Feel Like Complaining

Does anyone camp out in backyards anymore? My husband, daughter and Nellie have been since she was little at least once or twice in a summer. Last year she didn't seem interested at all but it was her idea to do it last night so hubby jumped (sort of) at the chance. Nellie absolutely loves it, we take her bed out and I guess that's at close as to being a wild dog as she'll ever get. And me? I stay in and get the whole house to myself. I even came out of the basement for the night and slept rather well. I like everything about camping; campfires, wooded areas, friendly people, and a nice hot cup of coffee on a chili morning. But just don't make me sleep in a tent to get all that. That's why if we're doing any kind of camping experience, we always stay in a cabin, that way I get the best of both worlds. When I was young, my little brother and I used to sleep in the backyard without a tent. Just lay out a sleeping bag on the ground or even use a lawn chair. One...

Before my computer had to be wiped clean I had installed the Google Earth Plug-In. It was fun to look around different areas of the world but it was still limited. So after my computer got a fresh start, I decided to download the whole program. Oh Man, I love it! I can go anywhere and see anything. I go to places I've been and places I want to go. The reality of it is amazing and I love to put the little man right down in the street view. Not all locations will do this but many will. I've gone through the Rolodex looking up people's addresses and finding where relatives live even though we've never been there. It kind of makes you feel closer to those that you don't see very often. Another cool feature is that people can upload their travel photos to Panoramio and then submit them to be added to Google Earth. And as you're flying around the world you can see little photos to view. I decided to try my hand at getting some on this little earth of ours. So far,...

I'm not sure who ever invented the snooze alarm but I'm guessing it was a man. Just because it's such an idiotic idea. I set the alarm at 5:15 and listen to the radio for 5 minutes and then get up. My husband uses an old cell phone as an alarm. He sets it for 5:55 and then does about three 5 minute snoozes. Why? I don't get the whole idea. Why wake yourself up early to get an interupted 15 minute nap? I'd rather sleep un -interupted the whole time getting that extra 15 minutes of solid sleep. And yes, I am still a basement dweller and love it. It's nice and cool, dark, and pretty quiet. And I use an alarm clock like God intended.

It seems like this summer is full of reunions, birthday parties and gatherings of some sort. Yesterday I went to a class reunion on beautiful Lake Coeur D' Alene in Idaho. It's the same place we had our S.L.U.T.S. party last year. Our town is small so although we have an alumni party every year, only a few years of graduation are honored. And since this year was not one of our years, we decided to have our own party for our 35th. Lodging was offered at a nearby Casino but I couldn't quite swing that this year so just decided to come home last night. That meant no drinking, but that's OK I guess, I feel better this morning because of it. But of course when I got there the hostess asked if I was staying at her house. Grrrrr, a little planning people, I would have if I had been invited. Anyway I hit the road about 8:45 that morning and it was a beautiful drive. I stopped at the last little town before the lake to call the fam to let them know I was almost there. I spo...

My mom turned 80 last week and I had a brilliant idea a few months ago that my brothers and I should get together and surprise her this past weekend. Trying to corral two men  boys into helping throw a party is not an easy task. This is part of a email conversation between older brother and I: ME: Well, I guess it's time to start planning mom's bd. Did we decide on Saturday the 9th? I think we planned late lunch or early dinner because E. will be coming from camping. So now we have to decide what to eat and if we want to make it a surprise or let her in on it. I thought I would bring an ice cream cake. I have already bought her a present (large pot filled with succulents) so I can't go in on anything with you guys. Anything else to think about? HIM: SINCE E. HAS THE TRAVEL, HE SHOULD PICK THE TIME OF THE MEAL, AS FOR THE PLACE, IT NEEDS TO BE WHERE MOM IS COMFY. LIKE CHILI'S, LONGHORN, RED LOBSTER, THE DAVENPORT OR A GAY BAR DOWNTOWN. ME: I thought...

Do ya ever have those days when everything just seems like crap? The day didn't start out that way but it seemed like as soon as I got off work it went quickly downhill. First, my camera didn't seem to go through the river ordeal quite as unscathed as I thought it had. It still works but right in the middle of the picture there is a dark circle and it's blurry in the middle of it. You can see it in the last photos I've taken. I cleaned the outside lens but of course that didn't fix it. I took it to a camera repair shop yesterday and called this afternoon for the estimate. To clean the sensor and clean the entire camera to get it in good working order--$98.00 Cha Ching! I thought it was in good working order other than the circle. So I thought about it for awhile and tried to call him back but he's already gone for the weekend. I understand about cleaning the sensor but it's less than a year old, I really don't think it needs a good cleaning otherwise...

Today my family and I were invited to an old friend's house for a 4th of July get together. Not really a BBQ but still plenty of food and a pool to dip our toes into. This was a friend I have not seen for 15 years, due to an argument we had and then I didn't want to reconcile even though she tried. I know I wrote about this last summer but can't find it and don't want to waste time looking for the post. We had emailed a few times last summer because I had connected with a friend of hers on Facebook and told her I wanted to apologize for being such a dope all those years ago. After I emailed her my apology she said it wasn't necessary, but it was for me. But with her having an exchange student for the entire school year, we just didn't get together. So I accepted the invitation and arrived by 1:00. She has a daughter not much older than mine so I was hoping they could have a chance to get to know one another. My daughter was excited too. I like gatherings...

Some of you may have already gone through this process and the rest of you will....sooner or later. My husband will be 65 in October and for the past few months he's been inundated with offers from a multitude of insurance companies explaining their Part B benefits and wanting you to fill out a little card for someone to either call or drop by. One company was even holding a seminar with snacks and beverages offered. My husband fell for that one...almost. He signed up but didn't go. Although the person in charge will explain very well how Medicare works and the difference between the companies and their plans, they will eventually try and get you to sign up with them . The trouble with that is that you've got to do the same for every company out there. My husband was lucky enough to meet a man last year at Walmart who was giving out info and advice for those who were ready to join or switch their current company. He is a Medicare Specialist and works for a local company w...