Weather Last Night Was Active

We had to go out last night on Weather Watch for Bad Weather. Well we did see some spactualr weather, ie. lightening strikes all around us were beautiful. Hitting the ground and spuing sparks in the air. Saw a tornado trying to form over the top of us. Lots of rain, we got 2 1/2 inches.
Lake Bridgeport is up 1 foot so far.
Looks like we will be doing Weather Watch again tonight or maybe earlier depending on how this forms. Bob is getting new windshield wipers for the Rescue truck as the ones that the shop put on last week flew off last night during the watch
Shadow and Asta were sure restless last night.

Bob's Birthday today

Today is Bob's birthday and he wants fried chicken, gravy, mashed potatoes, peas, and biscuits for dinner. So ---- thats what we are having. And ice cream cake courtesy of Ellen, and Derek and Kenny.
This week has been a busy week at work. Lots of students each day, over 600 contacts yesterday at the front desk between my partner and myself. busy busy
Expecting some rain tonight and tomorrow, which will be nice.
Mom had a bad evening yesterday. Very confused and talked to herself a lot. This morning when I left at 6am she was on her back porch with the dogs, still dressed. Not a good sign for the rest of the week.

Spring break was great

Spring break is over and it was great. Accomplished a bunch and needed about 3 more days to finish the other 3 jobs I wanted to do. But time will get them done. The main thing completed was getting the hot tub in place, and the paint ball weekend boys helped us lift and place it in the area we wanted. Now we can work on building the deck around it. Yea yeah
All in all it was a great holiday and a great birthday.
Shadow and Asta are thoroughly spoiled after having someone home all week. Shadow is even more protective than before, she definately did not like all the boys around as she was NOT in control. :)
So back to work today and phones busy and people in for appts

Weather would be cloudy on spring break

Weather is cloudy again today so no tan while working outside although did not get much done. Wanted to mow the rest of the 3 acre yard, but the riding mower has a flat. So have to wait until that gets repaired. Push mowers don't work either, so hope they get fixed also. But time will tell. Ended up cleaning out the feed shed as I could not get in there for the empty feed bags that Bob had thrown in there. Had to get to the hay bales so ended up straightening up and cleaning up.
Shadow and Asta and I took some paperwork to town to get the EMS Dr to sign off so I can get the First Responder status re established for the fire department -that had been dropped by the state 3 years ago- for lack of paperwork being turned in by the powers in charge back then.
Bathed Asta as she cant get into her beauty appt before Apr 3 and I really know that there is a Schnauzer under that mat of hair somewhere. She wanted a bath so bad that I went into the bathroom to get out the towels and she was in the tub before I put the bath mat down. She is so pitiful; had no idea every groomer in the area would be that busy that you would have to wait for 2 + weeks to get an appt. Will try trimming her feet later today.

Spring Break can be fun at home

Well the first two days of spring break were spent cleaning house and working on grants for the fire department. Sent one off on Saturday morning for Wild land bunker gear we so need and equipment. Spent Sat afternoon working outside in the yard. Sunday went back to the fire department and did more paperwork and waited for Bob to finish putting new brakes on his truck.
Then worked in the two storage sheds and got them cleaned out where tornado Bob went thru them this winter and left a wake of disaster. Over to Ellen and Kenny's to pick up the food for the paint ball weekend next weekend for Derek, and dinner. Ellen and Kenny gave me a new Kodak digital camera 5mp. zoom. Takes great pictures. Gave Bob a $50 gift certificate from Home Depot.
Yesterday worked in one of the sheds getting things put back.
Today moved my plants back out on the deck, planted 50 tomato seed starters and 15 bell pepper seed starters, and got 15 more air plane plants started. Tomorrow will be the rest of the bell peppers to start and if the calender is right, the cantaloupe starters begun, and the radishes planted in one of the raised beds.
Sent off another grant for the fire department today asking for structure bunker gear, and some much needed nozzles. Hope we get one or the other or even both
Well back outside between showers and got the raised beds finished.
Got the raised beds tilled and the old tarps off the boat and into the trash piles to burn, and the truck bed of the old truck emptied of feed bags and into the pile to burn. Moved a pile of old wood to the burn pile, and put a new tarp on the boat motor.
Now if we could sell the other boat motor in the garage and the old boat trailer, that would be just awesome toward the clean up.
Tomorrow the fence up to protect my cannas from Shadow and Asta and mow the rest of the yards if it doesn't rain. Then I THINK I might have everything on my list for this week done.
Ellen and Kenny are going to donate a dinning room table and chairs for our fire department fund raiser. Hope it is before the April 21 Spring Fund Raiser so we can put it in the silent auction.
Going to make Bob some Potato soup for dinner.

Busier than I thought I would Be

Had not intended to be busy today, but ended up cleaning house, washing clothes, baking Bran/Flax seed muffins, 4 dozen, and going to the fire department and boxing up 2006 files and filing 2007 budget year. Cleaned up the office- men make such a mess, and then home to cook dinner and then a couple of hours of rest.
Mom was a bit confused today. Monie was not her dog, someone had dropped her off. Then she couldnt find her dogs, and of course they were at the house, and so it goes on.
Thought my cousin would be in this week but didnt hear from him, so guess he had a seminar to do as he travels with his work a lot.
Havent heard from my brother, so may have to give him a jingle and get together about Mom.
Tomorrow Bob plans on putting new brakes on his truck, and getting the riding mower going so I can mow the lawn
The peach trees are beautiful. In bloom but not fully yet. We will have a bumper crop of peaches if ther is not hale or high wind to knock the blooms off. We have had to start the irrigating early this year due to the drought. But thats ok, its will be worth it. Have to get the humic acid on the trees and put the cow poop tea on them also. No chemicals on our trees for the last 12 years, just good organic trees.
Ellen got the food for Derek's paint ball weekend next weekend, 15 mid teen boys for 24 hours. They are always so good and have a great time.

A good nights sleep really helps

Only got one call last night, an ems, and we didn't have to respond as two of the other fire fighters that live closer to the department took the call. So a much needed nights sleep
Had to put Shadow in her crate for the night as she has started getting too restless during the night, up and chasing the cat around the house. NOT.
Put on my purple bracelet for 21 days to try and keep from complaining, criticizing, gossiping or using sarcasm. This should be interesting. So far have not had to change wrists yet, as each time you fail with any one of these, have to move the bracelet and start counting all over again.
Hope they get Mom's a/c fixed today, as they say it will have to be a complete new outside unit. Will see.
Mom had a good evening yesterday, alert, and seemed to be with it. We sent out to eat at Ihop and she had her favorite. Home and some much needed rest.
Had a morning of putting out fire department business fires, and hope they stay fixed. Sending out another request for a grant of any kind. Must get hold of Randy Harris as he didnt call me or email me with Forest Service information.

Another day in the Neighborhood

Fire department meeting went well. Tabled purchase of the needed new brush truck until May to see if we get the Forest Service Grant, as we can get a fully loaded truck from them and then just have to purchase the other truck from a dealer. We can get a 2007 Dodge for $27,000. Will be applying for a grant for the Brush Fire fighting gear we do not have, and desperately need.
Mom did not come over last night for cookies and popcorn so guess she slept all night, although she did find her purse. Said she walked in the house after her cookies and popocorn visit and walked right to it. Yeah Yeah. She is getting her a/c fixed today, after 5 months of waiting on the a/c man to remember that he had not replaced the compressor. Hope he remembers to put in the new thermostat too.
Asta is feeling much better so whatever she ate seems to have worked its way thru. Bob is feeling better so I guess his "worked its way thru" :)
I got the first all nights sleep I have had in several days and still feel like I have been run over by a meuriding herd. This weekend, I HOPE to just veg, but I am sure it wont happen.

What a Night

Went to bed at 10:30 or rather 9:30 regular time --- hate that time change. Now mind you hadn't slept any the night before thanks to the dogs being restless inside and out ---and general pain from the Fibromilaga, and Osteoarthritis, due to the impending weather coming---so was ready for a really good nights sleep. Bob had been sick since getting home with lower tummy issues and Asta was having lower tummy issues and would not get up and move around, just laid there with all four feet spread out, on her stomach. Bob probably could have done the same thing, and that really would have looked weird. Anyway, Shadow and I kept to the living room. We were fine.
Mom came over after she and Bob looked for 45 min for her purse she has hidden again. He could not find it, don't know where in the heck she has put it this time. He will do the scavenger hunt thing again today. She stayed for dinner and then went home to take care of her "cats" which of course are dogs. Thennnnn----- at 12:15am Asta starts barking and there is a knock at the door. GUESSS WHOOOO!!!!! Mom, and she came with bowls and towels and hot pads. ????? Wanted to know what we were doing. Told her we had been in bed and she says "what time is it"??? Well I told her 12:15am and she says "oh didn't look at the clock before I came over". And she sat down to talk. So made her a cup of coffee and me some green tea, needed something stronger, but had taken a muscle relaxer and 2 advil 2 hour before so didn't think anything stronger would be a good idea, as I was already getting sick to my stomach from being tired and the side effects of the meds. So we stayed in the kitchen - and she wanted cookies and popcorn, so she had Girl Scout cookies and popcorn and coffee. We talked about all kinds of stuff and she went home happy. Me back to bed and up for work.
Fire Department meeting tonight so wont be home much before 10 and hopefully to bed for an undisturbed night.

Busy Weekend

We had a very busy weekend. Friday began with Mom very confused and a bit spacy. Had a slower than usual day at work, another words, only about 400+ contacts by phone and walking in. Went out for dinner, and Mom wanted to pay but she got confused and couldn't find her atm card. Got VERY aggressive and informed us she didn't want to talk to us about where to look in her purse. We THEN informed her that she would NOT talk to us in that tone or that way. She then proceeded to sulk thru dinner. Would not look in her purse for the missing atm card. But she started to talk about her dogs about a mile from the house and she was ok with the not finding the card. Of course as the weekend progressed the dog story changed to now she wants to get rid of one of her dogs, as it has a broken leg, peees on the floor all the time, and "a lady dropped it off at her house and has not come back and got it". She wants to know what to do with it. So I told her we would take it to the pound when she was ready. I think she is talking about Monie, which is the oldest one she has, and she may be tired of taking care of her. If she keeps this up with wanting to get rid of her, as she is 18 years old does not get around well, I may take it to the vet, or to the pound as far as mother is concerned and have her put to sleep. That will leave two dogs for her to take care of.
We sold tickets all weekend at Bowie and made a tidy sum for the Fire Department. Got home and had to go out on a small grass fire, Made left overs for dinner as Mom could not get out of the house to come over, said her back hurt to bad. Sent Bob over with her hot dinner and two Advil, which are my "Back" pills that I share with her. At least she is taking them from me before dinner each night w/o arguing, as she says it really helps her back, that NEVER hurts.
Shadow and Asta have been on semi good behavior. Asta needs grooming so bad she looks like a rag mop and Shadow is in shed mode. Actually Shadow got into trouble last night and spent part of the early evening while we were gone on the grass fire, outside. When she got to come back in she wanted to rub her face all over my legs and my arms and hands to make up. So we made up and she was restless all night. Guess it was the time change. Must affect dogs too.
Cooking dinner for the fire department for the monthly meeting tonight and tomorrow afternoon, meeting tomorrow night and then NO fire department paperwork or selling tickets for 10 whole days. Others are taking their turn. Yeah yeah That doesn't count fighting fires!!
Spring break next week and I plan on lots of stuff. Finding some fire gear for grass fires from the Forest Service. Plowing the gardens for planting and turning the raised beds and cleaning up around the place and above all "clean house".
Wish we had someplace to go to get away for a couple of days just get away but would have to find someone to fix mom's meals as she has to have cold lunch now and gets her hot meal at night.

The last few days have been busy

We have been very busy. Sold Fire Department Raffle tickets all day Saturday and Sunday at Weatherford first weekend. Made enough to get the fund raiser out of the red which was nice. Trying to get something set up to sell tickets in conjunction with the FFA in our area. Hope to finalize that this afternoon. Costed out the food for the fund raiser dinner night. Now have to get donations of food to keep the cost down. :) Got my paperwork caught up, all the reports in for Dec and January to FEMA and all the Reports applicable to Rescue Revenue. Answered emails for the Fire department for me, and took Mom to Wally world last night and fixed dinner, borrowed a wood chipper from a friend, and when Bob gets it up and running will shred our peach tree trimmings and get them bagged so we can sell them for bbq smokers. Fed the animals, and washed the clothes. Checked the irrigation system in the Peach Orchard, and it is working on every row but the bottom one. Guess we will have to dig up the end and cut the pope off and flush it. Well that was this weekend.
Mom has been having a few bad days. A lot of pain in her back and not a lot of movement around the house. Although she can carry her dog around wrapped in a blanket. Hmm something is wrong with that picture. But we did go to Walmart and she walked thru the store, slowly of course, which is a given, but we did it w/o mishap. A little disoriented tried to pay for the guy's behind us, but I discouraged that-- Going to try to see my brother over spring break if possible unless we decide to take a few days away. Discuss what we need to do to get prepared for future issues with Mom.
Shadow has been doing very well and I sure hope this doesn't jinx things. We are allowing her out during the day instead of in her crate and she has done well for the last 3 days so will see about today. She continues with the mini snapping of her front teeth, but I think that she is doing the puppy thing to get our attention. Does it mostly when we come in the door and while she is running bizzerko around the inside of the house doing at least 50 mph on the straight aways. We are going to put up a new dog run off the back of the back deck so the dogs can go out that way and it will have a roof over it for weather intervention. That way we can put them outside any time when company comes and bring Ellen's dog over - depending on how he acts for visits.
WEll weekends thru April are now completely full and Memorial day is full with family visit for the oldest Grandson's graduation. We have No free time, and I am not talking about just fire fighting. Ticket sales, paint ball rallies at the ranch for 15+ boys including cooking meals, fire department training, fund raiser committee meetings, and cooking for the monthly department meeting, wedding shower to cook for, and goooood grief. I NEED A BREAK :) You know I think I might have March 17 and 18th free, we had a cancellation yeah yeah. Might just get the garden plowed. And the seeds in the sprouting pots. We can but hope.