Donna, WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN????

Oh, I've been around. So much was going on and the last thing I wanted to do was blog about it. Seemed like I didn't have much time to waste sitting at the computer and typing! My personal journals even went down the toilet long about, oh, uhm...let's see about April of 2008. That's when I started Beauty School. That's a long story, let's suffice it to say, it's over and done with now and I'm out. Yeah me! On the journal side of things, my kids are probably secretly relieved, this way they won't have so many to deal with when I'm dead. I mean, who wants to read the rantings of a dead woman???

Before that my father in law was sick with cancer, which I've written about and during that time my mom became ill with lung cancer. She didn't last as long as Harold did. She died in November of 2007 and then Harold followed in February of 2008. From those times it was a blur of hard work; cleaning out their homes and disbursing of things or storing, whichever needed to be done. Then selling Harold's house. God, I hate real estate people! Then I went right into school. So I guess you could say we still have all that going through belongings to deal with. Something needs to be done, I can't hardly move through my house, nor my garage.

Two more grandchildren came onto the scene. They're getting bigger. But getting through school was the biggie. It's done, it's over and guess what? I DIDN'T KILL MYSELF! Okay, this is a BIG DEAL, seriously! So half the testing is done. I've only got the written to go. Had the big test Monday, the hands-on one, the one that makes people want to throw up or throw themselves off the top of a building, whichever opportunity presents itself first, or maybe both. I didn't do either one.

Miraculously.

I did drive myself a little bit more insane than I do on a regular basis. It's over. Hope I passed. I'd hate to have to take it again, although if I do, I know more of what to expect. Hopefully next time while demonstrating a haircut the clamp won't come loose, which holds my doll head, and send it rolling across the floor while I stand there stunned with scissors and comb in hand. Yes that DID HAPPEN!

What did I do you ask? I rolled my eyes and calmly retrieved my doll, like it happens all the time, re-clamped her and began cutting again. All I can say is thank God they make tranquilizers!

When it was all over I calmly walked out with my head held high, looking like I knew what I was doing, walked to my car, and called my instructor where I began to fall apart while I retold the entire story to her. Yes, it was the rantings of a mad woman. Of course, she's used to me.

THEN I went and bought earrings. Those always make me feel better. I guess it's turned into my own personal vice. Some people buy heroin, I buy earrings. Doesn't seem odd to me???

After I graduated on April 16th I read the entire Twilight series in about three days. Loved the books. Christine Feehan's novels are far more sexual but the Twilight series are for 12 and up, so no steamy sex, but good anyway.

Now we wait for test results and take another test.

An Impromptu Move

Well the father-in-law that fell down his steps and remained there for 27 hours until we found him back in January is finally moving here to our hometown to an assisted living facility. We will be picking him up from his current skilled nursing facility on Friday the 13th. Now, being the somewhat pessimistic person that I am, and having had other questionable experiences on Friday the 13th's I have to wonder what will happen to screw this whole thing up. Not to mention that everywhere I seem to look I keep seeing 666. What's up with that?

But we decided to make it a bit easier on him and go down today to bring back his furniture that he has decided he will want in his new assisted living apartment. Without him being along. Which isn't much because they are small. But enough that we need to break it up over a few days. Since it will just be my husband and I we need to make it as easy as possible on us and him. We rented a covered trailer this morning because it was pouring down rain and by early afternoon we had it hooked to our Dodge Ram and towing it to Liberty. We were reminded fairly quickly why we don't tow large trailers anymore. It was causing the transmission to overheat so frequent stops to cool it off became necessary. And now that it's over we think the transmission has been compromised.

We loaded his bed, his chest of drawers, a night stand, a love seat, his favorite recliner and last but definitely the worst, his giant, big screened TV. Which I helped get the majority of this out the door and into the trailer. And I'm an old woman with a bad back. However my husband knows ways to help make it a bit easier but when it was all said and done and we were headed back home I still felt like I had died, or wished I had died. Oye! The agony...

When we pick him up on Friday we'll go back to the house and spend the night. Since it may be the last time he'll ever be in that house I'll have to use the opportunity to question him about different items in the house and query on their worth or lack thereof. That should take all evening since he can barely get up the stairs with a walker. I think we'll start on ground level, set him down and begin the story. When that level is done, we'll move on up. I'm expecting him to be sentimental and weepy because that's the way he's been since he fell. Hell I really don't know what to expect anymore. The man has totally proven me wrong on everything I said about him.

When he was half dead the day we found him, at the ER when they said most of his organs had shut down I said, "Hell he won't make it through the night." He did and I said, 'Hell he'll never leave the hospital." He did and went to a nursing home. He wasn't able to walk or get out of bed so I figured he'd be wheel chair bound. No again. He's up walking with a walker. Sometimes I think the fire that fuels him is his fear of what we might be doing to his house or his cars. It's that control factor. I'd be hard pressed to give it up myself. I guess I'll quit trying to predict what will happen to him. He's one tough ole bird. Although he has announced he wants to renew his drivers license so he can get out and drive. Now THAT must be stopped at all costs. He'll kill somebody else if he takes two tons of moving metal out and drives it. I'll have to figure out a way to sabotage that.