Saturday, June 30, 2012

IT IS HOT!!!

Oh my, will this heat wave ever end?  It's 99* today, but feels like 105*.  I look at the weather map and my only consolation is that some places are so much hotter than we are.  

Those poor people in Colorado.  They are really suffering with the fires.  We need to pray for all of them.

We have an air conditioner only in the living room on the first floor.  Joe likes to sleep in bed on the second floor all day with the fan going.  It is just too hot in the room today.  I finally talked him into sleeping on the sofa in the air.  That man can sleep through anything!  I dropped a mug and broke it.  I dropped some pans (not on purpose, I'm just clumsy today).  I have had the TV on.  I've been coughing (allergies).  And he sleeps on.  Snoring quite loudly I might add.  Now I see what a day at home with him is really like.  Ha, ha.

It is too hot to cook.  The other night I made up a pasta salad that turned out so good.  I boiled some gemelli (the twisted pasta) and mixed it with some grape tomatoes sliced in half, chopped up broccoli, paper thin slices of onion (just a little bit) and a can of tuna.  Then I made a dressing of two tablespoons of mayo and two tablespoons of Italian salad dressing.  I added salt and pepper and mixed everything well.  Then I put it in the fridge to cool for awhile.  Delicious.  I am going to recreate it tonight along with some corn on the cob and some watermelon for dessert.  That should cool us off some.

I got the DVD of the movie "The Artist" out of the library, so I think that is what is on the agenda for tonight.  We both wanted to see that movie when it was in the theater and never got there.  So here's our chance.

It is hard to believe that this is the end of June already.  Where does the time go?  Keep your eyes peeled for my new calendar page tomorrow.
 
Enough rambling.  I have to go make my salad.  Until later.

Friday, June 29, 2012

FRIDAY VIEWS

Thank goodness it was a slow day at work today.  Diane is on vacation and it's Marquita's day off so just Bob and I were in.  I was dreading it but it really wasn't all that bad.  This in spite that it's the end of the fiscal year and we had all this stuff to do with that.

Joe and I were going to go to my sister's house after work to see the fireworks on the lake she lives near.  But it is so HOT and I was so tired that it just wasn't a good idea to drive 2 hours to get there.  I always want to see them, and never do.  Oh well, I will have to watch them on youtube.  Someone always video tapes them and posts it.

It is just too hot to cook here.  So I stopped at the store on the way home and got a nice piece of salmon, some potato salad and some tomatoes to slice.  I bake my salmon with lemon, butter and herbs from my garden.  It always turns out so good.  And I don't have to stand there and mind it on the stove.

I have gone round and round in my mind trying to figure out what to show you for your Friday view today.  I just couldn't figure it out.  Then I looked at some pictures that I took recently and found this one.  This is the view I've seen out of my front window every evening for 32 years.  It never ceases to amaze me.  In the front of my house it is night already, but the houses are lit with the light from the sun in the back of my house.  If I go to the kitchen, there is still sunlight and the beginning of a sunset.  So strange but also so beautiful.

Thursday, June 28, 2012

THE TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS OF A HEART MONITOR



 Here is what I had to wear for the last 24 hours.  I am so glad to be rid of it.  Not that I was unhappy that the doctor wanted to see what was going on, it was just uncomfortable and since I am allergic to adhesive it was painful at the end.  When I took off the pads, my skin had blistered.  Not fun.


At least I didn't have to wear it very long at work.  Just 3 hours yesterday and 1/2 hour today.  And a lot of the time wearing it I was sleeping.  That helped a lot.


The main problem was going to the bathroom.  I couldn't get there, get myself situated and hold the darn thing (because it had to be hooked onto my jeans) quickly.  This made for an interesting day.


But I also kept dropping it and pulling on my skin.  That was not fun.


I was at work and sitting at my desk when I took a look at it and it was 55 seconds to the end.  I watched it count down.  When it got to the end I was so happy.  Then it said "Please wait.  Do not remove device."  What?  It was another 2 minutes before the screen went blank and I was able to go to the ladies room and remove it.


I had to return it between 2:00 and 5:00 p.m. today, so I took a 4:00 lunch, drove to the hospital, and then drove back to work.  I was a little late getting back, but my boss did not make me take time off.  That was nice of him.

I also got the results of my blood test from last week.  My cholesterol and triglycerides were very slightly elevated, but otherwise everything was perfect.  Maybe the fact that they took the test right after I had bacon and eggs for breakfast could account for that!  I had them fax the results to the cardiologist. 


So that's where everything stands.  Probably more information than you want to know, right?  I am hoping and praying that everything turns out not serious, but something turns up that can be easily fixed.  I want to feel good again.

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

A VISIT TO THE CARDIOLOGIST

I haven't been feeling well for about 6 weeks now.  I have gone to the Emergency Room -- they found nothing and sent me home.  I have gone to my family doctor and he took blood tests, but hasn't gotten back to me on the results.  Today I went to my cardiologist.  He listened to me and is concerned enough with what is happening to give me three tests.

Right now I am wearing a 24-hour heart monitor.  What a pain!  Try going to the bathroom when you have a monitor with wires attached to you that you have to hold with one hand so it doesn't fall.  At least it's only 24 hours.  12:30 p.m. tomorrow I can take it off.  Then I am taking an early dinner and running it back to the doctor's office.  As usual I forgot to get a note for work, so I will get that while I am there also.  I'm always in such a hurry to get out of that office.

I am also going to have a stress test and an echocardiogram.  I am determined to find out why I am having heart palpitations and feel like I'm going to pass out.

It's been a week since I had my blood tests, so I am going to call the office tomorrow and see if the results have come in.


I am hoping that whatever it is it's something simple that a change in dosage of medication (or a new medicine) will be able to fix.  I am so tired of feeling tired and sick all the time.

Monday, June 25, 2012

BEACH BALLS AND BRAKES

Welcome to week two of the Summer Reading Program at the library.  It was movie Monday and Sheila showed some cartoon videos to the kids this afternoon.  About 20 kids showed up so that was good.

Remember last week the kids got lanyards and chips as prizes in the reading program?  This week they are getting beach balls.  A really cool prize for reading books.  They are so cute.  The ones I saw were smiley faces:

 
Another one was stars and stripes:



Wonder what's up for next week.



As for the brakes, I had been having trouble with my car's brakes slipping.  Even when Joe drove it a few weeks back he noticed it.  So when I went to have my oil changed a couple of weeks ago, I had them check the brakes and they found a problem with the front ones.  I had to wait to get the money for them.  So when I got paid last week I decided to get the brakes fixed today.  Brakes are nothing to fool with.


It turns out it was much worse than anyone expected.  There was a cracked piston in the caliper on the driver's side.  It wouldn't have lasted much longer.  In fact it is only by the grace of God that I didn't lose my brakes before this.  There was a whole big piece missing!  It was also much more expensive than I expected.  Three times what I thought it was going to be.  The one part they had to replace was $119 itself.  I'm going to have to work a lot more overtime to pay for this!  But at least it's fixed.

Sunday, June 24, 2012

CONGRATULATIONS CLARA!

Today after church our Tuesday Morning Bible Study was invited by one of our members (Charlie) to his wife Clara's retirement party.  Clara has worked for the Philadelphia Public School System for 48 years as a music teacher.  She is a very nice lady and we were happy to help her celebrate.

It was held in the Fellowship Hall of the Bridesburg Presbyterian Church which is 2 blocks from my house.  Six of us went:  Kathy, Krystal, Donna, Dottie, Joe and me.  Their service is 10:00 to 11:00.  Ours is 10:30 to 12:00 so we were late getting there.  It was still nice even though we missed the speeches and proclamation from the School Board.  So nice to just get together and talk and eat and enjoy each other's company.

Here are some pictures from it.
There was a string quartet playing classical music as we ate.
There was tons of food:  roast beef, meatballs, fried chicken, pasta salads, green beans, green salad, potato salad, fruit salad, etc.
After the classical music came jazz.  Really good jazz.

Here's Joe and Dottie.

And Kathy, Krystal and Donna.
Charlie sat down and joined us for awhile.
Dottie and Kathy had a good time dancing.


Krystal, Donna and Joe applauding the musicians.
As we were leaving I finally got a picture of the lady of the hour.  Clara is standing behind Joe talking to a man in yellow.  Joe is saying goodbye and thank you to Charlie.
 It was a fun time.  I hope Clara has a wonderful retirement.

Saturday, June 23, 2012

FAMOUS PEOPLE JOE HAS MET -- OLIVIA NEWTON JOHN




Here is another post in the continuing series "Famous People Joe Has Met".  As I said last time he has met more famous people than anyone I know.  This time I will tell you about him meeting Olivia Newton John.

Joe was on vacation in Hawaii in the early 1990s.  He was staying at the Hilton Hawaiian Villages in Honolulu.  One part of the hotel had a series of very small shops along a walkway.  One of these shops belonged to Olivia Newton John.  

He went into her shop and was looking around for souvenirs.  While he was in the shop Olivia Newton John walked in.  He overheard her telling the manager that that particular store was underperforming in sales.  

Joe walked over and asked her if she was Olivia Newton John and she said yes.  Since he had worked in sales at one time, he started talking to her about the sales.  He told her that she needed to relocate her business to a place where there was more foot traffic and people had a taste for what was in her shops.  She wrote everything down and thanked him.  

Only Joe could do this.  I would have just asked her for her autograph.  Too bad I wasn't with him back then.

FRIDAY VIEWS

I know this is Saturday morning.  2:14 a.m. to be exact.  I fell asleep right after dinner and just woke up.  Now I can't sleep, so I am going to get caught up.

This has been one of the longest weeks of my life.  It seemed as if it would never end.  It went on and on (just like I'm doing now).  On Tuesday I worked at Fishtown but because I usually work there on Friday, I thought Wednesday was going to be Saturday.  And every day after that I thought it was Friday and the next day was going to be my day off.  What has become of my mind?  Of course when you think Wednesday is Saturday it makes for a very long week.

I got a call at work today from the nurse in the Neurology Clinic.  The level of one of Joe's medications was low in his blood.  He had to take an extra dose of that.  And instead of waiting to be seen in November, they moved his appointment to July 25.  He had only one small seizure today, well Friday, so that is a big improvement.

It was still very hot here today.  That's three days of excruciating heat.  So hard to breathe outside.  Temperatures today got up to 98* with a heat index of 105*.  Even your skin gets hot when you walk outside.

Tonight we went with our friends Walt and Carole to Cracker Barrel in Mt. Laurel, NJ for dinner.  Joe and I try to go out on payday and I know he loves Cracker Barrel.  It was overcast on our way over.  The sky looked like it would pour at any minute.


We had a nice dinner.  Well, they had dinner and I just wanted breakfast.  I wasn't real hungry and I love their breakfast.  While we were eating, it started pouring.  It looked like a hurricane!  The wind was blowing so hard.  By the time we finished eating, it had let up.  We picked the right time to eat!  The up side of it is that a lot of the heat and humidity is gone.  The weekend is supposed to be very nice.

Severe Weather Threat: Forecast, Warnings


Well, here is your Friday View.  You can't go to Cracker Barrel without having a smile on Joe's face.  He really loves it there.

Until later, folks!

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

EAGLES BOOK MOBILE

Well folks it wasn't Little Caesar's last night.  I was so tired and not feeling good so I went right home and we called Bridesburg Pizza and got a pepperoni pie.  It was good.

I haven't felt good in over a month now.  I have an appointment with the doctor tomorrow morning, so hopefully he will be able to help me find out just exactly what's wrong.  I just want to be back to myself.

Well, here is the last sunrise of Spring 2012.  Isn't it pretty?

This was taken from my car.  At 6:00 a.m. we were on our way to the Veteran's Hospital to get Joe his blood test.  I was surprised at how few cars are headed to center city that time of day.  I thought it would be crowded already, but we moved right along.  We had to wait about an hour, but all went well and I was only 1/2 hour late for work.

It's a good thing I wasn't too late because today was the day the Philadelphia Eagles Book Mobile came to the library to kick off the Summer Reading Program.


 



They were there for about 40 minutes and had such a good program.  We had about 50 kids and their parents.  Storybook Man (the #1 reader) came with his friends.  He read a couple of books to the kids (with much fanfare I might add).





Don't you just love his big shoes?  After he was done reading, they handed out books to all the kids.

And led the kids in the Eagles cheer:  E-A-G-L-E-S... EAGLES!!!!

After they left there was another lady came who did face painting.



This was my favorite one of the faces she painted.  Love the dragon.


It has been so hot today.  It was 97 degrees, but felt like 105.  I didn't go out at lunch, but everyone who came in was saying how hot it was.  I was shocked when I left at 5 p.m.  Hot?  Hot wasn't a strong enough word!  It was like walking into a blazing fire.  I had already decided not to cook this evening.  So I went to Wawa and got hoagies and watermelon.  What a combination!  But it was cool, and it was good.  I plan to get up early tomorrow and make a pasta salad for dinner.  That way when I get home from work at 8:30 p.m. the dinner is already done and it's cool.  I just can't cook in that kitchen with no air conditioning.  The fan is just not cutting it.  At least the heat is supposed to break over the weekend.

Summer has come here in Philly  at 7:09 p.m.   So here, friends, is the first sunset of the summer.  I hope this summer is a good one.


Tuesday, June 19, 2012

ANOTHER BIBLE STUDY WITHOUT JOE AND A DAY AT FISHTOWN

The title says it all.  The day began with me baking muffins for Bible Study only to get a call from Trish that she was on the way over with coconut cupcakes and homemade chocolate candy for the group.  Why can I never remember which Tuesday I don't have to bake?  Well, the good news is I froze the muffins and will thaw them out for next week (or the week after that since we have leftovers from today).  I will not have to get up at 5:30 a.m. to bake for a couple of weeks.  I like that.  I like that a lot.

We are studying the book of James.  Last night Joe and I went over what was going to be covered today -- James 1:9-12 (trials).  How everyone faces trials.  How life is full of trials, but God uses those things to teach and grow us.  How we should not be filled with pride because we are either poor or rich.  How God will give us a crown of eternal life if we give ourselves to Him.

I am so glad we went over things.  Joe got up today, ate breakfast, started to get ready to go to church, said he didn't feel good, ran to the bedroom and just got in bed when he had a very bad seizure.  One of the worst I have ever seen him have. His arms were thrashing all over the place and his head was shaking like he was trying to shake his brains out.  I stood back and watched to make sure he didn't fall out of bed, but at a safe distance so I wouldn't get hit.  He would have done some serious damage to me.

Of course now he needed to stay in bed, so he sent me to teach.  I am not supposed to be teaching since I am not an elder and that is a requirement in our church.  But already the people were sitting on the steps waiting for us to open the church.  So I ran over there and took over the meeting.  And it was a very good meeting.  Lots of interaction which is always a good thing.  You don't always have to agree 100% with what the other people are saying, but having them think and analyze the scripture is good.  Of course, a good teacher tries to bring them into his/her way of thinking.  :)

After Bible Study I had to get ready for work.  It was my day at Fishtown.  If I hadn't had to go there, I probably would have taken today off.  But if I didn't show up, they could not have opened and it was their big kick-off day for the Summer Reading Program.  They had a 2-hour carnival with face painting, games and treats for the kids and free books.  I have never seen the place so crowded.  It was hard to walk through the rooms.  And everyone (kids and adults alike) loved it.  How creative these people are.

As for Joe, I called his neurologist who won't be in until Thursday.  So I was able to talk to the nurse in that department.  Because Joe did not go to the hospital on the 14th, he missed having his blood work done.  When I explained what was going on and said I thought the new medication level was incorrect, she said she thought I might be right.  All these seizures started after they changed the doseage on his drugs.  So tomorrow morning before work (read 6:00 a.m. here) we will be going to the hospital to get his blood work done.  Then when the doctor comes in on Thursday the results will be waiting for him and he will see what is going on and give us a call.  I have a good feeling that this is going to solve Joe's problem and get him back on track.

I have to get back on the desk.  This is my dinner hour.  Only two more hours and I can go home.  I really do not feel like cooking so I am going to stop at Little Caesar's and get pizza.  We have not had it in a long time.  And it's only $5.  I like that.

SUMMER READING

Today was the first day of our summer reading program.  Bob was at Fishtown Branch today so it was just Diane and me.  At first it was very slow.  We wondered where all the kids were.  Didn't anyone want to come in?

Then 2 p.m. hit.  Mondays are "Movie Mondays" from 2:00 - 3:30.  Lots of kids came for the movie.  Lots of kids signed up for Summer Reading.  It was hard to keep up with everything.

For the first week the kids got a lanyard, a bag of chips, and a free pass for the Art Museum.  Pretty nice.  I wish I was young enough to join.  They didn't have this program when I was a kid.


It's my turn for Fishtown tomorrow.  I was told it's going to be crazy.  I'm going in prepared!

Sunday, June 17, 2012

MOVIE NIGHT

Very seldom do Joe and I watch a movie.  But my boss, Jerry, recommended one to me and insisted I take it home.  It's a Woody Allen film called "Midnight in Paris."  Usually if Jerry likes a movie, I don't.  He has recommended other movies to us that we hate.  So it was with fear and trepidation that we put it in the DVD player.

Well, for once Jerry recommended a movie we liked.  It was great.  It started off really slow and we were trying to decide if we wanted to watch it or not.  I'm glad we persevered.

It's the story of a guy named Gil who is engaged to a woman who is totally not for him.  They are in Paris.  She wants him to return to Los Angeles and rewrite movie scripts.  He wants to stay in Paris and write a great novel.  He loves Paris of the 1920s.

In case any of you have not seen it and want to I will not go any further with the plot.  But if you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it.  

Saturday, June 16, 2012

LAZY SATURDAY

Ever have one of those days?  One of those days where you do absolutely nothing.  I mean really nothing.  That was me today.

I haven't been feeling really great lately.  My blood pressure has been super high and out of control even though I am taking my medication.  Seeing my doctor on the 27th to see if he can tweak my meds to where I am feeling good again.  That was the earliest appointment I could get.  It's been hard to go to work.  And I'm so tired all the time.  So today I decided to just lay around and be lazy.  So I was.

You know what?  I'm feeling better now.  Maybe I just needed a down day.  Maybe I've been stressed with Joe having seizures.  By the way, day two with no seizures.  Thank you, Lord.  And thank you all for your prayers.

There is a building across the street that is owned by the Viet Nam Veterans' Memorial Society.  They have a lot next to their building that everyone on this street and the next street over parks on.  We really need that extra parking.  Unfortunately, the neighbors have abused that privilege by throwing trash on it and letting their dogs do their business without cleaning up.  So they have decided to fence the property in.  It is certainly within their right to do so, but it will make things in this neighborhood really bad.  They were out there early this morning making a lot of noise.  It woke me up at 6:30 a.m.  But being the blogger I am, I looked out of the window and took pictures of it.




Around 4:00 p.m. Joe and I got up and decided we should run some errands.  We went to Home Depot to pay Joe's bill, ShopRite to do our food shopping (we haven't gone in three weeks and were out of EVERYTHING), and then WalMart to pay Joe's bill.  Of course you can't go to WalMart and not buy something.  I needed my allergy medicine, but then I saw this cute t-shirt which I want to use for 4th of July.  Wish I had had it for Flag Day this past week.



On to dinner now.  We're having salmon, corn on the cob and a salad.  I love eating "summer" food.

Friday, June 15, 2012

FRIDAY VIEWS

This has been a very strange day.  Our guard was out all day at a doctor's appointment.  Diane had to work at the Fishtown Branch.  Our Children's Librarian was on vacation.  Our Branch Head was at a meeting all morning downtown.  So just Bob and I were at the library.  We aren't allowed to open without at least 3 people (usually 4) so we were closed this morning.  It was strange with just the two of us in the building.  But we got a lot of work done.  Even stranger when Bob went home for lunch and it was just me in the building.

This afternoon was busy (as you can imagine) but not as bad as I thought it would be.  I was very tired, though, and very happy to go home at 5:00 p.m.


I was so tired that Joe called out for dinner.  I got a crab cake platter that was very good.  It just hit the spot.


Thank you for all your prayers for Joe.  So far today he has not had a seizure which is a very good thing.


For today's Friday view I thought I would show you today's sunrise and sunset.  I have been asked if I still get up to take the sunrise.  The answer is yes, I do.  However I don't get every day.  My brother Larry, however, does get every one.  I think when I don't have to get up around 5:00 a.m. to get it, I'll be getting more sunrises.


SUNRISE   
SUNSET
For some reason the sunsets are always prettier than the sunrises.  Wonder why.

Thursday, June 14, 2012

THIS AND THAT

EVERY NEW DAY IS A GIFT FROM GOD!

First off, thank you everyone for your prayers.  God really does hear and answer them.  Joe had an appointment at the VA Hospital this morning, but just had another seizure and is not able to get there.  After the seizures he feels really bad and is not up to going anywhere.  I called our family doctor and he was able to see him at 10:30 today, but again, he was not able to get out of bed.  So as of now, we will see Dr. Merrow on Monday at 3:30.  I will leave work early to go with him.  Joe doesn't want me to go, but I want to know what is going on if I am the one that has to take care of him.

You might notice a new ticker on the bottom.  I was trying to figure out yesterday how long I have till I can retire and get things at home under control.  (And get my whole pension, not just a part of it.)  Four years seems like a long time, but hey, it's the middle of June already.  The time just whizzes by and it will be here before I know it.  Where does the time go?

I'm hoping this weekend to get the grill cleaned off and do some outdoor cooking.  Even if we eat inside in the air conditioning, food cooked outside always seems to taste better.

Work has been very busy.  Yesterday we got 16 cartons of potato chips to use as prizes for the summer reading program.  At the end of the summer anything left over gets eaten by the staff.  And there's always some left over.  There will be another 16 cartons delivered in July.  The kids also get pencils, books, keychains, etc.  Every week is a different prize.  They have to read at least one book a week, watch one video and/or attend one program.  It's a great deal for the kids.  It gives them something to do over the summer and (hopefully) keeps them out of trouble.

I had the oil changed in my car yesterday and found out that the front brakes are going.  The rear brakes are fine though.  They adjusted them.  I didn't have the money to get the front ones fixed until I get paid next Friday, so Monday the 25th the car goes back in for the front brakes.  The mechanic said it was perfectly safe to drive, but not to let it go too long.  It's always something, isn't it.  I thought the extra money I made working Sunday would go toward my credit card debt, but at least now I have a little extra to go toward the car.

I have to go get showered and dressed and get out of here to go to work.  Today is my late day -- 11:45 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.  Then I have to stop at ShopRite on the way home and get something for dinner and some cat litter (very important -- the baby is out!).  Just wanted to get everyone caught up.  Thanks for reading.  And thanks again for your prayers.  Keep praying.

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

PLEASE PRAY

Friends, I don't often put something too serious on this blog.  I try to show the lighter side of life.  But this week I have seen the power of prayer.  I mean POWER.  God knows what we need, but He also wants to hear from us.  So I am asking you -- no pleading with you -- to join me in prayer for my husband Joe.

Joe has epilepsy.  It has been under control for a long time -- just about a year.  He was doing good and had even been able to drive for short distances again.  But this week has been terrible.

While we were down the shore he said he just didn't feel well.  Later in the week he started acting strangely.  He just wasn't himself.  Nothing either of us could put our finger on.

Then on Sunday morning we were getting ready for church.  He was sitting at the table eating breakfast and we were talking.  All of a sudden his head fell forward and he started falling off of his chair.  I grabbed him so he wouldn't fall and held on to him until the seizure passed.  (I have to add he does not have gran mal seizures -- it's just like he falls asleep on the spot.)  So I got him to bed.  Usually if he has a seizure he falls asleep, sleeps off the massive headache he gets and all is good.  That's the way it was now.

Then on Monday morning, about 2 am., he got out of bed to go to the bathroom.  I heard a bang and went running in.  He had had a seizure and fell head first into the bathtub.  It took me about 1/2 hour to get him out.  He has bruises on his head.

This morning he has had two more seizures.  We don't know what is going on since he is taking the same medication in the same dosage that kept him seizure free for a year.  We have a call in to the doctor, but he has not called back.


Please pray for Joe.  We know God is able to take these all away from him or relieve him from them.  I am trying to run home from work at lunch and call him on the phone during the day, but I don't know how long I can keep this up.


If you would pray for Joe, please just leave the word praying in the comments section.  It would mean so much to us to know people are praying along with us for a relief from these seizures.  Thank you in advance for your prayers.

Update at 12:36 p.m.
Got an appointment with the neurologist for Thursday afternoon.  Thank you for your prayers.

Monday, June 11, 2012

BUSY MONDAY -- AND I DO MEAN BUSY!

Mondays are always busy at the library.  Especially during the summer months when we are closed on Saturdays.  People just can't seem to live their lives without being at the library every day to check their email or get their weekend movies.  Today was especially bad because it was the first week we had been closed for the whole weekend.  To top it off we had two people off today.

We usually get about 15 phone calls a day.  Today we had 38.  Usually make 8-10 new cards.  Today 26.  Usually are asked 10 questions.  Asked 29 today.  What was with everyone?  At least there weren't any rude people.

Of course there is always the strange phone call.
Woman:  Hello, I checked my account on-line.  It says I owe money.  I know I returned my video.  Why do I owe $1?
Me:  Let me look up your account.  May I have your library card number?
Woman:  G-- d---, I knew you were going to ask that.  Now I have to find my card.
(If you knew I was going to ask that, why didn't you have your card there?)
Woman:  (after a pause gives me her number)  I don't owe no G-- d--- f---ing money.
Me:  You returned your video one day late.
Woman:  But I renewed it.
Me:  Yes, you renewed it until June 4th.  You returned it June 5th.
Woman:  (curses profusely)  I can't believe this ************ (fill in the blank if you dare).
Then she says calmly and nicely:  Thank you so much for your time.  Sorry to have bothered you.  Have a nice day.

Huh???  They're out there folks.  It's scary.  Really, really scary.

Sunday, June 10, 2012

A LAZY SATURDAY

It is after midnight and I am just now getting around to posting.  It's not that I did anything on Saturday.  I am still so tired.  I have to work today (Sunday) so I decided the thing to do would be to take a day and just do nothing so I could work 6 days straight this week.  I have decided that it is just too much on me to work too many Sundays, so I have cut it down to one a month.  Not as much money coming in, but my health is so much more important.

So the only thing I did do was to work out in the yard.  Frank, the guy who does our grass, also does my weeding for me because I just cannot do it anymore.  My poor back and legs really stop me even though the spirit is willing.  I will not let him touch my rose bushes though, so I cut them back and Frank weeded and cut back the ivy that threatens to overtake everything in the yard.  It is amazing how much better everything looks.  And bigger too.

We did only one side of the yard because the other side has poison ivy.  Frank is HIGHLY allergic to it.  So is Joe.  I'm not.  I started to pull it up, but there was so much that I just decided to get the poison and spray it all.  According to the bottle it should die in 2 to 6 weeks.  Frank has off from work every other Saturday, so in two weeks he will be back and we will (hopefully) finish the other side.  At least that side is not as bad as the one we did today.  It shouldn't take long to do at all.

In the meantime, I thought you might like to see some pictures of the flowers out there.  Looking mighty nice these days.
Rose
Coleus

And more coleus


Lots of pansies.  Although they are starting to wilt with the heat we have been having lately.





The impatiens are doing wonderful.  So pretty.



 
The hydrangea are starting to bloom, but I don't have any pictures of them.  That will have to be another post.