Really?

My father-in-law is 87 years old. And he lives alone since the death of my mother-in-law five years ago. He is active but grumpy. He sees what needs to be done but has no motivation to do things.

So every so often he hints at what he wants us to do for him. Like cleaning out the pantry. Or cleaning the guest bathroom. Or taking more of Granny's clothes to shelters. Lately, the hint is for his kitchen cabinets to be thinned of excess pots, pans and dishes.

My brother-in-law and his wife came over to Grandpa's house last weekend and decided to save the old man from his filth. They cleaned his shower.

Now understand that Grandpa does not shower in his house. He usually goes to the gym or to the golf club to shower.

The shower definitely needed cleaning, it had last been cleaned before my mother-in-law died.

Grandpa's statement was, "It looks too purty to shower in now."

He also told us that the cleaning duo would be back the clean the rest of his bathroom the next day.

We laughed to get a call from the cleaning duo the next evening, regarding the state of the house Grandpa lives in.

We have tried for the past 5 years to get Grandpa to move in with us and let us go through the house to clean and sort items for sale or trash, but it is his stuff and we respect the fact that he can do what he wants. He knows we are there should he need us.

So it was hilarious to us to find someone else having a fit about what Grandpa will not let them do in HIS house. Where have they been for the last 5 years??

Apparently, the cleaning duo tried to clean out his refrigerator - he may have barred them physically from touching the refrigerator.

They tried to clean out the medicine closet - he shooed them away from the bathroom.

They wanted to clean out the kitchen - he told them Joan was going to help him with that.

Gotta' love him - he knows what he wants and sticks by it!

Merry Christmas!!

Yeah, yeah, let's get all technical.

It is the last day of Christmas.

Those of you waiting to take down all those decorations - Hop to it!

Although I suppose we can cut you some slack if you live in Texas where the weather has been rather cold. But remember, it will be warming up so don't wait for the next cold front before you dismantle the decorations.

Those of you who didn't even get them up this year - relax it is over.

We now move into the season of ordinary time in the Church calendar and then Lent will start in February. Easter is April 4th in 2010. I am organizing my calendar to what is coming up and where I need to be.

I was offered the job at Methodist Willowbrook, but I will be turning it down. The 12 hour schedule does not work well at this time with the kids school and my involvement at the church. Maybe in the future but not now. It was definitely worth checking out and they were very positively impressed with my credentials and had offered me the first opening.

Back to work for me tomorrow. Mom is going back to the surgeon to have stitches out and she is doing really great. No pain and that is the key as her foot had been killing her for quite some time.

Hope everyone is warm out there and safe through the cold, COLD winter weather.

The week is over.

Yeah, poor grammar, I know.

But is is true, my vacation week is done and I have been working the whole week. Taking call Monday and Tuesday then fielding calls the rest of the week. Even though I have no treatments Monday and Tusday, I will be busy cleaning up after the other nurse.

Mom did great with her surgery. The pain is very minimal and she is back to her independance except for driving. She goes to the doctor on Monday to have the dressing and stitches removed.

I have gotten many things done, not all that I planned to do but some that needed to be done. Like taking the big dog to the vet for diarrhea - all over my carpet Thursday. That carpet got a unplanned steam cleaning - looks good, too!

Got a job offer from Methodist. Very flattering but I think for just one dollar more per hour, not worth the change in my life to 7pm-7am and every other weekend plus holidays of work. Vernon agrees, so I be staying where I am for now.

Grocery shopping has been done, laundry is being sorted and I have an all day meeting for ONS tomorrow.

Another note, Vernon and I will NOT be chaperoning the Confirmation retreat as all the teachers will be there. Colt is thrilled that PawPaw does not need to come over. Now we just have to drive her up there for the retreat and pick her up Sunday.

Have a great weekend!

They're Gone!

Yep, that's right folks, all the school people are school today.

One irritated at me because I made them get a head start on their WHAP before the retreat weekend on the 15th. (don't forget)

One irritated at me because I keep reminding them to go to their first period class early to get their new schedule.

One irritated at me because they can't stay awake to do their homework.

Yes, I have two kids - you figure it out who is who.

Just remember, I didn't name names and implicate the guilty parties.

Wasn't me.

I'm just reporting the facts.

I'll be unavailable for dinner tonight at my house - the biggest concern of the school people is "what is for dinner?"

I keep reassuring them that the linguine with clam sauce will be in the refrigerator and just needs to be warmed up.

My house smells so good as I just finished cooking the dinner entree and packed it up for the refrigerator to enjoy the luscious smell of linguine with clam sauce.

And I'm not giving anything away when I say I know there will not be one smidgen of it left for me to snack on tomorrow.

Good news is I don't have to listen to the male persuasion moan about how they ate too much.

Busy Day Ahead and it is already half over

I'm off this week. Yesterday was a nice get a bunch of paperwork done kind of day.

Today I have to take some stuff over to CAM, drop off stuff at the Church, pick-up the pager from my office, get the applications printed for my ONS meeting tonight, fix dinner for the oven before I then go to the ONS meeting.

Lots to do still at home - print and laminate holy cards for my CCE class, update my CD log, work on dictation logs, check out shelving options for Vernon's office, set up dinner for tomorrow night so homework can be the focus for the school people, get the kids ready to go back to school tomorrow and it just never ends.

And can't forget time to chill with the kids and read a bit. It is the reading that keeps me sane. I need every bit of sanity in my household!!

I guess that is good as it keeps me out of trouble.

Crazy Cat

Amy's cat, Loki, loves mint.



He will hop up on the bathroom counter to sniff the toothpaste and he also loves to sit on the balcony and check out everybody's breath in the morning.

My sister, Theresa, I mean her husband, Chuck, gave me a tea pot and a tin of mint tea sachets for Christmas. I had one today and Loki went nuts. I gave him a bag to sniff and he was all over it. it is like it is Ecstasy for a cat. The other cat - Esmeralda, has no use for the mint.

Hours later, Loki is still thinking I am the fairy of mint. He has even fallen asleep on me today - truly an honor bestowed on only the loved of our house.

Gotta Share

Yesterday, we went grocery shopping. Nothing traumatic in that BUT.....
I told Amy to pick out two packages of bacon - 2 for 1 special, and as she started to look as then she noticed it had "pork" on the label ans said "ooh, it is pork." We all looked at her dumbfounded and said, "bacon is pork" in stereo and disbelief that our smart daughter has such a brain fart to forget where bacon, her favorite food, came from!!!

Today, We went to PawPaws to take him to lunch. I asked him if he was hungry and he said sullenly, "yeeaahh." I then said "I hope Hooters okay?" and he said "YYEEAAHH! OOOHH I'M HUUN-GRAY!" and hopped up out of his chair like someone had put a hot poker to his butt. That is a major achievement for an 87 year old geezer.

Sadly, we got to Hooters to find that the signs were gone and the place was closed, open no more, departed this world, at this location. The dejected look on his face was so sad to see. So we went to Rudi Lechner's a truly German Experience. Mom will have to go there once to get their German Potato Salad. She'll LOVE it!!