Happy.....Vacation?

RIP old frenemy.....Woke up to this strange sight....which meant we had to run and check out what the real time was. Am very glad it wasnt a work day. Anyway, after all that we were definitely wide awake...at 0500. Even earlier than if I had to work. I was early to my mammogram appt. so I got taken in before the first appt of the day. And then off to run the errands we needed to get done for this weekend.

Guess we will be shopping for a new alarm clock next week - tried to remember when we got this. Might possibly be around 20 years old!

See those lovely objects? I won those! And that bath fizzy spells soooooo yummy I cant wait to use it! Anyway, these wonderful items came from Sandlapper Soaps so be sure to check them out - especially the awesome soap sack they have...

Tomorrow is the day I do NOT look forward to...followed by the day I do look forward to. Got the filling made today; will go the market tomorrow to get the asparagus. And then we will start making the pierogies. We have improved the technique over the years but it is still exhausting. But oh boy, will they taste good Sunday!!

While we were at the Polish store getting the sausage we picked up some poppy seed roll that is so fresh and good - yum!

I am reading a really good book from the library - "If Today Be Sweet" by Thrity Umhigar. I recommend it to everyone. Very interesting.

We have some babies peeking their heads up - yup, the radish and a couple of other of the seeds we planted are breaking thru the dirt! And the corn is going bonkers! I think they have tripled their size already!

This is one of the 3 times a year that I wish we had a second refrigerator. Even just a smaller apartment sized one. Just do not have the energy or gumption to make the pierogies on the same day we will eat them. So we make them the day before and of course they have to be refrigerated....along with the sausage etc. While we were in Concord for the sausage we stopped by an estate sale - and of course we were not driving the truck - and they had 2 refrigerators for sale - IF they worked, they were probably among the most reasonably priced items there....oh well...

Cold - Raining - Did I Say COLD????

But the hardest rain held off until after the game! Thank goodness. I can see such an improvement in this little guys ball skills since last year. He actually pays attention much more of the time and almost every time at bat he gets a hit - if he can just learn to follow thru with his swing, he will be belting them out into the outfield.

Brother had fun on his razor - didnt care that it was raining or cold! His league games havent started yet - they are just practicing, and after 2 practices he still says he is liking it.

And this guy doesnt care about the weather as long as he can run around and play. Took a while to convince him to put his boots on the right feet...

And of course I didnt get a chance to get a photo of the huge flock of wild turkeys and the herd of deer we say when we drove out to an estate sale. Strange house. You could see where it had been added on and added on and added on some more. But the views around it were FABULOUS!

Ouch!

Came home from some errands today. Went to recylcing can to throw some papers away, turned around, and saw this. WHAT??????????? We just had the car fixed and some idiot does this to our car today????????
Luckily hubs and I were together so we cant blame each other. We figure it had to be either the library parking lot or the grocery store. And the guy at the auto body (wonder if we can get a frequent user card there????) said it looks like the type of damage that could occur from a skateboard or a shopping cart....

My score at the thrift shop yesterday included some sock yarn, some circular knitting needles, 2 Longaberger votive candle holders and these two items (ignore the bowl in the background). 2 pieces of the Balleek china I collect - not the best price (I would have liked to have paid maybe $20 each - HA!) but still great prices - and I dont have either one already in my collection.

Here is the greenhouse we bought at Big Lotz. Thank goodness for weights like a bag of concrete - kept it from blowing away in the winds last week. Need to get our seeds planted and out there. All we have so far is one tomato, a basil, and some onion sets that need to get planted.

So, last night was the final exam for hubs CERT training course. And I volunteered to be a victim....a volunteer....This was me post makeup. Took awhile to get it all off. And it was interesting....didnt know I was going to be breathing in smoke last night and that didnt work well for my lungs. Knew I would be on cold concrete for awhile so I took an old chair pad with me. Didnt know I would then be sitting in the cold outside for quite awhile. (Of course yesterday was much colder than today!). Boy, did all that cold do a number on my knees and back. I was very achy, as well as coughy, all day today. But it was interesting to work with regular people who are dedicated in learning how to help their neighbors, as well as working with the firemen who are not so use to working with civilians.

Almost That Time Again!

Yup, May is creeping up on me....and I am not in shape!

Leap Year almost did me in...totally forgot that with Leap Year our weekends are different. Luckily remembered in time to get Mother's Day Weekend off for The Bras For The Cause walk on May 12th (www.trivalleysocks.org).

Trying to come up with a team name - any suggestions?
Also trying to come up with a bra decoration idea....kinda dry....would love to hear any suggestions anyone has!

But what has me so very excited - we may not have the name of the team, or how to devorate our bras....our team might be smaller this year - BUT we already have 4 - count 'em, FOUR - donations for our fundraising raffle! Isnt that awesome!!!!!! I still have a bunch of emails out there that havent been answered - guess I should follow up on them....altho I hate to feel like a pest.

Other new - the crazy neighbor is still crazy. Hubby's cousin works for the water company - wish I could come up with an idea of how to doctor his water supply with meds! I really am thinking the guy is bi-polar. Recieved an email Monday - addressed to Mr and Mrs - remember, this guy went to school with my husband and graduated with him - and he addresses an email Mr and Mrs????? We responded to it - he called - hub called him back and they talked about an hour. 10 minutes about the email and the rest of the time jsut shooting the breeze.

The next day we get a letter from the city that we did NOT fix the dirt in the backyard the way the city said. So hub called the Building Guy he had talked to before....long story short, yup, our neighbor apparently called them again LAST WEEK!

Screaming and carrying on. And they had to respond to the complaint, which we understand. So the deal came down that we would call 'our' contractor who would meet the Building guy at the yard, work out EXACTLY what had to be done, do it, and get signed off.

Luckily, because of weather, the contractor was able to do it that day. Minutes after the building guy and the contractor left - with only his crew there to do the work - guess what....yup, Crazy Man appears and starts in.

So the guys call the Contractor, who drives by City Hall and picks the guy up and they head back to the house. By that time the guys pretty much had the work done and the Building Guy said it was fine and he was signing off on it....as the Crazy Neighbor was screaming and carrying on and telling the Building Guy (the head of the department none the less) that he (neighbor) knew the code and apparently Building Guy had no idea was the code was!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Building Guy signed off on the job and went back to work....meanwhile Crazy Man called City Manager.....then a City Council Member....and then the Mayor!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh, and he complained to the Building Guy about a handful of wood chips that were on his front lawn - see! see! I told you they would be coming into my yard! Probably from the cat I see around his yard that I am thinking is his.....

Will this never ever ever end?????????????????????

Got my car back on Tuesday - looking as good as new. Am so happy!

But looks like our May trip to the Grand Canyon is a no go.....not a single motel room to be had in the GC for the entire month....with the price of gas I guess it is just as well....but now what are we going to do for my 2 week vacation? Ideas???

Let Me Introduce You To The Neighbor From Hell....

Yep, it continues. Today the 'Chief Building Official' went by the house to explore the complaint of dirt being dmped in the back yard. And he got there before the workers got there. And he did say that the dirt had to be graded out and not against the fence.

The tenants sent photos of what it looks like now that the workers had been there. And the dirt has been graded out and is nowhere near the fence - and how can we tell? From the weeds that are growing near the fence and they are not covered by the dirt....

Interesing - while looking on the city site ran across some old meeting minutes.....did not look at all of them but several popped up with said neighbors name being at the meeting and complaining about issues in the neighborhood.

Would be nice to know that the City is responding to his complaints because they know him and just want to SHUT HIM UP......otherwise it must be that things are pretty damn boring in that city that they respond so quickly!

But this harassment is really taking a toll on both of us. I think we are going to go talk to some lawyers. We are trying NOT to escalate things....which I think we can prove in that we have responded to his requests and can show that.

Now my granddaughter is sick.....woke her parents up by yelling her bed was on fire!!! No, it was her. Took her to the MD and put her on steroids and cough medicine for croup. That poor family....they are loving Chattanooga so much but the kids have been sick more in the 6ish months they have been there - of course, this is the first time Little Missy has been in daycare - and the have moved from high desert area to moister areas....but still - enough is enough!
Feel better Kaia!

Heard Jack went to school today so guess the bathroom issue is resolved!

PS. Heard that - after how many years? - son finally moved some things out of our house! Only because he decided to go snowboarding today.....LOL!

Will It Never End?????????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So, in addition to the extra $600 we were having to pay to have someone finish the job - add another $582 to that.

Some of it is due to extra bark needed, but mostly due to delays.

Yep, he was out there harassing the new workers today. So the majority of that is labor over rides, because a job that should have been finished today will have to be continued next week.

We tried called the City Manager's office again to speak with the man we spoke to before but they are closed on Fridays.

He went so far as to call the Police, who then called the Code Enforcement Officer out. The CEO stated that there was nothing wrong with the way the job was being done.....and then the Crazy Neighbor proceeded to tell the CEO that he didnt know what he was talking about!

I jsut wish the workers had gotten his ranting and raving on video.

So, lie number one in hs email today was that he had been trying to call us all morning. Well, we were in and out all morning and he never called - there is nothing on our answering service- or on our phone which records who all has called thru out the day.

Now he is bitching about the dirt being put in the back yard (which the workers are also going to grade out and keep away from the shared back fence) saying it is going to damage the retaining wall and fence back there and be quite costly. REALLY??????? Well hey CN, I think the first $1100 is on you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The parts that really kill me - he complained about the ancient shed in the backyard was pushing the dirt up against the fence (not sure how since the shed wasnt mobile!!) so we paid to have it removed.....he complained about some randome seedlings in the front yard possibly sometime in the future damaging the concrete retaining wall in the front yard, so we paid to have those removed (by the very first crew he scared off)..... and better yet, the last time the fence between our properties was fixed - THE WORK WAS DONE BY HIM (and partially or totally financed by my father) and at the time HE CHOSE not to improve the retaining wall below it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

He bought the house knowing that these retaining walls had been put in by the builder in the 1950's.

Wish I had a good photo to post about the crappy half dead front yard he has - and here we are trying to make ours look nicer without spending a boatload of money (HA!) since for right now it is only a rental.....

Hubby keeps looking at me and asking: Are you sure you want to move down there someday???????????????? Maybe we could sell it to someone when we can find someone who will be a total slum lord and totally ignore his demands......

The good news is....grandson is doing fine - came home last night - eating and putting up with his brothers, and quietly playing - YAY!!!

Do you have one of these neighbors?

You know the kind, they watch and observe and know EVERYTHING that is going on in the neighborhood.

It is a good thing - right? Yes, I think it can be. But it can also be a very bad thing.

When I was growing up (in the house we have been working on) it was our neighbor on the right - Mrs. Maxwell. She even had binoculars at her chair in the front room in front of the window. I know wonder if she had a police scanner - I want to say yes, but they are much more popular back East than they are out here.

Now it is our neighbor on the left. Dont get me wrong - he was a great neighbor when my parents were getting older and we were living far away. He was especially great when my dad was living alone and we were an hour and a half away. And even my husband knew him because they went to HS together.

But now he has become a royal PITA.

Remember the front yard that was getting dug out? All those over grown junipers (they were lovely when first planted - a yard of rocks with nicely spaced junipers - and my parents took such good care of them - but over the decades they grew from a carpet into a jungle - and the roots will [and did!!!] grow thru the sewer pipe which we had to replace). Well, all the junipers are gone, and all the beer bottles are gone.

And this week the guys were over there ready to rake and level the dirt - put down the weed guard - and cover with bark. But nooooooooo.....our neighbor decided he needed to monitor them. And tell them what they couldnt do.....and then scare them totally away because for two days he kept getting in their face and threatening them with the city.

So they quit. Yup. Quit. All this went down yesterday while I was at work. Poor hubby took the brunt of this - the phone calls from the workers and the phone calls from Mr. Busybody (for want of unprintable name!).

Then, coming home, I get a text from my daughter....our 6 year old grandson is in the hospital....had to have an appendectomy last night. We waited up until we heard he was out of surgery and doing okay - at midnight!

Meanwhile, hubby calls me over to look at one of his teeth - and a filling had fallen out!!!!!! Ok, that is 3 things right ..... all should be over.

Got up early today and headed back to the house (we were supposed to go, see the finished yard and pay the workers so we left some things down there to bring home cause our truck was pretty full on Sunday). So we went down.....and we have someone else that will hopefully finish the yard tomorrow - for $600 more than we originally would have spent!!!!!!!!!

I personally said leave the yard as it is - pray for lots of rain - and let all the dirt pour into our neighbors yard.....hubby veto'd that. But if the fence betwen our houses ever needs to be fixed - damn if I'm not going to say that the first $600 is on him since that is what he has cost us today!

Update on grandson - he was doing well and could have gone home today but he couldnt pee! They tried everything they could think of - then finally medicated him enough that he fell asleep, relaxed, and pee'd. But now they have to wait to see if he can keep pee-ing......so best news is home by 8 PM tonight....worst case will be tomorrow morning....