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Hi, to everyone from bright cheery Nashville. The humidity has been really low, which made for very comfy days outside this week. Today, of course, it's predicted for 60% rain - NATURALLY, that's because 2 very large county fairs are going on and Saturday's a good day to go to the fair.

Go figure...

Much love to all,
Ruth Ann

Wow!  Not a cloud in the sky here.  And today is FROGGS (Friends and Relatives of Grandma and Grandpa Stevenson.  Stevenson is my maiden name) back in the woods!  Now there is 50/50 chance of rain this afternoon according to the weather guessers!  And 60 percent chance of rain after midnight!  So I am praying that it all holds off until after dark.  We head home before dark...it certainly gets dark back there.  The woods is in the middle of a mile square so no dusk to dawn lights are seen anywhere close!  It's also a half-mile from the road on my driveway!  If you click on my name, it will take you to a map of where I live.  Go down on the map (south) from my house and you can see the woods!  FROGGS there this afternoon!

Ivalou's daughter, Teresa and her family are here already from Ohio.  Ivalou's daughter, Jo and her family should be here anytime from Ohio.  Everyone else that are coming live locally and should be arriving around 5pm.  Tony said he would come around 3pm and make sure the bonfire is lit so we have nice red coals to roast our hot dogs and brats over.   

Can't wait to see everyone!  Love this day! 

Hey Etta Sue Love that animation!  

Wnderful day today.  John is home and we are just back from North Bay, looking forward to a quiet evening at home.  Kasse is working. 

Enjoy the balance of your day folks!

Hello everyone. I have not been in to visit for the longest time.
Everett and I came back yesterday from Geezer Camp, near Maberly, Ontario.... near Perth.
We had a wonderful time!!

Welcome back Ruth, maybe we can get together sometime soon!

Since there really was nothing further I could do at home until things dry out some, I went ahead and attended my painting seminar at Newton.  We painting gals had a wonderful time visiting, painting, garage sale hopping and, of course, eating!  My friends were all worried about me; said I looked utterly exhausted---I assured them that's because I WAS!  And on Friday, every move I made was painful!  I haven't been that sore in a long time.  But yesterday was better.  Darrel said the same.  The big fans and dehumidifiers are still going out at the house; we are still at Corporate East.  Seems we may be here for two more nights, at least until the noise abates at the house.  Then we will probably stay in our fifth wheel trailer until some semblance of order can be attained again in our household.

I am up early to see how all of you are faring, wish I had some coffee!  There is one of those fancy new coffee makers in this room; the kind that uses the little plastic containers of coffee, but I made some Friday and didn't like the coffee.  So  I will wait until the breakfast room opens at 6 AM.

Larry, the roofing crew sounds very efficient, and likely they are using air powered staple guns to attach the shingles, and those aren't noisy.  I have done some of that kind of work in the past, too, and it is also hard work!  Especially in the heat of summer!  Hope the job is finished soon.

They had a really violent rainstorm the other evening up where I was.  We couldn't even see the road in front of us!  And when we got to our motel, the power had been off, and an elderly lady was stuck in the elevator, by herself, in the dark.  They called police and firemen, none of whom seemed to know how to use the special key to open the door.  (The elevator was on the ground floor, and her husband and the other men were talking to her through the door.)  Finally, a man who was a guest there, local people attending a child's birthday party, said to his wife, "Why don't you go over there and show them how to open that door?"  And she did!  As she walked away, she said to the assembled crowd, "It takes a woman to show men how to do anything!"  I think she was quite pleased with herself.    And the lady who had been trapped was really shaken up when she emerged, poor lady.    Thankfully, we were only on the second floor and were able to use the stairs to go to our rooms.

We will go out to the house this morning so I can get clothes for church.  Taking it easy today, but tomorrow, it is back to the War on Water!  I love water, but not, as someone here said, where it isn't supposed to be!  And thank God for insurance!!!  The insurance agent called me on Friday and was commiserating with me about how hard we had been working, and I said, "Yes, that was the longest and hardest day's work I have done in a long time.  But on the bright side, now I know I still CAN work like that if I need to!"  

See you later!

FROGGS was a great success.  The weather could not have cooperated more.  We did need a little wind.  It was hot but cooler in the woods than out in the sun.  I counted 40 people.  That included three cousins and one guest.  The old kids sat around and talked.  The big kids played Corn Hole and the little kids ran around and got dirty!  And they were dirty!! 

We kept watching the radar on our cell phones.  Finally I said that a storm front is headed our way and should be here in a half hour.  So we got everything put away and in our cars.  The wind was gusting as we left the woods.  I was headed to the house at 8:41pm. 

At 8:45 a gust of wind hit the Indiana State Fair and a stage collapsed at The Grandstand.  Last I heard was 4 were killed and 24 taken to the hospital.  Nothing else was touched at the fair...no tents or anything else...just that stage.  And all witnesses said that the only warning they had was someone had announced that a storm was coming but the show would go on.  Then the gust of wind took the stage down!  There are videos of it.  Terrible but the fans pitched in to help raise the scaffolding and get people out.  Within 15 minutes there were 12 ambulances there. 

It really didn't rain much.  Lots of wind for about 20 seconds!! 

I am all ready for church.  I doubt if Ivalou goes this morning since there are 14 people at her house overnight and now!!

Hi everhone.  Interesting day yesterday with the roofers.  They were here early and didn't leave last night until well after dark, around 9:30 pm.  I guess they were pushing to get finished but ran out of shingles.  They are to come back this morning and finish the cleanup and then in the morning to finish the shingling.  I guess this was a bigger job than the contractor had expected.  We had a rain shower yesterday afternoon and then again after the left last night. However, the roofer who told me they would be back this morning and again in the morning assured me several times that the rain wouldn't cause a problem as the area unshingled was well covered.  I didn't worry about the rain as there was nothing I could do about the situation.  I will be glad when this job is done.  The noise hasn't been as bad as I expected.

We will be attending church today and then out-to-lunch.  There is an 80th birthday celebration for one of the ladies we know at our church that will be held at the church this afternoon.  We may attend that celebration and that will be it for the day.

Hi Marilyn.  Glad you posted.

Ruth Ann, did you hear what happened at the Indiana State Fair with the stage collapsing?  It sounds like it was a tragedy with loss of life.

Etta Sue, pretty graphic.  Hope your FROGGS  event was a big success and the rain held off.  Do you have a lot of trees back there to provide shade? While I was writing this posting I see you posted about the successful event last night and the tragedy at the State Fair. 

RuthV, what in the world is Geezer Camp?  It sounds interesting.

Janet, are you saying you helped put down shingles?  You are right about the nail gun and you can tell when they are using a hammer.  Glad you were able to attend your painting class and get a bit rested up.  Glad you all didn't get caught in the elevator.  I would think learning how to open the elevator door in the event of a power outage would be something the motel manager would be taught.  

Larry, it might be part of their training; however, the young man on duty was new on the job, that being only his third day there!  And they said it was "rules" that the fire dept. be called.  Sounds silly to me.

We have been out to the house, and it doesn't look as chaotic as I expected, so I feel calmer.  I haven't been worrying, just thinking about all the work involved to get the place back into shape.  I am hoping grandson Mark is finished helping his Dad and will be free for a few days to help us.  He is very good with sheet rock work and also tile work, both of which we need.  And we will need to repaint the entire house, and I am not sure I am equal to that task anymore.  Yes, I could do it, but what would working overhead do to my neck and back?  So might hire someone for that job, too.  Now is the time to get it done, while there is no carpet in the house.

Again, for the better news:  The Chinese silk carpet appears to be not too much worse for it's soaking.  That makes me feel better!

Hi, Marilyn!  Yes, we did tons of the work, but did have help once business hours arrived and we could contact a company that deals with this sort of thing.

Darrel said they told him yesterday that they have two more flood jobs to do, in two different neighboring towns.  I don't think I will apply for a job with them!    And I called my boss and told her she shouldn't expect me to work tomorrow.

Time to go see Beth, then go to church.  I  don't think we will be taking her today unless she feels really strongly that she wants to go, then I will drive out and get the van......

I came back to say that once we move home from here, I will not have internet until things get sorted out, as everything has been unplugged and moved, and neither of us knows how to reconnect it.  So I will be taking the laptop to the library to check in, as they have  WIFI.

Etta Sue:  We saw the pictures of the tragic collapse at the Indiana state fair - how awful and so many injuries as well. 

We took our two middle children out for lunch today to celebrate their July & August birthdays and had such a nice visit.  They came alone.  I called an old friend in Minnesota - she is 80 years young & was at her lake cabin when I called.  Lots of visiting today - isn't that what we used to do on Sundays?  We sure never shopped on Sunday nor did any work = for sure never mowed the lawn on a Sunday.  We had picnics and so many times the single pastor over for lunch and then played Monopoly with cousins in the evening.  Simple and fun - like our day today.

Janet:  What a mess for you - it is best you stay away until they get all the moisture out of there.  I hope you don't end up painting as well.  Tell your boss you need a year off 

We thought we would be driving our grandson to Minnesota for school but now his dad wants to be with him so I am almost positive we will be able to meet with Pat and Paul. 

RuthV:  Hi - Geezer camp sounds like fun.  No little Whippersnappers allowed? 

Hi everyone.  We have the most beautiful morning with the hint of fall in the air.  There is low humidity and it was cooler this morning than normal.  The housekeepers are here and later expect the lawn people.  The roofer contractor called and is bringing another bundle of shingles this morning and will go back on the roof and examine it carefully.  I told him I saw a place around the chimney that doesn't appear right so he can see it and let the roofers know when they come this morning or afternoon to finish the small area that is left.  They did a nice job of cleaning up yesterday and the contractor came back and took the truck away that had been sitting in our yard for a couple of days where they put the old shingles.  The contractor will come back tomorrow for the final inspection and for the check to finish paying the bill.  Today is also my Monday men's luncheon.  We are going to an Asian buffet  that I have been to a couple of times before.  Then this evening I have a meeting to attend and Pat is going to her quilting guild.

Carol, glad you are likely to see Pat and Paul.  They are delightful people.  The culture has certainly changed in regard to Sundays and not for the better.  It is just another business day for a lot of places and people. 

Janet, glad the mess doesn't appear as bad as at first glance.  Glad your special rug wasn't ruined.  The wiring on computers is really rather simple and the plugs are of different sizes.  I bet Darrel or you either one could do it if you just take one cord at a time.  A lot of things use the USB plugs which are really simple.  The positive side of all of this turmoil is you will have a freshly decorated house when you get moved back in and have things back in place. 

It was a cool morning here this morning.  I took the trash to Kaye Don's and went in to visit with them.  He put a deck on the front of his house this year so we sat out on it.  Ivalou came home from rehab and walked over.  So we all had a nice visit.  Very comfortable sitting in the sunshine. 

Now that my coffee is gone, I need to get out there and mow the grass before it heats up.  It is cloudy and then sunny so should be a nice day to ride around in circles while mowing! 

Our g-nephew is getting married Sept 3rd in Michigan so I called this morning to reserve a room for Ivalou and I for the 2nd and 3rd.  It will be a nice get-away.  And they have in indoor pool and internet!  I am a happy camper!

Not much else for news today. 

Good Morning one and all. I had to go over to my Doctors offs to pick up some samples of the medicine for my COPD to tide me over until my script arrives inthe mail. I was completely out of my med.

Not much going on here today. Just checking in.

Well, tonight will be our last night at the hotel.  The cleanup people came today and took all their fans and dehumidifiers away; the adjuster came and did a thorough job measuring and checking everything.  She says the kitchen cabinets need to be completely replaced, as they are damaged and seldom can you get parts that will match.  Lots of the furniture is damaged, too, so they offer partial replacement or offer you buy-back on that.  So much work ahead............

We will probably go somewhere to look at carpet tomorrow, there is no carpet dealer in this town any more.  The next big job on the agenda is to scrape the remains of the carpet pad loose from the floors and sweep up real good.  I don't want to be walking in that mess for however long we will be living on bare concrete.  I am glad we painted all the concrete floors before any carpet was laid originally.  Makes it much lest dusty when you have to sweep.

Larry, thanks for the encouragement re the computer network.  I hope we can sort it out, as I really miss being connected, and it is vital when production starts on my book.

We came out to the motel to rest a bit before we go tackle the job again.  See you later!

Whew, Janet.  And, it is so hot outdoors.  Wishing you cooler weather as you go through this cleaning!

Don drove off to the mountains & is happy with the weather already. He saw a six-point buck walk out of the driveway.  Too fast for a camera shot.  I have follow-up medical appt. tomorrow & it will be so hot that I just plan on going to the basement in the afternoon. 

Marilyn:  Usually, the doctor's office has extra samples to help and it sure does come in handy at times. 

Off to listen to an audio book - I watched an old cowboy movie while eating dinner - alone.  Fresh cantaloupe and it was so good.   

Hi, friends, this has been a busy day today - breakfast with my daughter in law who gave me the lovely purse she purchased for my birthday, then hurried out to physical therapy, then back to try to rest, but a friend called and I had agreed to help her with a big spreadsheet project. So, just ate dinner a few moments ago.

Y'all have a good rest of the day.

Ruth Ann

Another cool night for sleeping.  Love it. 

I have already been to Noblesville for water rehab.  Was in the water for over an hour...mostly talking to another lady! 

Then I went to a new Mexican restaurant for lunch.  Very good and prices the same as most Mexican restaurants.  I will be going back...it's only a few blocks away from rehab.

Now this afternoon is Euchre.  I am driving and taking 3 others with me.  With all the construction where we are going, we have to go the long way around.  They are replacing a bridge over I-69 so we can't use that bridge.  Glad Sue let me know how to get to her house! 

I counted my Surprise Lillies the other day.  172 of them.  A few blew down after the high winds Saturday but there are still about 165 standing.  I took a mobile photo this morning.  It is on my Facebook. 

The mail lady just stopped.  Better go get the mail.

Hi everyone.  The roof is done and the contractor has been here  to do the final inspection, to leave the paperwork and pick up his final payment on the job.  It looks very nice and we are glad to have it done.  The rest of the day is free.  

Janet, what does the buy-back on your furniture mean?  I am not familiar with that term.

Carol, you not have central air as you mention going to the basement when it get so hot?  

Ruth Ann, hope you don't work too hard today on the spreadsheet.

Marilyn, glad your doctors office was able to help you until you get your meds.

Etta Sue, the trip to attend the wedding sounds nice and will give you a nice little break in the routine.

I sure messed up an appointment today for ultrasound return - the new site for me is on Dry Creek Circle and I was way east of it on Dry Creek street- about 15 minutes and could not make it so I stopped at a Walgreen's and called to apologize.  They rescheduled me.  Feeling my age today 

So, now into grubby clothes and cleaning bit by bit.  Looking forward to a lunch with the fresh tomatoes on a sandwich.  SIL is in the very last part of interviewing with a job that should be as good as the one he lost 20 months ago - we are all on edge.  For about 7 months, he has had a really strange job & pay is very late & he will be happy to see that one go away. 

Larry:   We do have air in this house after living in several homes here without air - but it is still much cooler downstairs.  We can open at night & have an attic fan pull in the outside air & have done so except for two exceptionally warm nights.  Glad that your day is free. 

Grateful for the angel who helped me throughout this morning.  There was so much construction & detours & it was frustrating - prayers answered.  I even got into the IKEA traffic accidentally.

Janet:  Do you have to drive to Denver to shop for furniture? 

Hi, friends,

It's been a really lazy day thus far, but I'll be picking up on those spreadsheet duties in about an hour. In the interim, I decided to come by to say "hi" to everyone, and to say I hope you have a wonderful day.

Love to all,
Ruth Ann

Larry, as I understand it, the buy-back means if you want to keep the furniture that was damaged, you figure how long the life of it should have been, subtract how long you have had it, and they depreciate it from the original cost.  Or, say something cost $1000, is ten years old and should have lasted 20 years.  So they say it is worth $500, but offer to 'sell' it back to you for $100, then they give you $400 on it.  Clear as mud?

Today we checked out of the hotel, went to see the insurance agent, got references for contractors, looked at cabinets two places, then drove to Hugoton and had a sandwich with Diane and Abby, then looked at carpet there.  How to decide?  What colors?  It seems to me everything today is in shades of brown, and I have never liked brown!!  I guess I am totally out of step with the current color trends!  I wish I had someone to help me with these decisions, as Darrel is mostly color blind!  The difficulty of deciding is making very difficult what should be exciting.

Carol, we won't be buying any new furniture at this point.  The most expensive thing damaged is our entertainment center which covers one whole wall, for sure we will take the buy-back offer on that unit.  We bought it in Amarillo in 2005.

I need to go start weeding out books.  We both love books, but have too many, and not enough bookcases to hold them.  We will donate them to the library and the senior center.

I am feeling really tired today.  I did go to my chiropractor, and he found I had tendonitis in my shoulder.  He said it is usually caused by overworking.  HUH??     So I will see him again on Monday.

Love you folks, see you later.  Got to make the bed so we have a place to sleep tonight!  The middle room, which didn't get flooded looks like something from
the Hoarders."  AWFUL.  I took a photo of it!

Hi everyone.  We enjoyed a really pleasant day here yesterday.  It wasn't as hot as it had been and the humidity didn't seem to be bad.  I had a quiet day after attending a meeting in the morning.  Pat is attending a twice a month book study at our church with a group of women and they meet yesterday afternoon.  When she got home we went to Zaxby's for a nice  salad with chicken.  We came home and watched an old Columbo Mystery movie that we had gotten from Netflix.  I have Bible study and choir today and that will be a full schedule for me. 

Carol, your missed appointments is a great example of "how important is it" since it could easily be rescheduled.  It sounds like a very reasonable situation with streets bearing very similar names.  I an understand the anxiety in waiting to hear the final word on the job situation for your SIL. 

Ruth Ann, is this a several day project on the spreadsheet? 

Janet, we once had a robbery where we lost a number of things from the house.  All I remember is it was quite a hassle to try to remember and then determine the cost and remember when we bought it.  Of course, you have the pieces of furniture and things that have been ruined so it isn't a matter of memory of something you can no longer see.  I am pretty certain if we ever have to select a new carpet color it will probably be some shade of blue or blue grey again and Pat and I both love it.  Guess what color carpet we have in our house.    Take care of your shoulder and don't forget that everything doesn't have to be done today. 

Euchre was fun yesterday.  We had one sub since the original lady had a doctor's appointment.  For food we had a taco bar.  Really good. 

Today Ivalou is going with me to my appointment with my Nurse.  Then we will be going out to eat somewhere.  I want to go to a book store and check the price of 'The Help'.  If it is lower than what I can get it to download on Kindle, I will get the book.  I want to see the movie but everyone says you should read the book first!

Bright and sunny again in Indiana.  Not a cloud in the sky...at least, to the north.  What was brown a few weeks ago is a vibrant green now.  Not much rain but we have heavy dew that the sun doesn't burn off until afternoon. 

Time to move on...

I just heard from Pat.  She wants everyone to know she's keeping her FaceBook profile up to date with where she is and what she's doing so we can follow her adventures there.   

Yup, she is doing that  ... I've been watching her "Oregon Trail" adventures every day .... 

Jeanne looks like you will have to go to facebook afterall!

Jane aren't the pictures wonderrful!  Almost like we are there!

Prayers are answered!!!!

Son-in-law was offered a good job today!  It has 20 months in this terrible economy and many he knows still are not working or working below as he did for the past 7 months.  Our daughter's hours have been cut to less than 2 days per week so it was crunch time. 

I called Don - who was at a lake in the mountains and he had great cell phone reception.  You never know where the cell will work and it is strange. 

Janet: Good luck - I did not want beige this last time so I chose a frosted brown and it seems to be doing well after three years.  What are the symptoms of tendonitis?  One shoulder is giving me fits off and on & especially when cutting fabrics.  What can they do for your problem? 

Quote from: JudyB on August 17, 2011, 04:33:59 PM

Jane aren't the pictures wonderrful!  Almost like we are there!

Well, it's the next best thing to being there, anyway.   

I sorted books all morning, took a car load to the Senior center.  Then we went to the lumber yard and were allowed to bring home a book full of photos of the work Lon (the man who will be our contractor) has done.  He does BEAUTIFUL work!!  This afternoon we both worked on cleaning out unused clothes, so ha ve bags and boxes ready to take to Salvation army or somewhere.

Carol,my shoulder aches and the feeling of pins and needles goes down my arm to my fingertips.  Dr. Saxon adjusted me, and told me to use ice on it twice a day for 15 minutes.  And take Ibuprofen!

Good news re son-in-law's job, Carol!  Praise God!

I think it is time to rest,as my arm is hurting again.

Larry: Geezer Camp is a camp run by the Wesleyan Church for over 60's
It was the first time we attended at the invitation of friends. Here is the website for more information than I can put here: http://slwc.celect.org/about.

I'm not sure if this will work, however I put, below, a link to the brochure.

[imgwidth=116  height=150  alt="Geezer Camp"]http://www.christianphotographers.com/community/gallery2/d/6995-2/Geezer+Camp.JPG[/img]

We really had a lovely time; the messages and the music were fantastic!! Everett is interested in going again next year. He only went, this year, to please me.