I am retired

Friday was check out day, ie, went to the office and turned in my Keys and said good by to the ones that had come in for the day, human resources, new id card for retirees, and new parking pass for retirees. Sure was nice. Bob walked me around the campus while I checked out. Then went to Cosco and bought groceries, and darned atm card wasn't working so had to use different card. That was the second time this week that that happened and even the bank says it is their fault as we sure have money in there, but this is more than the first or second time in the last 3 months, that they have not posted Bob's SS check correctly and the bank service doesnt get it right. So will move all our auto deposits back to our old bank. Anyway, went on to Ellen and Kenny's for Bob's birthday lunch, and then home. Went to the Cottontop for late dinner, and they had a surprise birthday/retirement cake for us, and cards and Kathy gave Bob a Christian ring, and I got a Christian bracelet for prayers. Then we got a gag gift of a sucker which will go undescribed and a pair of hand cuffs. :)
Saturday - we went to watch Derek's Winter Drum line perform, and they took third in their catagory, and then went to get our nails done at 12. Left there and went to get an Air Card for my lap top as I had gift cards to pay for over 1/2 and will get a $100 rebate. Sweeeet.
Then lunch with Kenny and Ellen and back home and fixed mom dinner, she had had her lunch already as we left it for her while we were gone.
Sunday morning- awake at 3am for an ems call, women difficulty breathing, and Kevin and I did cpr in the ambulance to the hospital for 30 min, but she didnt make it. Home and fixed breakfast, biscuits, gravy, scrambled eggs w chopped ham. Fed the dogs. Fixed Mom's breakfast and bob took it over. Mopped the kitchen, living room, and both halls, and oiled them and washed our clothes we had on this morning, and dusted, and now will do some accounting work.
Bob is asleep in the chair. Didn't have hardly any pain or nausea yesterday or the day before, so the diet restriction seems to be helping. Will see what today brings.
Going to Danny and Phylis' to borrow their tiller this morning, after they get up, and till the front yard, as we have a pallet of St Augustine coming in the morning and want to get it down before the heavy rain starts, I hope. Fill between the squares with top soil and maybe by the end of the summer the yard will be covered. I hope.

Busy week and weekend

We had a busy weeks end last week and this weekend. Yesterday was about the same. Had 1/2 day Friday off and took off a whole day yesterday for Birthday and to take Bob to the Hospital for his Hydra Scan Test. We finished the front bedroom this weekend except for hanging the quilt holder back up. Then waxed and buffed the livingroom, and kitchen 4 times and it really looks good. Still have the hall to trim out and the door pulls to put on the cabinet doors in the utility room and then do Bob's bathroom and shampoo the carpet in the office and dinning room. That will come this weekend. We have cancelled the bbq party for this Saturday, as Bob's not feeling well from the gall bladder issue and is tired a lot. No since in having a party if you can have fun doing it. So we will do that later. The trip to Shreveport is off with Nancy and Jim. They had to have certain days for their baby sitter, very understandable, and it didnt jive with our dates. So we have decided to go see Alan in Colorado. Doc and Pat want to go too, so will check with Darlene and see if she and her daughter would like to come stay here and get mom her meals and feed for us. Sure hope they want to. Would like to stay about a week or 10 days.
Got Mom's carpets cleaned yesterday and they sure do smell and look better. Of course they couldnt guarantee them, but that was ok, considering what they had to work with with the dog going on the floor issue. So Bob will vacuum today and get up the resedue and then have Darlene and her daughter come in Thursday evening to clean the windows and dust and do the blinds. Yea yea, I wont have to clean this weekend. Now if we could get Mom to clean up we would be in good shape.
I am working today but will probably take off tomorrow, and work Thursday and then go in Friday and check out of the university and be finished and retired. Oh I cant hardly wait.
Mom did well yesterday, was very adjitated but that is ok, she still ate a good dinner. Will see how she is this morning. We walked around the yard with the dog while the carpets dried not that they did that quick, but thats ok. She had Callula wrapped up in a sweat shirt, and sitting on pillows in the rocking chair on the deck when we go over there yesterday eveing, and let me tell you that dog wanted down big big. Not counting that it was 75 out side.

Busy days remodeling

Well the front yard is finished except for painting the bottom of the deck, and in the future we want to put up the arbor over the door from the living room to the deck. Got the weed and feed out in case we catch some rain, if not will water tomorrow. Bob got some more of the kitchen tile down, and I cooked dinner with the stove in the middle of the kitchen, but it works ;)
The Juju is doing good this week. Seems to be with it more this week, and eating well. Changing her clothes daily. thank good ness.
We will be working on the front bedroom tomorrow and putting down more kitchen tile, hopefully to finish it. Then Bob's bathroom wall yes yes. It is all coming together.
Shadow decided to eat a ring of sandpaper tonight so, dont know how the tummy will be doing tomorrow. Crazy dog.
Finally got my blue tooth working again. That was so weird, just quit working. Now it is working again.
Bob is still not feeling well. We have started Malox with his meals and that seems to be stopping the nausea. The pain is at about a 5 or 6 sometimes spiking to an 8. Still no word from the Dr.
Kenny has his company car in the shop for a thorough check up and complete repair of anything wrong. Then he can let his boss know that he is ready for his new one, and I get to buy his company car. So maybe in a week or so I will get to have his company car, Nissan 2004 Maxima. Reallllly nice.

Retirement lunch ends a busy week

Our week began with Mom loosing her dog Tanga, who was an 11 year old Schnauzer. We saw the dog at Breakfast on Monday and Lunch on Monday, but after that, NO dog. We looked inside everything, thinking that the dog had died and she had done her usual, of putting them in a plastic garbage bag and in the freezer. Thank the good Lord, that was not the case. We went thru drawers, cabinets, closets, stove, washer, dryer, dishwasher, everything we could think. No dog, so I asked her what she did with the dog. She would not talk period, just ate her dinner and would not look up. NOT good for the dog issue. So, ok we would see if the dog showed up Monday morning. No dog. Noon no, dinner no. Tuesday no, and she still would not talk. Wed evening, she asked Bob if he had seen her dog, calling it by the wrong name, and started with the dog she has left, Calluah, treating her like Tanga. Thursday no dog, and Friday morning, she told me the dog was gone, and she guessed it was dead, and that was it. No other reference to the dog. So we are down to one. Which is going to the groomer the next time that Asta goes, for a clean up. No ads in the paper for a found dog, so we have no idea where the dog went. She is talking again and we went ( for the first time since Christmas) to get ice cream on Thursday afternoon; she put on makeup and combed her hair,(no bath yet) and got her lost purse, and we headed out. We had a sundae, and went to the bank, and we took the long way back home. She wanted to come in the house and she saw the newly painted kitchen cabinets, and realized there was a new color, saw the new floor in the living room and couldnt believe how it made the room so big, her comment not mine. And the front room new paint - very yellow - and really liked that. She has had good days ever since, so we are in a goooood time period for her. Eating everything I fix for all her meals too as usual.
I had my retirement lunch on Friday. It was great. We went to the Mexican restaurant of my choice and I and Bob had chili renoes, and Ellen had enchiladas and 1/2 of one of my chilis, they were so gooood. Eloise, my first supervisor at unt was there, and Laurie, the Senior Advisor when I first started, and they both had been gone 6 years. The office gave me a $100 gift certificate to Coldwater Creek spa, and the Pre med Director Deb, gave me a $50 gift cert, and I also got from the office a hooded sweat shirt from the university, and an exercise bag to carry my stuff in. We left there and followed Ellen to home to Grapevine, and she and I headed for the nail place and got toes and she got her hands done. Back to her house with me driving their new red vet convertible. Oh my - yes I want a vet convertible. Then home and fix juju her dinner and then comfy time.
Yesterday, was ticket sales at Walmart and they did $1034 for the day. Bob and I worked on the front deck railing and will finish that this morning, and we bought a new door for the deck with a built in blind. Cant wait for that to go in today as the rain is supposed to start this evening. Will get the weed and feed on the yard tooo today, and get my organic planter box planted too.
Tomorrow with the university closed we will do the floors etc and then the front room. Then bob's bath room wall and new floor. 17 hears has taken its tole on the house, so it is fix it up time. Then next weekend is the yard and garden, and painting the underpinning and washing the siding with the power washer from the fire department.
We will have this all done before my last day the 28th. yeah yeah.

Snow storm is past but the Snow lingers after 2 1/2 days

Snow still on the porch after 2 1/2 days and today is 50 degrees. We got 9 inches here, went out and measured so know that we did. It was beautiful and will put the pictures out on my picture site. Too many to just pass around. Took me 2 1/2 hours driving in 1st and 2nd gear to get from Denton to the fire house where we were set up to do rescue work. Didnt get home until 9:30pm after a Board Meeting and no more requests for help or shelter.
Nice to have 3 1/2 days off from the University. But back to it tomorrow.
Ellen and I drove to Hot Springs Ark yesterday to take Derek's leased Dodge Truck to the dealer they leased from and pick up his new 2008 Dodge Charger. Really nice. Left at 7 from Springtown and got to Hot Springs at 1, with a stop over at Grapevine for about 30 min to get Ellen. Picked up the car and ate lunch with Kenny, as he had timed his flight out of Little Rock for 4pm and we headed back. Got to Ellen's again at 7 and took a breather and she took me home to Cottondale and stayed to play with her and Derek's dog Hershey. Then she headed for Springtown to get Derek after an away Winter Drum Line competition. He drove his new car home and Ellen rested and he is running errands for Ellen and Kenny today. Of course it could be the encouragement of the new car to drive instead of the stick shift truck. Hmmmm :)
Fixed Mom's breakfast, boiled egg, sausage patty, biscuit and jelly, banana, and fruit mixture for her to have her pills. Bob is selling tickets with Jim for the Fund Raiser in Bowie again today. I am cleaning house, been to the grocery store to get Mom some staples, bras and panties, etc, and she wanted some movies to watch. So took care of that. Fixed and gave her lunch, turkey sandwich, chips and brownies.
Back home to wash her 7 or 8 loads of wash and get them folded and back to her, and put away.
Put away her groceries and will remove the worn out clothes from the wash and replace them with her new clothes.
Can sure tell a front is coming in. Fibromialga, and joints are bothering me today big big.

10 days have been busy days

Last weekend we spent the weekend working on the house. The painters were in to paint the kitchen cabinets and they worked about 5 hours Saturday getting them primed etc. Then came back Sunday morning and worked until they had the cabinets painted inside and out but not the doors. They took they with them to do at the shop which was ok by me as I could still put my stuff back when the cabinets were dry. So Monday stayed home and put the kitchen back together but got rid of 3 boxes and one large bag of stuff I wont use, and Bob and Jim wants to take it to Bowie trade days next weekend when they go to sell raffle tickets.
Then we started on the front bedroom and got the carpet out and the walls primed. Got them painted the first coat and oh my gosh ---- my light yellow turned into sunshine yellow. Holly mackerel. Oh well, they are yellow so trimmed out the door and the window and the ceiling and floor trim in white. Bought a white comforter for the sleigh bed - mahogany -and will get a quilt out with colors and hang it up over the bed. Then hang the pictures I had in there and see how it looks. Have new beige carpet to lay also and Bob is going to sand and refinish the bed side table to back in there. I got rid of all the old bedding out of the closet and put the good Stuff - ie down sleeping bag etc. in blanket bags. Going to have to get a set of twin sheets for the bed though as the ones I have will NOT match the color change in the bedroom
Yesterday the painter "Greg" came in and put the doors up and touched up any nicks and it loooksss sooooo goooood. To go from dark brown wood to nice and bright - even the brushed aluminum handles go perfectly. Now to get the new tile down in there and it will be finished.
Then the floor in the hall and the game room carpet and Bob's bathroom wall and the library floor and we will be finished inside. Yeah yeah.
Then for the mess outside, winter always seems to mean dont put away and leave it lay around. And of course get the plants in the garden.
Bob went to the Dr Friday morning and the Dr sent him to xray to see if he had pneumonia. Then Tuesday he will go for a sonogram on his liver and gall bladder. He is s till tinder there. Dr Chuck told him to start eating beats and the juice off the beats after they are cooked, as they will clean out his gall bladder and keep it clean. So I bought out IGA of all their baby beets in a can. I have a good receipe for beets and he liked it last night when we had dinner.
Tonight fried chicken - Popeyes Fried Chicken style- beets, potatoes, and gravy made with Lactaid milk, and green beans. Hungry already.
Bob is out with Jim at Weatherford Trade days to sell raffle tickets for the Fire Dept. Winds gusting to 40mph. Glad it is him and not me. I painted trim and put handles on the cabinets and working on our Quick Books accounts.
No fires so far from the high winds and none the last week or so. Even slow on the EMS calls thank goodness. We did get a call for a dead man on the side of the road yesterday, but about the time I got the Rescue out of the building, they 1022'd us and he was asleep waiting for his wife to bring a tire for his flat on his truck. :)
14 more actual working days left until retirement, as I plan on taking a few days here and there this month. Man this is just toooooo gooood.
Mom is having a bad two days. Thought we were going to go thru a few good ones, but she is not feeling very well. I think the weather changes are bothering her back etc. She is a bit confused, more so than usual. I asked if she wanted to go to the Dr, and she flatly refused. So guess she isnt that bad. Time will tell.