RAIN RAIN GO AWAY

Well, it's officially pouring now! The rain is coming down hard and fast - I'm not sure if the game is still on for Saturday (tomorrow) but it is not looking all that promising. My weekend plans have just been cancelled (sorry, I'm going to pout now)... *sigh* :(

Looks like the sun dance didn't work for me this weekend. Next weekend I promised my daughter I'd be home when she got back from her trip to NY. I'm working on the 3rd and off on the 4th - crazy, I know! My next weekend off is the weekend of the 9th and I'm pretty sure the boys are busy with some concert they were just talking about at dinner. Not any music I'd like I'm sure (the only White Stripes I know about are on tigers!)

I'm off to go finish watching my movie. It's boring at the moment but I'm hoping it will perk up.

Sun Dance

I'm doing a little sun dance right now hoping that the sun stays out until tomorrow morning. My lovely daughter has been chosen to play on the All-Star Team for girl's softball and tomorrow is "THE BIG GAME". She's also leaving to go to see her grandma in NY Saturday after said game for a whole week. If it rains, the game will move to Sunday which will mean she can't leave until then for her vacation week. We're all doing the sun dance now, trying to convince it to shine shine shine! It's ok I try to tell them, if it rains now...as long as it isn't raining when we wake up tomorrow!

Buzzer's buzzing - it's time to go to work! Enjoy the day!

Buying the RIGHT Straps is IMPORTANT!

As I previously mentioned, I bought a canoe and also some straps. Unfortunately they were not the right straps. I went up this bumpy hill to get my son at his girlfriend's house and when I got there, my son wasn't there but her father said, "Hey, two of those strips are not hooked up! You're gonna lose your boat!" So he took one them off and replaced them with a nice wide rachet strap and directed me to return the straps I had purchased and get rachet straps. I went up to Wal-Mart and exchanged the straps. Have you ever tried to put on rachet straps in the DARK?! Under a street light that kept going on and off?! Frustrating as all get out! I did get two of the new straps on nice and snug. That canoe isn't going anywhere! The front and back straps are fine; it was just the three that I was using across the canoe that weren't going to work.

I'm all set now; watch out quiet water, here I come! Hopefully Saturday I"ll get a chance to put her in the water and see what happens. I hope to God it doesn't LEAK!! I will NOT be a happy paddler if she leaks...

My New Toy

Well, I bought a canoe last week. It's a 15' one, and it's lounging in the front yard waiting to be taken out on the water. I'm still learning how to paddle correctly and follow directions. I did buy a PFD the other night as well as a set of straps to lash the canoe to the top of my van. I tried to use this foam stuff in a can to make a foam float for the front of the canoe to no avail. When I went out to check it after two hours, it was a liquidy mess that stunk to high heaven. I don't know what else to use or how else to put foam in the front but I'm sure I'll figure it out somehow.

I can't wait to take it out on the water! There are several small lakes around my house that are begging to be canoed. I want to take it up north to my friend's house and let them look it over. I'm pretty proud of myself that I can almost heft it up onto the van by myself (I had my 16 year old son help me tonight). It's all part of the learning process. Anything new takes practice. I'm ready though! Here is a picture of my new toy strapped and ready to float!

Just WHAT IS IT ?!

10 Guesses what this plant is...














Give up? It's asparagus after it goes to seed! I've never EVER in my life seen it like this but isn't it COOL!? 

New Muscles

Well, it's the day after a nice long canoe trip and I have NEW MUSCLES that I didn't know existed! My arms, chest and shoulders ache not only from the paddling but from the nice sun burn I now sport. I am a delightful shade of red on one shoulder (my major paddling arm) and a nice shade of pink on my other shoulder. My canoe partner (who I must add has the patience of JOB!) suggested at one point that I put on a shirt and I replied, "I would but it's in the truck which is at YOUR house." I didn't realize that the shirt didn't even make the truck - I found it on the back of the couch. Lot of good it did me there huh?! The burn isn't too bad but I will pack a better canoe bag next time.

The trip itself was uneventful. I had lessons in turning, prying and slow paddling. Some time during the trip my canoe partner asked me to paddle a little slower. When I wondered aloud why I would paddle slow he said "Because there's a DAM up there that I'd rather NOT go over it please..." I see... all righty then! Slow ahead! Talk about paddling backwards! I'm glad my canoe parter has patience with me. On the semi-exciting side, the canoe was rocked side to side by a large motor boat that cruised up near us going way too fast, making a nice wake that shook me a little. Yesterday was not the day to swamp the canoe! Not in the middle of Lake Winnisquam! I'm looking forward to a swamping lesson next time - then I'm heading to the back of the canoe to learn steering. That's the one reason I'm not taking my new canoe out yet - I have no idea how to steer it yet. I have to buy a PFD too - one that will fit me properly and not scrape under my armpits.

At some point in August, Sam (my oldest son) is going on a 2 day trip with his boy scout troop - I'd like to be able to go along if he wants. The trip is heading down the Connecticut River; we'll see if he actually wants to take his old mother along :)

I'm finding the more canoeing I do, the more I enjoy it. I also notice I'm looking at little rivers of water wondering if they are canoe-able. There's one little stretch of river that is very quiet over by the local landfill that I'd like to try at some point - I'm looking into it.

Thoughts on Graduation

My son graduated tonight from the eighth grade. He was selected to give one of two student speeches as well as the honor of playing/singing the exit song, "Time of Your Life" by Greenday. As I sat in the front row in my favorite lawn chair, I went back to pre-school and his first "graduation" exercise. It was hard to look at him and not remember him running down the hall in a diaper, screaming because he couldn't go to school yet; it wasn't his "turn". As I sat watching this "man" speak about integrity, honesty, safety, I was never prouder than at that moment. He has truly blossomed into a fine young man.

Brian has always loved school and for the past two years, we have had slight struggles for the first time in a couple of key subjects. He has worked hard and the biggest thing I think he's learned is to ask for help when he needs it. I've tried to teach all of my children that the only stupid question is the one not asked. I myself have at times prefaced a question with, 'now this might sound stupid but...' only to be told the same thing.

I wish for him only the best of everything; I believe he is well on his way to being a leader of tomorrow. Way to go Brian! I'm so proud of you!

Housework

I looked in my living room this morning and wondered, "what the heck is living in here? I spent a good 30 minutes just picking up things that belonged to the other four people that live in this house. I actually set the timer and when it went off, was pleased to see that I do indeed have semi-gray carpet on the floor (dotted with spots and a nice red stain but it was there). During my tidy-fest, I picked up exactly one thing that lived in MY room - my little orange balloon pump. How it climbed out of my balloon bag, I will not venture to guess - I'd say it was my daughter but I can't be certain. Well, my living room is ready for living again. I have two chairs in which to sit, and a couch that is devoid of clothes, papers, books, toys etc etc. It is truly a beautiful thing :)

The dishes are done, the counters are wiped. The kitchen table needs attention but I have to get ready for work. All in all though, I am quite pleased at the moment with the condition of my two major rooms.

Creepy Crawling Things

I spent a couple of days up at the Farm this weekend and discovered one undeniable fact - I HATE TICKS!) ewww shudder..shiver... I took a very short walk down to the brook, wearing long blue jeans and my wellies and before I even got to the trailhead, I was flicking off ticks stuck to my pant legs. By the time I got back to the house, I had flicked off about 6; once inside the house, they just kept appearing on me - one crawled across my arm, one across my leg...one even up the front of my shirt! I picked one off the back of Sandy's head, one off Julie's arm, and one off Rachel's back. I'm itching now just thinking about them! I think they are worse than head lice! Just the thought of them makes the little hairs on the back of my neck stand up!

I'm sure the good Lord has a purpose for putting them on this great wide Earth, but I haven't a clue what that purpose is...I suppose they're food for something larger (but not ME!) Just because i'm a plus sized gal doesn't mean the 'all-you-can-eat-tick-buffet' is open!

The Sun is OUT!

I woke up this morning with warmth on my face. As I cracked open one eyelid I realized it was the SUN making an appearance after three days of straight rain. Before she could change her mind and disappear, I put out two loads of wet laundry. The propane was disconnected on Friday so we've been without it for three days (so I've had no dryer!). I have one load washing because I think the propane company will be out today to reconnect me. I hope I hope I hope.

My bathroom looks wonderful! It's nice and white right now, with no dirty handprints on the wall or dirt streaks. I'm looking at paint chips to see what the final color will be - maybe blue, maybe pale green - I don't know yet. I know it won't be yellow! That's just wrong... chuckle... although it would be a little appropriate, considering it's a bathroom after all!

The perfect sleep-in day

Today is Sunday and with the exception of a slight break in the clouds, it has rained most of the day. It was the perfect sleep-in day! I managed to make it to 7:11 am until the alarm went off in the other room, however I didn't actually get out of bed until 8:30! What a treat!

I got up and made pancakes on the electric griddle as we are out of propane. *Sigh* Some days it never seems to end. I'm just waiting for the oil to run out and then I will totally lose my mind. I can hook up a propane tank to the gas grill outside and make dinner (which btw, worked quite nicely until it started to rain hard, just as the steak was ready to come off the grill). My grill has a burner on the side so I was able to make beans on the outside burner and corn in the microwave.

I also started painting the bathroom finally! I scraped off the last little bits of wallpaper, washed the walls, and put on two full coats of primer. Now all I have to do is figure out what the final color will be - I'm very tempted to leave it white, but a pale blue is looking more likely. I'd like something soothing not like the green busy ivy wallpaper that was in there (I didn't pick it and I've intensely disliked it since it went up!) I also patched a rather large hole in the wall with a metallic patch/patching compound. Looks pretty darned good if I do say so myself!

All Stressed and No One to Choke

Today was a banger of a day! It started out with Brian needing a root canal. Can we say way too much money? Let's see, it was about what, $1,095 when all was said and done? Then I booked his annual roundtable where he presents the things he's been working on in school to prove he has completed the 8th grade. Brian is at a charter school so things are done a little differently than at the public schools. Anyhow, I scheduled his roundtable at the exact same time as a gig I have been hired and paid to do. Rachel's softball coach calls, the game tonight is cancelled due to rain, we're going to practice on Tuesday at 4:30.....*BLINK* oooook! I can be in three places at once! NOT! So I've tried to reschedule his roundtable for 2pm on Tuesday so I can get home for Rachel at 3:15, to which I will have time to get her to practice at 4:15 so I can make it to my gig by 4:30.

THEN! To cap off the day, I get home, start dinner to find out that oh boy, we have no propane! Guess we're not having spaghetti tonight! In fact, we can't get propane until MONDAY! Well, I can call on Monday and get on the delivery schedule - if we're lucky, we'll get filled up by Thursday! :)

If I don't laugh, I'll burst into tears.

The Untitled Post

I can't think of a title for this post as it is mainly just ramblings. Maybe by the end I will have thought up something clever.

I spent Memorial Day weekend with my friends in NH; mostly I watched their kids while they worked but I had a good time anyway! Their youngest daughter is a semi-handful lately; she's very curious and 'busy' - my oldest son was like this when he was 4. I don't care what is said about terrible twos but I think fours are worse! They're more mobile at 4, can get into waaaay more things (both good and bad), and are old enough to verbalize the 'reason' they did whatever they did. *chuckle*

Sunday I was a roadie for my friend who is a magician. I then got to actually sit and watch his show (not for the first time, but I had no kids to watch which can be distracting!) He's really quite good! Made me laugh even though I've seen the tricks, heard the corny jokes. He's got a couple of tricks that made me go 'HUH?!' and more than a few jokes that crack me right up (corny as they are!)

Sandy and I took the girls down to the brook and taught them how to use a sling shot. WOW! They're pretty good! We waded into the brook, got a little wet, and had a nice little competition to see who could shoot the furthest. I gave it my best shot but Sandy shot just that much better. Beat me by not that much though! Then we let my daughter have a turn with my slingshot and she landed a rock pretty close to where I landed my best shot! Next it was Gladdy's turn - she did really good with her sligshot, actually shooting AND skipping her rock at the same time!

On Memorial Day proper I had a chance to go canoeing. What a great time! There were several moments to make me chuckle - including hanging my feet over each side of the canoe to cool them off, not realizing it made my partner paddle all that much harder because it was like having the brakes on! *BIG LAUGH* From behind me I hear...ahem.....excuse me..but would you please pull your feet in?? OOPS, sooooorrrry!! Then, spinning around in the middle of Salmon Pond...must have looked funny from the shore as I was taught how to spin the canoe around. It must have looked like we didn't know what we were doing at ALL! I did see a turtle swim under the boat - the water wasn't all that deep and I was supposed to be watching for hazards in the water but I was more interested in the little turtle that was swimming under me to notice the big ROCK in front of me! Again, from behind me I heard...ahem.....do you see the rock in front of us?? Looking up, I reply, YA...from behind me again I hear, could we NOT hit it? LOL I don't know if I'll be asked to go again but I sure hope so! I had way too much fun! Got a little sun too; not too much but a little pink color on both legs and arms. Next time though, a black t-shirt is NOT what you wear in the middle of an open lake in a canoe in the bright late spring sun!

Is That All There Is?!

Well it's all over now. The semester is done, the books have been sold back (at a ridiculously low price I may add) and the grades are almost in. The rains have totally soaked us here in the Northeast and the college where my Spanish class is held was evacuated, resulting in the final week being moved out by a week. So I'm still hanging on waiting for my Spanish grade. It's ok - I'm not sweating that grade as much as I did the A&P. (*UPDATE* I got a B+!!) I've also heard from LPNs that I've talked to that A&P was the most difficult of the courses. I've also talked to two HR directors about work - they both tell me that if I can complete the first year of Fundamentals of Nursing I'm eligible to sit for placement exams. Well, that's all good and fine if I pass the two classes that are required for nursing school (namely microbiology and A&P1!). I'm going to submit my application anyhow and see what happens.

There is a CNA course available for the month of June that I'm looking into and I have been approached for sponsorship by a local rehab facility. In exchange for them paying for the class I have to work for them for six months 3-11. The downside of that shift is that I miss the after school activities with my kids, as well as the obvious "who will cook them dinner at night?" because by then, my divorce will be final and I'll be raising them on my own. There's a long story in itself for another time and planet. *smile*

My friend is finally home from the hospital after battling cellulitis in his leg. I'm quite fond of him and I see my friend Jean in him (except for her unending stubbornness!) I don't want to lose him too so I'm all over him to keep going with the progress he's made so far. The kids were so happy to see Papa come home they almost knocked him down as he got out of my van. They missed him sooo much! I drove up last weekend to get him out of the hospital, bring him home, and lend a hand during the weekend. I don't mind; I truly feel appreciated when I visit.

THE GRADES ARE IN!!

My grades have finally been posted! I'm so proud to say that I managed to earn a C+ in A&P! I am so thrilled that I 'passed' enough to apply to nursing school. I'm not proud that it's only a C+ but I'm happy it's not a C! C's just don't CUT IT! Along with the C+ in A&P, I earned an A- in my Health & Disability in the Elderly class and a B+ in Abnormal Psych. My spanish for medical professionals is still outstanding, but according to the professor I'm sitting at a 91.7 pre-final (which I have just submitted after working on it for close to FOUR HOURS now!)

I know I've had my share of doubts but my friends have pushed, pulled, cajoled and in general, encouraged me all along the way. Without them, I don't think I would have made it this far. Now, on to nursing school applications!! Can I get a HOOORAY?!

Aren't grades posted YET?!

I'm sitting here on pins and needles! It's been one full week since I sat in my last A&P class. I'm chewing ny fingernails waiting for the grades to be posted. I'm praying that I'm in the high 70's because as we all know, I need a 78 to be able to even apply to the nursing program at my school. The acceptance rate is low - 400 applications for 100 slots. Even those with 4.0 GPAs aren't getting accepted. I don't know why because the need for nurses is still great.

Keep your fingers crossed and as soon as I know...I'll post the results.

The Value of Friends

As I've cruised through my day today, I find my thoughts drifting to friends and what they mean to me. I think about the times friends have called to chat and I've either put them off or not answered the phone (that hasn't happened tooo often in all honesty because I love to talk on the phone!) I've also wondered if I've been as good a friend as people have been to me.

I think about this past weekend when my dear friends invited me to Spacetacular in Concord on Saturday. I was driving up on Friday with my daughter and son to spend the weekend. We've done this kind of thing before so it's nothing new. On Friday night Cedar calls to tell me that she hates to say it but she's not feeling all that snappy and "I'm calling off this weekend". I was sad that I wouldn't get to see her and all the kids. As she listed the reasons why I couldn't come, I thought, she needs a pep talk. So I proceeded to acknowledge all her reasons and ask if she was totally sure I couldn't come up anyhow and give her a needed hand. After a few minutes, she changed her mind and said sure, c'mon up! You don't care if the dishes aren't done do you? I replied, NAAAH... You know me..if it bothers me, I'll just wash them! (which I did!).

On Friday night, after I arrived and got my kids settled for bed, I sat with her and talked about anything on her mind. I also offered to take two of her four kids with me to Spacetacular (one is only 9 months old, the other was on punishment). She gave it some thought, and said SURE as long as you don't mind. MIND?! ME? Nah! I just wanted her to have some time to chillax (my version of chilling out and relaxing).

Saturday I had a ball with the four kids while she stayed home with her other two. The baby ended up at the ER with a nice earache. It never ends with kids, does it? I tried as best I could to help her out and not make it a hardship to have three extra people in the house. We cooked together, worked together to get the kids into bed, and then shared a nice bottle of beer before we both crashed for the night.

I hope she knows how much I love coming to her house. Being around her puts a joy in my heart I can't describe. I don't know if it's because she lets me help, and doesn't get all paranoid about the condition of her house. I've told her dozens of times - I don't come to visit the house; I come to visit YOU! I've also asked if she minds my help - sometimes I know I feel insulted when someone starts picking up things at my house - she says no and I'm confident she means it. My heart is in the right place - I just want to make things easier for her. I remember what it was like to be home with small children all day, and the effort it takes to keep the house tidy and no grown up conversation. She's lucky though - because there are several days her husband is home so she has other adult conversation available.

Musings on the toilet

Now before you decide I'm going to write about toileting, let me clarify, or in the words of Indigo Montoya, let me 'splain...no, let me sum up...

I came home from a long weeekend to a severely leaking toilet. Since I have a little plumbing experience, I thought I could fix it no sweat. Well...that was SUNDAY...it's now THURSDAY and I think I can finally say the silly thing is fixed! I started off by shutting the water off (no problem! just turn the little knob on the pipe at the back of the toilet right?) and flushing the toilet. Goofy me forgot that there was residual water in the tank when I disconnected the water supply. WATER EVERYWHERE and no towels handy! I am on my knees trying to catch the water in a stupid CUP with zero success! Thankfully my dear daughter brings me a large metal bowl.

Let's just fast forward through the swearing, the knuckle busting, the THREE trips to the hardware store for parts. I replaced just about every piece possible...hooked everything up...turned on the water supply and hooray everything worked...until I looked DOWN under the toilet in time to see a nice drip start. Something was STILL leaking from somewhere! GRRRRR! Take everything apart once again (although now I know to have towels and buckets handy for excess water!) and look to see that the one part I DIDN'T replace (the gasket) was indeed cracked in not one but TWO places! OK...back to the hardware store. I'm on a first name basis by now with the plumbing guy...gimme a stinkin gasket for this GD toilet! Of course it's not exactly the same but it will fit. Back home we go...put the gasket in...put it all back together...turn on the water supply...stare for leaks...hmmm no leaks....ten minutes..twenty minutes...no leaks! Could it be possible?! Is it FIXED?! OF COURSE NOT! Now the water supply hose starts dripping...I give up...tomorrow (Friday) I will buy a short water supply hose, replace it, and if the toilet still leaks, I'm going to have a nut! Actually, I will have to call my friendly plumber friend AJ for a professional consult.

I also noticed that the flush level looks kind of crappy so I thought I'd replace that too - guess what? Bought the wrong kind (anyone want a front mount flush level?!) So now it's BACK to the hardware store to buy another flush level (along with the short water supply hose). What else can break down? I'm afraid to ask, so I won't!

Highlights (and lowlights) of College Life

I can't remember when I ever had more difficulty in school than the kinds of stuff I'm up against now. This A&P class is most definately going to make me stronger (if it doesn't kill me first!) We had our lab practical (final) Tuesday night and I breezed through the first 50 questions in the lecture hall without looking up! I think my best run was 18 in a row that I know are correct! No doubts on any of them! Well, then it was on to the 50 stations in the lab. OK so we come to a gliding halt - not screeching, mind you, just a quiet glide to a halt. I suddenly couldn't remember my carotid from my jugular! I took a great big deep breath, closed my eyes, thought back to the first time I had my quiz (three weeks ago or so), started running my index finger up along my arm, reciting the veins that my friends spent the better part of a day going over with me, opened my eyes and pictured the names. I think I did pretty well - we'll see hopefully next week. I still don't know how I did on last week's test - they hadn't been graded as of last night.

On a more positive note, I have an A in abnormal psych! I just got my last assessment today! That makes me very happy indeed! One class done - only four more to go. The math class is getting extended I hope - I need some serious help with quadratic equations and plotting. It's murder! My Health & Disability in the Elderly class is sitting at a nice solid B, although I haven't got clue #1 as to what my third project is yet and it's due on 5/4. I don't know how well spanish is going - I'm a little behind because I've been focusing on my A&P almost exclusively for the past two weeks.

As my semester winds down, I am grateful to my family and friends for all their support over the past twelve weeks (wow! it's only been THAT LONG?!) I don't think I could have managed without the rah rah sessions and the personal cheerleaders who've been pushing me along the road to nursing school. The ride hasn't really started yet but at least I have a great support system in place for when it finally does!!!!

Working Through Discouraging Times

Well, here I sit at 10:40 pm, after a dismal A&P class. We got the results from last week's exam back and I scored a whopping 61 (and that was with the 3 point curve!) I am at a very low point now because I'm starting to rethink my career choice. If I can't make it through A&P now, then what makes me think I can make it through the rigors of nursing school? For that matter, if "A" students aren't making it into the program, then what makes me think that a "C+" has a chance? I'm looking at what classes to choose for the fall but I'm sure that A&P I is in there somewhere! I really don't want to take it AGAIN but I'm sure I will have to - it conflicts with another class I really REALLY want to take so I might just pass on A&P I for now (even though it would be smart to take it again while it's all semi-fresh in my mind!) Someone in class tonight said they were on their fourth try at A&P! I don't know if I'd want to take the same class four times but I suppose if I want this bad enought, then I will take it as many times as it takes.