What Am I Thinking?
Now Playing: The Boxer by Simon & Garfunkel
Topic: Family Business

I'm thinking that on my 'real' blog I'm at that 100 post point, the next one I do will be # 100. & that's why I'm doing this here, I don't like pressure to perform, I duck stuff like that, of course, I could just ignore the number, it doesn't really show up in the blog itself.

I'm thinking that cat is getting out of control- She's always been crazy but lately has been seeming to calm down. All that has changed tonight, she's racing around the house jumping between pieces of furniture & miaowing like mad, I'd say she was in heat but she's been fixed, do they still act weird like in heat if they don't have heat?

I'm thinking if Cam doesn't quiet down & stop playing with dinosaurs in bed I'm going to have to shut down the computer so I can turn off the light in here & get him to fall asleep that way.

I'm thinking I may not be able to go on vacation like we did this year next year. Unless things change a lot in regards to gas prices & costs in general.

Which brings me to thinking about how in the last few years while the news has been getting worse & I've been hearing from my Mother, Grandmother, Ex & others how bad things are my own personal finances have been on the upswing & I've done really well just by working lot.         & how now I hate my job SO much because I've been doing it day in day out for way too long. But because I hate my job I've been calling in sick a lot & good attendance is one of the 5 things you have to have in order to try to get promoted from taking calls all the time to doing other things there. (like listening to calls & being in charge over the peons who take calls!) 

I'm thinking about last night when the kids got an hour & a half in Chrissie's bf's apartment complex pool. which was all the time that was left by the time we arrived after dinner & a trip to Target to get Lois' school supplies (the highschool doesn't tell you what they need until after school starts) It was a lot of fun for them, they don't get pool time too much, just the various rivers, not that the river is a bad thing, they love it & I do to, it's a lot more secluded than the pool situation & I'm not embarassed to go swimming there like I would have been at the pool with other people around.

I'm thinking I was going to watch the 11 oclock news & it's starting in 6 minutes. Now I'm thinking what a great invention dvr is, I'm not a sales person at work & I hate having things crammed down my throat by sales people so I rarely sell because of that but I can sell the hell out of dvr boxes, I know whereof I speak!

I want to watch the 11 oclock news because I didn't watch the 6 oclock due to a tv show I wanted to dvr which was on at 6, I don't do that very often (the news is all important) But it's my day off so I don't feel like I really need to hear too much more about that crazy guy who may or may not have killed that poor little girl in Boulder CO. The weather & anything local going on should take care of it for me tonight!

I'm thinking that Lois might be having an argument with the BF, that would be unusual, they're both so simpicato that I'm reminded of that famous saying (I don't know who said it) but it goes that if 2 people in a relationship agree on everything one of them is unneccesary!

I'm thinking Val will probably be down in a few more minutes modeling more clothes, she's got a bunch of handmedowns lately & is trying stuff on constantly, she came down about a half an hour ago & requested I do something about the legs of her jeans, she said they said at school as an addition to the dress code that your jeans legs have to reach your feet but can't bag down below that. She's got a lot of jeans which are way too long because the family member we get them from is very tall & skinny where Val is just sorta skinny & not particularly tall

I'm thinking the hammock was probably one of the best inventions ever, I spent about 2 hours out there reading & talking with Val & then Lois when she got home & it was a lovely time, very restful looking at the house, the garden & the yard, all of which need attention & all of which I was able to ignore without feeling too guilty.

I'm thinking Chrissie's got a tough row to hoe when it comes to that dog out there. She barks at me through the window when I cough at night! & also barks at everything & anything that moves outside, I've seen her bark at bees & also try to eat them! 

I'm thinking the phrase 'tough row to hoe' could be applied to my entire garden right now. All that's really left is the Watermelons & Tomatoes. The Beans are picked clean, the Peas are all gone, there's a few stunted Cucumbers which may or may not reach edible proportions. The Summer Squash & Zuchini are also looking few & far between, there's a few there but as to wether they'll get big enough to bother with or not anyone can guess. Next year I'll do better, (that's what I said last year too- it's just not interesting to weed once the plants are going along on their own.  We had no luck for the second year with the pumpkins. That seems so odd to me because the first year in VA with the ex we planted pumpkins & got a little one & I haven't done anything different, we get lots of flowers but no pumpkins. at least the squash type veggies & the watermelons are not rotting on the vine like last year!

I'm thinking I want to get long layers cut into my hair but because the last haircut I had was so awful (3 years ago) I'm afraid to trust anyone with my hair!

 I'm thinking dvr or not I've gotta get on with the news because I don't want to stay up too late because I don't want to be tired all day tommorow!

 

 

What?! School Starts Tommorow!?
Topic: Family Business

We're as ready as we'll ever be for the end of long lazy days & late nights. Open house was last night at the elementary school & Lois actually came with us. In eleventh grade we're aparently mature enough to enjoy visiting our old alma mater! The visit with the teachers was uneventful. I have to feel for Cams teacher - she was Vals once too & judging by past years the school tries not to give my kids to the same teacher in a row because this school routinely asks for & gets 100% PTA participation per class But not the classes my kids are in ! I work until 8 at night & drive 45 minutes home so I don't participate in PTA. It's also an issue for me because nearly everyone went to school together & knows each other & I know no one & am anti social anyway!

End Saturday- On to Sunday

After getting back to Anns & puting her groceries away we had annother great dinner & then hung out just talking etc. We were supposed to get a fairly early start leaving Anns to go back to my mothers & meet up with my uncle who I have not seen in nearly 10 years. But I had developed a cold & was hacking & coughing & not sleeping too well- & the kids were up late playing video games- their internal clocks are set to night owl- I try at home to get up by 10 am on non work days & am still usually the first one up! By 930 though I had to get up & get them up the re-packing of the car was hanging over my head & so I rousted every one in my family & insisted they come help at the car packing. Once this was done we said our goodbyes to Ann & family headed back to my mothers place. The Sunday midday drive thru Boston was minimalized by taking 95 for a change of scencery I hadn't been on that road in nearly 10 years. I especially enjoy the part on the way into Boston where you are o!
n rte 1.

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Saturday continued

Where were we? Oh yes- BJ's with Ann- I spend at least $150. every 2 weeks as it is - Val & Cam are practically bottomless worse yet- they don't actually eat a lot at 1 time they eat often instead! Ann cooked out for us all 3 nights & refused most offers of help. I think after not having to go to work my favorite thing about being on vacation was not having to cook! It's funny how little I want to cook considering how much time I spent cooking as a teenager & young adult. Now I only want to cook about 3 or 4 times a month & thats even decreased in the summer! a tomato or cucumber, tuna fish or a bowl of microwaved frozen spinach is all I really want in the summer.I have to give Ann credit. While I could feed 12 & have done so before I'm so obsessive that I'd have made a menu & bought all the food which could be frozen a month in advance! & probably would have enough food for 3 extra meals! Ann made fast delicious food with only as much forethought as we had in the store buyi!
ng the food

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What Lois Did on her Summer Vacation...

Yes, she talked on the phone constantly. We didn't change our phone service to the national plan because it was too expensive for too few minutes. Also everyone had unlimited long distance & was very understanding about my daughter's psychotic need to talk to her boyfriend ALL the time! Friday night at Ann's was uneventful & pleasant. We hung out, checked email & she showed me this website of really cool plus size clothes callED: www.Torrid.com check it out if you're larger than a size 12. The original plan was for us to go to the beach but it was cool, rainy & just wasn't beach weather. So after getting washes going we went to the mall The mall at Portsmouth is huge & we onlx went through half of it. Then a quick stop at BJ'S On the way in we got caught in a large downpour & so we dripped through the store. Ann feeds 5 + her stepson part of the time & she spent a ton to keep them fed- even at BJs! I was impressed & a little scared for my future with my younger kids!

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The Rest of Friday.

At Kittery I also don't go to the lower level because thats where they keep the fly tying supplies & I have already spent entire lifetimes down there many times over, waiting for my Father & Brother.Though The Trading Post is not exactly chock full of stuff I want & need I don't go to Maine without stopping. After Kittery it was getting late & I didn't want to keep Ann's family waiting for dinner- I should have known they're more laid back about meal times than that! & a good thing too because I had not really thought about what day it was. There I was heading to the NH lakes region on a Friday night in the summer! The map book I had with me was woefully inadequate to say the least. It had roads listed which were not where they were shown & quite a few which I knew to exsist were not on the map! I suppose that for a dollar at Walmart you can't ask for much! But to find an underused road in the right general direction would have been lovely. As it was it was stop & go the who!
le way

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More On Friday.

My Mother & I aren't in touch with the fishing club guys at all anymore & I didn't want to trespass so the kids & I went to the river down the road to see if the area was more built up than before or not.It wasn't, but a problem I had been upset about years ago has been resolved near this river a bunch of ATVs & Dirt bikes had been riding around in there beside the river & tearing the woods up. They have fenced it off & put up a sign saying its off limits to motor vehicles but open to pedestrians. The kids were surprised that the water was so brownish red- it is the iron content in the water- here in VA the water is brownish green or full mud brown depending on how recently its rained! we got out & looked around.After we were done with that we went to Kittery & checked out a few of the outlet stores & of course the Trading Post- We checked out the gifty stuff but I didn't want to check out the camping supplies since we're not going to get to go camping this year- I'm sulking!
about it.

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Friday A Day in Maine.

Ann lives in New Hampshire near the Maine border. also near North Berwick where my Fathers fishing club has/had their camp. I wanted to check & see if it was still there or had been sold & knocked down to make room for condos!So after breakfast we went there. I had forgotten the zen of the NH highway system in which you get on a numbered road & follow it miles & miles just trusting that you're still on the right road & maybe every 15-20 miles if you are lucky you might see a road sign with the road's # on it to confirm that you're on the right road! You just have to trust.I trusted a little too much & ended up on the wrong road. So we had to back track to get to North Berwick - we came in through Sanford which was where we used to go to get groceries when I used to go there for weekends. So I had to drive a back road I hadn't been on in 10 years. But I found it just fine. & it looks just the same from the road- In the picture its barely visible- but its still there & still i!
n some use.

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Thursday Continued

{Yes, We are home Safe & Sound. I just don't have time to sit at the computer!} The resturant we went to with Jen was not spectacular. The food was mediocre at best & the service was just short of rude. The company was excelent though & I'm really hoping Jen & her husband will take me up on my invitation to come for a visit sometime soon.Then on to Ann's house. I was supposed to bring steak tips from Haverhill Beef but totaly spaced on it until we were way too far away to do anything about it! So not long after we arrived Ann & I went to the local store to get steak tips & for me to get the kids something for their breakfast- they're all constantly hungry.Ann pointed out that she had food for breakfast but I know how they are & sure enough they ate food she had & the pop tart bars too! We had a great time visiting & reminiscing about old times- Ann works early in the morning so we packed it in early. The kids bunked in the living room & I had Anns 3 season room all to mys!
elf.

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Thursday Transition from Haverhill to NH

We visited with Jen & her kids for a few hours. Her husband is a cop in the small town they live in & he stopped in to say hi too. Their kids were adorable & so funny to watch. the older,their girl, is 4. the younger is a boy & he's going on 2.He looks just like his dad & as for their 4 year old while she's got lighter hair than her mom did, there were certain characteristics that reminded me of the 4 year old Jen {we're 5 months apart in age & especially as preschoolers spent a LOT of time together} my -older than her's- kids were really enjoying playing with the kids they played a lot of hide & seek & it was funny watching Val helping the 2 year old up the stairs outside & in. When I figured Jen had probably had enough of the decibel levels our kids were playing at I said we'd get going. Jen asked if we had plans for lunch suggested we go out together. We went to a place in NH which was on our way to Anns house & on her way to her parents house where she had to go feed cat!
s.

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