Summer Chat!

Yep. Need to switch to a fall thread. I'll do that right now!
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Edited by: DETERMINEDJANET at: 9/17/2020 (22:05)

Janet — Isn't it about time for a fall chat?!!!

Dawn — My two youngest girls are 16 and 13! Welcome back!

Dorothy — We both have four girls and one boy but you had them in reverse order of me. Five is grand!

Janet - I was wondering how she was going to do on hosting DWT stars.

I am glad that you and Isaac are enjoying your little vacation.

Dawn - my baby that made me late in life mom just turned 20. I had 4 girls early in my life and my son later in life. That was a huge adjustment going from girls to a boy but I would never have given up such a wonderful gift.

Every child is so different during puberty. Good luck.

Imma just jump in here. It looks like this is where you guys are talking. I've recently come back to the Spark and I'm slowly exploring what I had set up before. Which of my friends are still here. Which of my groups are still active. This was one of my favorite groups when I was here before because being a parent is so much of my life. Too much probably. It's easy to forget what life was like before kids - even though I had a lot of it (as a late-in-life Mommy).

My oldest is now 16 and my youngest is 13. Saying those numbers just about blows my mind. Are there any others here with teens? I'm finding this a very difficult spot of life to be in. Someone should have pointed out that I was going to be menopausal at the same time my children were going through puberty. LOL. Just kidding, I could never regret becoming mom to these kids. They are a marvel, and by far, the best thing that's ever happened to me.

In fact, the hardest part right now is trying to learn to let go of these budding young adults a little.

Well, sorry for the abrupt intro. I look forward to getting to know you all.
Dawn

Dorothy~I hope the electrician can give you answers to the problem at the cabin.

Another good vacation day. I got one of the three plan drafts done which was my work goal. Now personal email and SP time before starting on the jigsaw puzzle. I found a nice card table in the closet so I won't have to keep taking it down as the only other place is the dining table. Tonight during tv time (probably NBA) I'll bring out the cross-stitch due to lighting.

I did enjoy Dancing overall, but I miss Tom. I will say that Tyra did better at not being overly "look at me" other than the very beginning than I thought she would do. She was actually better at DWTS than she ever was with AGT. Horrible on that show. I'm also glad that the "tiger" lady should be going home first. She was awful and she got the lowest score.

Janet - how did you like dancing with the starts with the new hostess??

It sounds wonderful enjoying your nice slow pace.

I asked one of the electricians that I work with if they could help us at the cabin to pinpoint where the problem is so we can fix it. So he went up last night but is going to come back up tonight as well. Very excited that we will at least now know what is going on. And very thankful as well.

I need to get busy on cleaning up the front porch and back deck for winter. I'd love to find some new, easy, cheap ideas for seasonal decorating too.

Spent my morning sleeping. Shouldn't have stayed up reading so late! Then I went through work emails and got things organized to start working on plan drafts tomorrow. Now I'm watching Dancing with the Stars while Sparking. Enjoying the quiet, slow pace!

Janet - glad you made it safely there. WWE is silly - my one nephew use to love it - not sure if he still does. But it was nice of you to compromise.

Glad to hear that there is not a whole lot of the political stuff going on at the games. I can not even looks at the news any more as there is so much false reporting and they don't tell you the whole story.

Started putting away some of the yard stuff last night - I am going to have to clean the garage out so I can get my stuff put away and then it will be stuck there until spring. I like to get ahead of the game before I get caught with the first snow.

I honestly never tune into a game early enough to see the anthem and coin toss stuff. I did see on the news that there were some knees, but really it wasn't a big story. Most teams were unified in some way about the BLM, but it hasn't taken away from the game at all. Most teams don't have anything extra on their helmets either. Most have the same phrase or name as a team and not individually. I saw "It Takes All of Us" more than anything and I totally agree with that phrase.

Made it to the timeshare in the mountains easily this afternoon. We had our spendy meal at the pizza place (a tradition on the first night) and made sure we got enough to have extra for a meal tomorrow. Then we checked in and unpacked the van. Missed about 10 minutes of the Steeler game so it worked out great for Monday night football. Now I'm keeping track of the second game on my phone as the deal I made with Isaac was WWE after the first game. (I think the WWE stuff is so crazy. )

That's pretty much it for my day!

Janet - I did not sleep well the last two nights. Saturday night I just work up early and could not fall back asleep - last night was just a restless night - ugh - going to make for a long Monday. One of my problems is my neck has been bothering me so I have been trying out different pillows.

So excited for you and Isaac to get away. It sounds like it will be a lovely time.

That Tim is a smart cookie - glad he was able to get the tv figured out for you. Were there many players kneeling??

Quiet day for me - took the dog for a walk and we walked to the doggy wash and he got a bath - I think I caught him by surprise. Did my recycling. Brought all of hubbys hunting guns down so he can get them cleaned and put in the safe. I had wanted to get my fall stuff out but now I have guns everywhere,.

Dorothy~I agree. Never fun setting up a new computer. I did finally get the OneDrive files synced. Not sure what I did, but as long as I can get to them I don't care.

I didn't sleep much at all last night as the mattress set I used was horrible. I told Tim to throw that thing out! There is one more twin set that I will try tonight (before bedtime) and see if it is just as bad. The sofa will be fine if it is. It's definitely the right time for Tim to be doing the hardwood floor in our bedroom since I'll be gone for the week, but I sure didn't expect not to sleep. Knee is very angry today and I'm sure it is from trying to get out of that bed! Low to the ground and then less height because of no support. LOL

I slept for about 40 minutes and then went to McD's for a Dr. Pepper before game time. I started watching the Raider game on my phone as I couldn't get the antenna to connect to the TV and we hadn't tested that since we installed the new TV. I knew Tim could figure it out so I'm enjoying it on the big screen now.

I do have a load of laundry going so that Isaac and I have all the clean clothes possible before we pack tomorrow. We are planning to leave about 2pm after Isaac is done with all his classes.

Janet - I need to finish getting everything on my new computer - I think I only have on more program to down load. And then I am going to wipe my old one and give it to my friend to use. I do hate setting up new computers - I hope you get your files to synch.

I did get most of the wood stacked, I need to go up one day after work so I can finish. Today it is suppose to rain all day so I will probably work on the house - it really needs decluttered - and go see my mom. Plus finish getting my finances updated.

Dorothy~I had Isaac go out and pick up sticks that fell from the front maple tree in our last wind storm today. Hope you get the needed wood in place soon for the coming months.

My day was spent getting groceries, making lasagna (yummy), cleaning up the kitchen, doing laundry (bedding) and getting files copied to my OneDrive so I can access them when on vacation. So far I am not seeing them on my laptop though so I’m guessing I need to sync them somehow.

Janet - thankfully the trip was uneventful.

Glad that Tim and Isaac made it safely home. Will Tim work on the floor while you are gone. Perfect opportunity Smart to take groceries with you.

Hopefully Maegann will get everything figured out. She is still so young so it will take time. When does one finally figure out what they want to do for there life?

I was able to get all of the lawns mowed last night after we got home so today I can go to the cabin and get it ready for hunting season for hubby and son in law and hopefully get the wood shed cleaned out so I can start putting some of the wood in there. Luckily it is almost full there is just some stuff that get shoved in there while I was renting it out. And if I get a chance I will start picking up sticks and limbs form the rest of the property. I would like to mow it once more but I am not going to worry too much about it.

Dorothy~Hope your drive to Pittsburgh was uneventful.

Evening has come and sofa and Spark time has begun. Isaac is gaming, Maegann is out Door Dashing and Tim and I are watching Star Trek. He was able to arrive home about 10 this morning which was nice for him, but made for a lot of interruptions when I was trying to put a costing plan together. If it wasn't Tim, it was Isaac. LOL

Most of my day was trying to get some extra things done on paid work before the weekend and trying to figure out what assignments for Isaac are actually done. Monday I will move my work files to One Drive so I can access them from the timeshare.

Tomorrow my "must do" is putting a grocery list together to order for Sunday. I want to take as much as I can for the first few days at the timeshare so we don't have to go straight to the grocery store when we arrive. I will have some time to myself while there as Isaac will spend time each day playing basketball or using the weight room. This time I will actually have the "master" bedroom. Maegann usually had it when all of us were there.

Tim's next project is putting the darker hardwood flooring into our bedroom. The type we have in their now is just cheap in look and feel compared to the rest. We will move everything out of our room (isn't too much really) and will either sleep in the family room area or our room. Just depends on how much he gets done tomorrow.

Maegann is doing much better and had a productive day regarding her work opportunities. She is no longer at SuperCuts as she had a "no call, no show" on Tuesday morning. The manager she likes offered her a transfer to another store with a different name that is owned by the same company so she has a few days to decide. She wasn't completely disappointed as the other manager she seemed to work with all the time was so critical with her words. This way it ends well for her resume. So, for now she has the home salon, a part-time job from home that she starts next Friday for a home security company and Door Dash. She is still talking with Walmart to get back on with them at one of the stores here in town. We'll see how things play out for her!

Janet - that sounds like such a pleasant day.

My appointment went well after work and then Michael and I were going to take Mike out for dinner for his birthday, But he was sleeping when I got home so that plan was nixed.

Pittsburg today - kind of nervous being out on the roads today. But I am sure everything will be ok.

Dorothy~Glad you got so much accomplished at the cabin.

I was able to finish the puzzle last night. I would like to start another one, but think I'll choose reading or cross-stitch instead for something different.

My day is very quiet and the only "need to do" is a load of laundry (Isaac's). I'm enjoying a movie while checking email and Sparking. Isaac has his school finished so he went to the Rec Center for a few hours. No plans for the rest of the day.

Janet - yiikes - glad she made it home safely,

I was able to get more mowed at the cabin yesterday and picked up more branches. But I still have 2 more areas to mow and there are a lot of branches and sticks down in those areas. I will probably work on it this weekend. I did not get them picked up from the last storm so it is 2 storms worth of branches and sticks.

Glad you were able to get Issacs school assignments figured out. Hope you got to work on your jigsaw puzzle.

Tonight I have an appointment after work, then I will run to Aldis and then probably work around here or mow the neighbors lawn. Tomorrow is Pittsburgh.

Dorothy~We had lots of branches down from our wind storm, but around here nothing too large. In southern Idaho it was bad.

The California saga... last night Tim was talking with a friend who has a son in the San Fran area and we learned that where Maegann was stayng in Santa Rosa in considered the ghetto of the town. Tommy said God was watching over her because she was not safe. We were both shocked. At least it is finished.

Today I was able to get Isaac's school assignments figured out, paid work checked in on and personal emails. Once I am finished here I am going to get the jigsaw puzzle out since I have the place to myself right now.

Karen - I am surprise that Kim contacted you at all. I am just glad that Maegann got home safely, Could have been such a disaster.

How wonderful that you and Isaac are getting away to the time share. I think it will do both of you so much good.

Sunshine and into the 80's yesterday and again today - then we will drop into the 70;s/ No rain here until Sunday. But the nice weather let me get some of the cabin mowed - I got some of the sticks and branches picked up and got some burned. Just so peaceful up there.

But wow - the branches and trees down everywhere. There was one estate I went by trees down everywhere. And 2 of the roads that I usually drive on had trees down so I had to use other roads. Crazy crazy,.

Dorothy~I saw your photo on Facebook. Glad the window wasn't damaged. We had extremely high winds yesterday too. From 25-60mph gusts along with it. Lots of property damage further south in the state where they really get the roughest winds just because of the landscape.

The stress of the past couple of days took a toll and I slept for almost 11 hours. My day really didn't begin until around noon. Good that I didn't have anything pressing that needed to be done. Watching a movie while Sparking and checking emails and then I need to go through Isaac's school assignments since I haven't done that for a week. Also have a vet appointment for Auggie at 4:15. Thankful for what seems like a more typical day.

I could not believe Kim texted me yesterday saying that "it was all Maegann's fault" from the moment she arrived. I know better because when she's in a full out panic attack she can't make this type of stuff up and be consistent with the details. Tim and I have always seen the lack of concern for others from Kim. I gave her a nice response and then her defenses came up. I didn't reply to that attitude.

Had to cancel my monthly massage again this month (it was yesterday) and my shoulders/neck are so tight. I may call and get one for the week of the 21st after Isaac and I return from McCall. Yep...a week in the mountains at the timeshare beginning Monday!

OMG Janet - poor Maegann - what a terrible situation to be in. And so unnecessary. Glad she and the boys all made it home safely. With a wonderful present in tow. Hopefully everything settles back down to normalcy now.

I tried to beat the rain to the cabin to mow but did not make it./ So I headed back home and then a huge wind storm came in. Picked up my gazebo and blew in my kitchen window. I got the gazebo under control so it would not go flying over to the neighbors but it is a mangled mess and I got the kitchen window back in and locked into place. After all of the excitement I got a warning on my phone that we may get hit with high winds.

Today is suppose to beautiful so I will probably head to the cabin after work to see if anything got tosses around up there and to get a little mowing down.

Dorothy~So glad you got to spend time with your daughter and grandkids!

Things escalated in CA throughout the night and I finally was able to shut my phone off and sleep about 4:30 a.m. I slept until about 11 and then headed to the airport with Michaell and Auggie in tow. Maegann hasn't had but about 3 hours sleep in two days and tonight the crash from all the anxiety is hitting her hard. About 5pm the texts and calls started coming and the very short version is:

*Maegann got her way back to Kim's thanks to a beach security cop, a bus and an UBER.
*Two hotel rooms paid for without refunds. (One in San Fran and the other 4 miles from Kim's.) Long story.
*Hours spent trying to secure transportation to airport.
*5:00 a.m. (her time) she was in an UBER heading to the airport.

I was restless for the next several hours until I knew she was in a vehicle heading to the airport. Then I was out. After returning home from the airport I worked on the puzzle and watched a couple episodes of "Bones". M&M ran some errands together and now they are watching "Cinderella" (the newest one) and just relaxing. Tim and I are watching "The Mandalorian".

Tim and Isaac made it home about 4pm and the new TV they brought back with them is now mounted and someone came and hauled off the old one as we offered it for free. The new one is a TCL Roku TV and such a nice picture compared to the other. We figured out we'd had the old one since the early 2000 years. Still worked fine, but the static lines were taking over 1/4 or more of the screen. The new one is my birthday present and our anniversary gift to ourselves.

I'm sure we'll all sleep soundly tonight.

Janet - that is rough. I am glad she was keeping her head and not joining in. Michael is usually pretty good around his friends when they drink - he has seen the affects of alcoholism with too many family members. I hope she made it home safely and get to the airport safely as well.

I hope the rest of your day is calm.

We went to Buffalo yesterday to get a load of firewood. I drove the whole way up and back with the the trailer and did AOK. But the best part of the day was spending time with my daughter and grandkids.

Hoping to get up to the cabin and mow before the rain sets in.

Dorothy~I need to gather the recycling and trash from the house tomorrow morning. Has the water issue been resolved?

I slept so late today. Guess I was exhausted or I didn't sleep as soundly as I thought I did. I finally got to the puzzle about 2pm and then the texts started coming in from Maegann.

She is having PTSD and anxiety to the max today. She's "stuck" at the beach with Kim and all of her boyfriend's friends and what set her off today is that the friends all brought tons of alcohol. Maegann was already anxious being with this group of people she didn't know and then the concern of "if everyone is getting drunk how will we get home safely". I finally got her calmed down so she could get her things from the car and then she went to the beach cafe to calm down alone. I tried to get her an UBER back to Kim's but she was just too far out of town for driver's to be around. She finally headed back to the beach and last I heard she finally told Kim about her PTSD/anxiety and of course Kim's solution was "well, drink something". Maegann said no and convinced her to go down to the water with her. She plans to stay sober in case she needs to be the designated driver. It's over an hour from Kim's home. Basically Maegann is "done with Kim" and just wants to get home. Her flight is in the morning and I am sure she will finally be able to relax once she's at the airport. I am thankful she is making the right choices today regarding the drinking. Tim and I have always seen the negative influence so it's nice that Maegann is finally seeing it for herself and not allowing Kim's peer pressure to influence her decisions.

Okay...once done on SP it's back to the puzzle even though it's almost 6pm.

Janet - I hope you enjoyed your quiet birthday.

Sure hope Maegann starts to have a better time in California. So disappointing for her.

I did recycling yesterday - popped up to the cabin and saw I had caught 2 more mice. Came home and mowed the lawn. Today hubby and I are heading to Buffalo to get a load of firewood. Tomorrow I hope to mow at the cabin - hopefully the last big mow up there for the season.

Dorothy~HP makes solid computers. I've never heard of the hard drive built into the monitor. Interesting.

Maegann sent me a text last night saying she wishes she had never gone to California. Can't seem to go anywhere without Kim's boyfriend along so she's feeling like a third wheel. Today they are doing hair, nails and makeup for a wedding party which is fun, but still not the goal for the weekend. Kim had told her she cleared her work schedule completely - and she is self-employed doing nails from her home. They did get to the beach yesterday and stayed through the sunset, but not without the boyfriend.

This morning I slept in as I stayed up way too late watching a movie. I did do a little house cleaning (just going to do bits and pieces throughout the day for breaks from sitting working on the puzzle) before Sparking. I am going to go out for some ice cream later to celebrate my birthday though.

Janet - that is so sweet that Isaac wants to go on vacation with just his mom - he sure loves you despite the hard times he give you.

I need to get my dog to the groomer - he smells plain bad. It been 6 months since he had his bath and I can tell. His nails are in much better shape though since I walk him every day.

I hope Maegann is enjoying herself - what an opportunity she has.

I ended up getting a Hewitt packer computer and worked on transferring my files last night. So far I love it - the hard drive is built into the monitor so I sure hope I do not have any problems with it.

Glad the birthday dinner was a good time Dorothy.

This morning I took the dogs to the vet for their nail trims. Much quieter around here on these tile and hardwood floors! Once home I got the finances updated, talked with Isaac and now Sparking while watching a Hallmark movie. Next up is jigsaw puzzle time and tomorrow I will get busy on some deep cleaning in the bathrooms since the place is empty. For today I just want to enjoy the "empty".

Maegann texted a few times and is finding California a lot different than she expected. I hope Kim follows through and keeps her busy so she isn't just sitting around the whole time. Tomorrow they are getting to do the hair and makeup for a wedding party so that will be fun for them.

The boys are doing fine. Isaac has been busy with his school and he called me today between two classes to chat. He asked since school will remain online through Sept. 21 if I would check on the McCall timeshares to see if they are open. He still really wants the two of us to go there for a week. I agree with him as I can work from there easily too.

Janet - no place better place tp have some down time than home.

Hope Maegann has a wonderful time in San Francisco - I would love to go there some day.

And hope the boys are enjoying there time away as well.

Mom enjoyed her birthday dinner out last night with my brother and myself. And I took her out for ice cream as well,.

Maegann is now in San Francisco with her friend Kim. I hope they have a great time. Michaell came by on his lunch break about 15 minutes before we were leaving and he just looked lost when she got into the van.

Once I got back from dropping her off at the airport I have been doing personal email and Sparking and then I’ll shift to the living room for the evening. Home Alone time has begun!

Janet - I bet that quiet house was nice. My recycling is piling up. Glad next week is recycle week.

We had some much needed rain yesterday. Hopefully everything will turn green again.

Went to the stores after work - Walmart to check out there computers and to pick up a few things. They only carry HP in the store but I think I can make that work. Then went to Aldis for groceries. But they had no cat food which I really need and I forgot garbage bags.

Tonight my brother and I are taking my mom out for her birthday.

Sure hope you can get the water issue taken care of easily. Glad you family came to help out!

Tim and Isaac are about an hour out from Grand Junction for their turn at his sister's house. Maegann is off with a friend getting cosmetics that won't explode in flight (she had a liquid that didn't fare so well when we went to Seattle). This leaves me an empty house this afternoon! I'm Sparking before switching to the budget reviews. Enjoying Hallmark NOW while I "work". I chose to get a Subway chicken salad for lunch today and couldn't believe it when they said "we don't chop them any longer". I just came home and dumped it in a large bowl and chopped it myself. I then got the refrigerator cleaned out and hauled trash bags to the containers. Will take it all to the street this evening as there is a lot since it is also recycle week. Freezer clean out will be after my desk work is finished.

Janet - sounds like everything is pretty much back to normal since your vacation and going pretty smoothly.

Sounds like a nice birthday celebration for Issac.

And now another vacation for you without going anywhere - lucky girl!

Life got a little hectic here. My son in law and daughters boyfriend came down to look at the water problem and also drop a a dead pine tree at the cabin. We still have no water. Someone is going to come look at it next week. We either have a short or need a new pump in the well. So I had to cancel reservations - so a little break for me but also a loss of income.

Michael's party went well and his sisters gave him a very generous check for his birthday and graduation. He was a happy camper. And it was nice having my family and my whole family together to celebrate Michael's birthday even if we did not have any water.

I went back up last night to clean the cabin a little better from our celebration and to finish cleaning up the yard where the tree came down.

Edited by: DOROTHYBERO at: 9/2/2020 (05:00)

My day went a little differently, but it was all good. I ran my errands, spent time with my Prayerful Planner and then did paid work. I was able to watch the new episodes of Chesapeake Shores on Hallmark as I was just doing reminder emails for the next wave of plan renewals, downloading budget reports and entering time cards. Tomorrow I will do the actual budget reviews and then all of that is finished for another month.

We had leftovers for supper as I knew I could never finish off everything that was in there. Afterwards Tim and Isaac began their packing for their early morning start towards Colorado. Now Tim and I are just watching Star Trek and hanging out. Isaac is gaming and Maegann is Door Dashing.

My morning and part of the afternoon was a webinar for work that I had forgotten about and getting Isaac's school figured out for the week. He then went into full battle mode when I'd ask about some of his assignments and electronic habits for keeping up with his classes. When I say "done" I mean completely finished. He says "done" means "I'm working on it." When I ask "have you read your emails" I mean thoroughly and completely. He says "yes, I've read them" and it means "I've read the ones I wanted to and didn't open up any provided links". Yeah. We have an understanding.

My day was sleeping in, online worship and jigsaw puzzle time. Enjoyed more of the Hallmark series (Sue Thomas FB Eye) while I worked on it. I made a lot of progress. Now it's Star Trek and Sparking before bedtime arrives.

Last night was busy as we celebrated Isaac's birthday. We finally headed to Applebees about 6:30pm and had a 30 minute wait for a table. Not as bad as it could have been! I enjoyed their Asian Chicken Salad (never had it before). Once home Isaac opened his few gifts - the t-shirt we'd ordered for him got to the house about 5pm - and we had ice cream with syrups. Nate stayed the night and I guess they finally got to sleep about 1 a.m. Maegann went over to Michaell's for a game night with 3-4 other friends and she got home about 3:30 a.m. Michaell had to be at work by 7, but he showed up here on his lunch break looking very rested. I remember those days! LOL

Tomorrow it doesn't appear there will be much paid work unless things blow up overnight through email. My goal is to clean the bathrooms thoroughly, put a meal plan together (have to do something with all the zucchini and crookneck squash that my client sent me home with last week) and ????

Isaac will dive back into online school. Maegann will be at work from 1-8. Tim will be working from home. Pretty standard day.

I hope the "miracle 3's" works for you Dorothy. Maybe some rest for you this weekend?

I've accomplished most of my planned list for the day and have lost motivation. I got the counter tops cleaned off and made more space for actual ability to use them, picked up groceries and went through boxes and bags to gather items for my nephew's kiddos in Colorado so they could be taken to Colorado on Wednesday with Tim. Yep. Another trip for him and this time Isaac is going with him. I will have 3-4 days to myself though as Maegann is heading to California during the same time. Two "me" vacations within a month’s time!

Janet - I feel like I am tired most days. Usually I can muster enough energy to get done what I need to get done. I would just like to feel refreshed once in awhile.

What a week - hubby's lost phone, Michael locked his keys into his car, and the water quit working at the cabin after the storm and power outage. I was able to call triple A to get Michael's keys out. My son in law is coming down today to help me figure out the water. I am hoping it is just the fuse in the well house. That is three - I am hoping I am done for a while!!

We have a birthday dinner for Isaac tomorrow too. His 16th birthday! Naturally the gift we bought for him has not arrived. He wants to go to Applebee's so that is the plan.

Today I've just been tired so I've been slowly getting through things. Next goal is figuring out supper and then getting out the puzzle again.

Janet - hope you get to work on that puzzle today.

Glad its Friday. I picked up a new phone for Mike yesterday. And we had severe storms come through - I guess there are trees down all over the place.

Birthday party for Michael on Sunday!

Glad the treatment and trip went well. Hooray for no plans tonight!

I've made it through paid work and actually don't have any waiting for tomorrow at this moment. Nice! I'm almost finished with personal email and SP so should have time to actually pull the jigsaw puzzle out today. Never happened yesterday.

Janet - the trip went well. Treatment went well and he had some cancer taken off of his lip.

Somehow though he lost his phone.

We were suppose to get rain yesterday and last night and now through Saturday but I don't think we have gotten any yet - we really need some.

Mp big plans tonight - hooray.

Dorothy~Hope the drive to Pittsburgh went smoothly today.

Another day of paid work followed by some SP time. It's about 3:30 so I should be able to pull out the jigsaw puzzle for a bit before I make supper. Just doing salmon and salad tonight.

Janet - I slept a little better last night but had to get up earlier to get ready to head to Pittsburgh.

Sounds like a very productive day at your house. Paid work - always a bonus. New recipe that was easy and a hit. Newer functioning stove and oven. And a day off of school - Sounds like a win win all the way around,

I mowed our lawn last night and watered. We need rain so bad and they keep promising it to us but it seems to keep going around us or we only go get a little,.

Hoping that there are not many deer out on the road this morning. Got to get the dog out for his walk and then head to Pittsburgh.

Dorothy~Sorry about the lack of sleep happening for you. So the cabin mess was how the renters left it? Guess they will be on your black list for the future!

My day was 90% paid work. Had a client meeting in Boise in the morning and then I went to pick up groceries. About noon I got busy at my desk and I did get all the files caught up that I worked on at Marie's - little things I couldn't do there - and then spent about 3 hours on a plan draft. I will finish it in the morning and then have a phone call with that family on Thursday for edits. The mom is going in for back surgery Friday so we're trying to get everything done before then.

I made a new recipe for supper and it was very good. Asian Beef Egg-Roll Skillet. Michaell was here and could tell he liked it as he had two huge helpings! So easy too which I really like.

Tim got the new-to-us stove installed in the kitchen tonight so I've lost more kitchen cupboard space, but it's all good to get rid of that horrible stove top that half the burners didn't work on any longer. We can now get rid of the separate wall oven too that is so small and has issues with steady temps. A definite upgrade for us.

Two full days of online school completed and tomorrow is a "no class" day to be used for teacher help and/or assignment work as needed. Not much given out for work as things began but I bet it will be a little different on Thursday and Friday. Isaac is still hoping they get back in the buildings after Labor Day, but I'm not holding out much hope for that as the media keeps saying the most Covid activity continues to be our county.

Janet - than you.

Sounds like life is right back to normal

Those fires are awful

I had to clean the cabin yesterday. What a mess - I was shocked. The front enclosed porch had about 8 garage bags on it - dirty dishes in the sink - I even found a dirty pan in the oven. Good grief people. Causally takes me less than 2 hours to clean. Took me over 3 hours yesterday.

Michael and his buddy came while I was there and we got the cat buried where our 2 dogs are buried. Quite the little cemetery going on.

Could not sleep well again last night - I may have to start taking something to help me sleep.

Dorothy~So sorry about the cat. Hugs! Glad you and your daughter tackled the wood and successfully got that trailer there and back.

I still need to tackle the kitchen, but first I'm on the second load of laundry, updated the finances, got paid work caught up, got Isaac going with online school (one more class to go) and now Sparking. Supper tonight is just going to be tacos. Simple is needed today.

Fires are still burning and starting in Colorado.



Surprised how thick it is here at home though. Looks like a rainy day with an odd tint due to the smoke.

Isaac's first day of school is actually going smoothly although one class (team sports) has to start Thursday instead for an electronic reason. I made him go out and play basketball for it though. He has one more class to log into and then he's done for the day. I hear he is needing to go out and mow.

Maegann doesn't go into work until 3 today so she's been sleeping mostly. She's having much better days as the one gal who was making it miserable is out sick this week. She also has one her learning leaders from school there now part-time. Said it was odd to be working beside her and not for her.

Janet - I could just imagine the kitchen - I come home daily to one.

Glad you made it home safe and sound - so sad about the fires.

We got a few sprinkles yesterday - that made me happy. We may get a few more today. In fact we may get them throughout the week. We need it so bad.

Hubby decided he was not up to go for wood. And my grandsons worked so hard on getting it cut. So my daughter and I went to get it. She drove - first time for her pulling a trailer as well. And we had to take it easy going up because ours starts swaying if you go to fast. Once we got there we visited a bit before we headed bak - it rides much better with a full load. She drove as far as her boyfriends dads house and I went solo from there to the cabin. Did ok my first time pulling a trailer. The trailer I just unhitched and left at the cabin - I did empty the back of the truck - just threw it in a pile. Then headed home to swap out vehicles.

Right after I had left my son texted me to tell me that our cat had passed right after I left - he was pretty upset as am I - we were great buddies.

Dorothy~You had a couple busy days. Good luck pulling the trailer! I'd be awful at that! LOL

Drive home was uneventful, but it was long and boring. The return drive always seems so much longer even when it isn't. Had smoke in the air the entire way too. The west is definitely burning up right now.

Enjoyed dinner out with the whole family and Tim's cousins that are in town visiting, but I was glad to get home so I could just be done.

Tomorrow -- first day of school (online), laundry and cleaning a filthy kitchen!

Janet - you can hope that that would work with the health teacher/coach.

Sounds like they have everything figured out quote nicely.

Sounds like you have a plan as well with books and clothing.

I hope you have safe travels.

I got part of the camp mowed yesterday and thankfully the sudafed helped. I was going to mow at home as well but though I would wait and see if we actually get the rain that they are calling for today.

I also got my recycling done yesterday.

Hubby and I are suppose to head to Buffalo today to get a load of wood so that means I have to get my rear in gear, wake him up, get the dog for his walk, go borrow the company truck, get the trailer hooked up, stop at the cabin to unload what is on the trailer and head to Buffalo - looks like I am finally going to learn how to pull a trailer. Wish me luck.

Dorothy~I hope you get the computer need taken care of soon.

I had a Zoom call this morning with a client and afterwards I went through a bag of Isaac's clothes that I've been hauling around for months now as my nephew could use some new things. I think he'll be able to use some of the shorts and shirts. I plan to go through a bag that Maegann has together with her things to see if there's anything that my niece could wear. Also going to go through my school books as these two love to read and I need to clean homeschool stuff out. Can send them here with Tim when he comes over Labor Day.

I then had the house to myself for a couple of hours so I have my laptop with me on the recliner and I'm Sparking while watching a cute movie. Only real outing today will be for lunch/and I'dinner m not sure what Marie has planned for that.

I've also started gathering up my things so I can have my bags packed tonight before bed. I will head out around 6:30 in the morning.

School~Oh my goodness! Two additional programs to use along with the others already in place. One is a communication app called Remind and the other is called Otus. From what I can tell Isaac can add all his teachers and classmates for other communication such as grades. I have added Isaac to mine so that I can see all the information too so that was nice. As for the daily schedule they are planning to have it be the full day as if they were in the school. Not sure what some of the stuff on there is about, but I know how often the teachers plan to do a virtual lesson and offer assignments. I can see me having to guide Isaac through the first week so I'm just going to make that my priority for the days ahead. One interesting thing is that the varsity basketball coach that he's had issues with is the Health teacher. Isaac isn't pleased, but I think it's a blessing in disguise as the coach can get to know him in a different environment and maybe that will translate over into basketball in some way.

Janet - that sounds like a good school plan.

Nice that you got to extend your vacation for a few days.

I use Dell as well so I will probably stick to it. The one I have now is refurbished and works pretty good but it likes to act up now and then.

Dorothy~I like Dell, but there are so many good ones out now. Samsung, HP. Just stay away from ACER.

I actually did not drive home today as we couldn't schedule time with my BIL and his bunch until tonight and Tim was all for me waiting until Sunday. Yippee! Spent the day on paid work and have one Zoom meeting in the morning and then it's done until Monday.

Finally seeing emails regarding the first day of school so will need to look through those at some point so Isaac can get set up. They are going to have them check into each class period so things are supposed to be more like a full school day for assignments, etc. Thankful.

Janet - I guess all of our servers got hit as well. Everything is toast. It is just crazy.

Hope you have no travels driving home - good news that the fires have not spread.

I am looking to get a new computer - any recommendations??

I have meant to mow at the cabin all week and have not done so yet so hopefully tonight. Got my hair cut and a pedi last night.

Dorothy~That's just crazy about the computers! I'm surprised there wasn't a back-up location for everyone to use. I guess the bright side is you'll have a new computer. Ugh!

I have time completely to myself today as Marie had a full morning into early afternoon thing at work (a church). I had another webinar for my work this morning and it finished early (yeah!). I do have some drafts to work on, but wanted to SP first as this is vacation after all.

Fires didn't grow overnight so that's a positive. I do think I'll probably head home tomorrow. Only thing that would change that is if we need to reschedule time with Paul's bunch to Friday or Saturday night.

Wow Janet - those fires are close.

Hope Issac was able to get his ID.

Trip to Pittsburgh was good and Mike was aable to get skin cancer off of his hand.

I was planning on mowing last night at the cabin but just did not feel well - was so tired so stayed home and worked on laundry and watered the lawn.

When I went to work on Monday there was a ransom wear note on my computer that my files were being held for ransom. They actually took my computer yesterday. My place of employment has been hit hard - most of our servers our trash and they want 20 million for our files. United is working with the FBI. I was told that my computer would more than likely end up trashed and would just get a new computer. So sad I have over 10 years of old files on that computer that will never be able to be duplicated. I am not sure how many computers had the note and the computers that did not have the note have t have virus wear run pn it daily. What is wrong with people.

Fires~Well, Tuesday the wind changed again and now the fire has grown and is 18 miles from Grand Junction. It grew to 125,000+ acres overnight and is now the 2nd largest in state history. Only 10,000 +/- to go and it will take the number one spot. I went to get a Dr. Pepper and found the van coated in ash.

My plan is to drive home Friday - and yes - that is getting here way too fast! I'm ready though.

Poor Marie (SIL) had to be up by 5 this morning to take in the grandkids and get them to school by 8:30. The mom has to be at work at 5:30 and the dad (her son) had an unexpected 4am start to his work day. Needless to say, she is now sleeping!

Isaac should be heading over to the high school soon for his ID/school photo and device checkout. I know he's nervous about going, but they are limiting how many students are on campus at once so he should do fine. Would be nice if they had any detail on sports to offer though, but I know they don't.

No plans for today other than a little paid work once I'm done Sparking. Will probably get my Kindle out and start reading.

Today's plan is paid work as I have a draft I need to get written, lunch at Jct. Square (antipasto salad) and then a shopping errand with Marie. Haven't heard whether Paul's girlfriend and her son are coming tonight for games or not. Marie is thinking of ordering pizza if they choose to come. Paul is with his son hauling a motorbike to San Diego. Chris is stationed there with the Marines and his leave ends Wednesday.

Dorothy~Hope your drive and Mike's procedure goes smoothly.

The fire closest to where I am staying is almost now the 3rd largest in Colorado's history. There is concern tonight of dry lightening strikes and wind because of the high temps we're having.

Maegann finally got her results last night and it said "lost". Still frees her up to get back to work and she starts tomorrow.

This morning I got some paid work done and then Marie and I headed to lunch at Dos Hombres before driving over the Grand Mesa (about 2 hours). Surprising to see as much smoke as we did at the top. Still a pretty drive. Tonight I had a Subway salad and now we're watching more of The Green Arrow. A quiet evening.

Janet - that looks like a bad fire. So sad - they are so destructive.

Sounds like things are hopping back home. Can not believe no test results yet.

Glad you were able to enjoy church,

I did get the neighbors yards mowed yesterday and then headed to Sams Club in Erie to restock up on some stuff. So weird how it is still hard to find some items.

Today after work we will head to Pittsburgh as Mike has a 7:30 appointment tomorrow morning to get skin cancer removed. Once we make it back home I will have to go clean the cabin to get it ready for the next guests.

Dorothy~Hope you got those lawns mowed.

Sinuses are better today, but I'm working to keep them moist. Here's what we've got going on that's messing with them:



The one closest to Marie's is about 18 miles away, but it is now the 4th largest wildfire on record for the state. Around 81,000 acres as of this morning. The next closest one has the interstate and most other access roads in that area closed down as it's burning right at the interstate level. About 26,000 acres there. LOTS of smoke now in the valley and seeing ash.

Maegann has not heard back on her test results so I sent her text from the CDC site saying employers cannot keep you from coming back when you are symptom free, etc. I told her to go by SuperCuts today and get her work schedule. I'm going to be calling the doctor's office in the morning myself as this is just ridiculous.

Seems like today is "old boyfriend" day as I heard from both Tayler and Jeff. Tayler had received a message from her apologizing for how she left things with him and Jeff was bored and looking for something to do. Jeff is now at the house tearing apart an old AC unit and separating it for all the different metals. Michaell is getting back from a family camping trip sometime today so that will be fun if he shows up while Jeff is still there. LOL

This morning I went to church with Marie and little niece and nephew. We took them out for breakfast afterwards and listened to their chatter about starting school tomorrow. So excited for 3rd and 4th grades. Once back at Marie's I listened to two more sermons and now I'm Sparking while we enjoy The Arrow some more.

Janet - sorry to hear of te fire and how it is affecting your sinus. So many fires. I sure hoe there are no major one around here - it has been such a dry summer.

It has cooled off - so much better. I am hoping to get my neighbors lawns mowed this morning. But first I have a very impatient dog to walk.

Hope your temps do cool a bit Dorothy. You have lots of outdoor work to do!

Hibernating from the heat this afternoon. We ventured out for anipasto salad for lunch and now we are watching The Arrow. Tonight we are having taco and game night and so far we know BIL and his girl are coming. Marie's son and his family are always late to say "yes" or "no".

My sinuses are unhappy today as the smoke from the fire is making its way into the valley. We are near the fire considered the 4th largest ever in Colorado. Been burning since the end of July and barely have 7% containment.

Edited by: DETERMINEDJANET at: 8/15/2020 (15:27)

Janet - sounds like the vacation that you needed. Low key. Hope you enjoyed your time at BIL.

I rn short on time yesterday and my dog is sighing right now waithing for our walk - hes too funny.

I need to clean and mow at the cabin today. I mowed our house on Thursday but still need to mow the neighbors but it was just too hot. Should be cooling down though so I should be able to get it done.