......when??????

Becky, my daughter-in-law, arrived with Rachel early afternoon. She left Rachel here while she went to Charleston to visit with Michael. It was fun, even with sooooo much happening in the house by the work crew,....just having her around to watch and enjoy. She is such a bright young lady......and this is not just partialality (hmmmm, is that a word??) speaking from this old grandpa...."pawpaw". Both of them remained overnight and are sleeping away this morning......

Until later..........

The day passed quickly.......I continue to load the new VERY quiet dishwasher with dishes that have been covered in dust.......trying to get them all squeaky clean before putting them away in the kitchen. It is a never-ending task..........and one set of dishes had to be washed by hand.....as per instructions on the back of the plates...."Wash by hand only"......UGH!!!!! And.....there were lots in this set of dishes which we had purchased at Pier 1.

Late this afternoon, my best friend and his bride of six months dropped by to view the house and it's reincarnation. They were in town from Edwardsville, IL to visit with his parents and family. We gave them the tour.....unfinished as it is.....and then went to the city center to have steaks for dinner. Returning to TheHowserHouse on the hill, we popped a couple of corks and drank some dark red medicine......the first I have had since I was on meds for the bladder infection. They had their book of wedding pictures which they had just picked up and so we enjoyed the wine and pictures......as well as lots of laughs and great conversation!!!!!

And sooooo, after a day of varied activities.............I will close for now, knowning that......

Life is GREAT......and I hope it is for all of you, also!!!!! (GREAT to see you, Andrew/Laura!!)

BRRRRR.....COLD but a beautiful day!!!

WOW.......how long before the 1st Lady and I leave for the Rio Grande Valley????? With the temps this low and the wind this high......it is time to leave NOW!!!! HAHHA.....yep....it was really cold and windy, which made it REALLY COLD!!!!

I left for STL.....after my cup(s) of Fr. Roast coffee this morning.......and ran up there, picked up the items that finishes out our cabinets, and was back in F'town in three hours!!! For the first time in days, I felt like myself......YEAH!!!!! It was a beautiful, clear day and a great morning for this quick drive into the city and back........sooooo good to be alive!!

Arriving home and unloading the boxes, I realized that our house was completely undone again......and that a hard hat was almost needed. The crew was working.......not tooooo fast......and items on my "get it done" list were slowly being completed. The new lighting in the sun room was installed, the baseboards around the rooms were painted and were installed this afternoon, the medicine cabinet in the new bath was installed, cabinet doors were adjusted for rubbing and correct alignments, and the new doors with the glass inserts were hung. Tomorrow.....well, they will have a full plate if they intend to finish by the end of the day......not sure it will be possible.

This evening I began putting all of the dishes, glassware, etc., etc. into the new VERY QUIET dishwasher and getting the dust and dirt off of them so they can be put away in their new cabinet home......we will never know where anything is for some time to come!

The 1st Lady had a Beta Sigma Phi sorority meeting this evening, so I was busy making sure that all of her favorites on the tellie tonight were Tivo'ed so she wouldn't miss a word!! HAHAH......we have become addicted to a few shows each week.........never thought I would ever read THIS stage!!

Soooooo.....wasn't it an interesting day to talk about?????!!! The day went through the hours sooooo quickly.......seems as if nothing of importance really occurred........sorry!!!! But, as usual.....

Life is GREAT.....and I hope it is for all of you, also!!!!

WHEW.......better and busy!!!

ME??????? I'm mucho better......and starting to remember what it is to feel almost good. Enough said about my health....ok??? I will be fine very soon......a reminder: If you don't think BIG...nothing BIG will happen! I AM thnking big.

Yesterday and today have been spent on our house......and WOW.....are things now starting to fall into place......FINALLY!!! The interior painting is getting closer to being completed.....the 1st Lady is doing all of the painting.....and what an INCREDIBLE job she is doing. Did she miss her calling??? Should she have been an interior painter??? I think she is highly....NO,....she is VERY highly qualified to go pro!!!!

Today, our dishwasher was installed this morning by the plumbers.......and then this afternoon, our contractor and crew arrived to start doing the "little" things and to go over my unfinished list that I had put together. Tomorrow they will be here at 7:30am to complete everything by Friday evening....!!!????? HOPEFULLY!!!!!

Our cabinet store called and all of the things we need to complete the cabinet installation have arrived and are in STL. Sooooo, I'm off in the morning to pick everything up and return quickly to TheHowserHouse so everything can be completed. There just seems to be sooooo many little details that I have on the list that I am not certain how they can get it all done in two days........guess I'll see.

Do I have any other news......events.....oddities????? You know......I seem to be at a loss for words.......really believe that it is the OTC meds that I am using to fight the cold germs that have been having an orgy inside my chest cavity.........a real huge party going on down inside me. Anyway.......those meds are winning the little battle inside and I believe the orgy/party is about to be closed down!!!! YEA!!!!!

Instead of ramblin' like some senile 63 year old sagging hulk, I will spare you my loosely put together thoughts and return to you tomorrow evening with news of more completed items on our home.......let's hope!!

Life is GREAT........and I hope it is for all of you, also!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Never Fear.....I'm still here!!

Yep.......I'm still here......but, have been somewhat "under the weather", and I don't mean the cold and icy weather. My aging body has decided that it wants to let me know that I am NOT in complete control of it.......it has been an eventful last few months!!!! First, the "funny" feelings in the southern regions that had me going into the hospital for that LONG black "snake" to be inserted into regions I've never seen, but all of my docs have now seen it! Then it was an invasion of my appendages for a full 30 minute scan.

Then......before long it was the bladder infection which had me reeling for a couple of days.....both in shock and in discomfort. And now.......after almor four years never having even the smallest of colds, this old body decided to allow a frightfully strong cold germ inside to play around in my head, my sinuses, my throat.....and finally into my lungs. And for the past few days....I have been hacking my head off, day and night.......wearing out my abdominal muscles from all of the overworking as I cough, hack, and try to cough some more to clear out the crap that is lying down there in the darkness of my wheezing lungs. And soooooo,.....NOW you can perhaps understand why I haven't written for a couple of days!! RIGHT???

Saturday the 1st Lady and I went to close to the Bootheel of Missouri to Charleston, where our oldest son finds himself now that he has been transferred. We had a great visit with him....a decent lunch for what is available there, and then we returned through Cape Girardeau for a brief hour or so of shopping.........NOT that Cape has many places to shop!

Yesterday.....well, I was mostly "out of it" with OTC meds.....trying to fight this nasty little invasive germ.....trying to get it to leave hit sagging hulk. Retired to my horizontal position early....AFTER The Amazing Race.....and then laid there with a heating pad on my chest as I attempted to loosen up the germ and all of his buddies that were having a great time in my lungs. Consequently......I was awake....LITERALLY......all night....tossing and turning, hacking and coughing every five minutes. The night was LONG and miserable.......

And today.....well, I just didn't agree to do very much as we began to put the study/den back together after the refinishing and the new paint job with new baseboards that the 1st Lady did all by herself!!!! I called a most dependable friend that lives here in F'town and soon he was knocking on the door, ready to help the 1st Lady and myself move the older tellie, large desk, and other items into the study. Sure glad he was available.......I am beginning to feel personally responsible for his physical development......hahaa!!

And sooooo, it is now time for a bit more of the dark red medicine, however......it is Robitussin cough syrup......not a glass of cabernet, damn it!!............but,

Life is Great....and I hope it is for all of you, also!!

WOW....two days went by....

Oh yeah......these past two days have just flown by for the 1st Lady and myself. WHY???? Well, we have spent the entire two days working (painting, sanding, installing baseboards, hanging window treatments, etc., etc.).......and this is NOT one of the remodeled rooms!!!! The floors were done over the past weekend in this room.....the den/study......but we wanted to get one wall of wallpaper off.....and then we "fixed" the walls for painting....and then painted. Today was spent in installing the baseboards, window treatments, etc., etc. NOW......over the weekend we can get the furniture for this room re-installed in the proper places......OR......we can have a rather loud conversation over re-arranging the room!! More on the results of this after the weekend.......

Yesterday we waited....and waited....and waited....and waited....for the predicted WINTER STORM. It rained most of the day.....a COLD rain.....but it wasn't until after darkness descended that it began to freeze and stick on the vehicles....AND TheHowserHouse! 3-5 inches of snow was expected.....and when I drug my body to a vertical position and looked outside, there wasn't even a skiff of snow!!! BUT.....everything was iced up, except the roads/streets, up here on Buford Heights. Later on this morning the sun came out...and it was beautiful with the ice on each and every limb and twig of the trees, as well as all of the remaining blades of grass. STUNNING is more like the correct description!!!!

Talked with my sister yesterday and we are becoming concerned about the welfare of our mother.....who you might remember is 93 years young. WELL......."young" is probably not quite correct now......she seems to be slipping more and more all of the time. Her memory is becoming....well,...not very good. She sleeps most of the day...and night......and with her physical disabilities from the aging bones, she spends 95% of the day in her chair in front of the tellie.

Her ability to take care of herself.....well, it is becoming very, very difficult. SOOOOO, the problem of which decision would be best for her......both mentally/emotionally and physically......is a decision that is difficult to make. As everyone who has an elderly parent living alone has to face........what do we do? She is not only a prisoner in her own house....but, she is a prisoner in her own body....which is failing fast. And again.....what do we do????????? I suppose some research should be done on the available facilities there in Eldon, MO.............

And so, while the above paragraph seems to put a depressing ending on this little ramblin' post of mine tonight........

Life is Great......and I hope it is for all of you, also!!

Still here and ok......

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!!!!

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!!!!

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

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!!!)

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!!!

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!!!

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!!!!!

Laying the granite tiles....last week

 

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)!!!!

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 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!!!!!

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!!!!!

Judge Rob Fulton and Karen...

 

A good place to celebrate....

 

Friends of the new Judge...

 

Many supporters throughout the house...

 

Judge Fulton's supporters...

 

Democrat Michael Winder and supporters....

 

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!!!

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!!

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!

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.

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!

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.

Warming up the crowd.......as the thousands wait for Claire and Barack