Daisy's Petals

(Bless her heart is what we say in the South when dealing with people you want to smack upside the head)….People that I deal with “in the real world” can be so maddening. I know that I have a different work ethic than it would seem most people these days. My mother was a small business owner and my father worked for the government but he also always had a hobby that made him money on the side. So both my parents were working ALL the time. This is what I saw in my formable years and although I determined I didn’t want to be a business owner because of all the hard work I definitely inherited a very strong work ethic. I also know that my strong standard of a work ethic shouldn’t be the only example for others but good golly molly why does it seem so many others are SO VERY LOW. It would appear that many people I encounter have the very lowest standard and just want to do enough to not get fired. So frustrating.
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I guess it is true that the recession is finally going strong in my area. I got a ticket yesterday for going 5 miles over the speed limit. Now true, I do believe that you take a ticket with grace for all those times you really deserve one but don’t get caught or are given a warning. However, 5 miles? Sheesh. AND on the way home I saw him giving someone else a ticket at approximately the same spot.

I guess that’s one way to help pay the salaries (if that’s what it goes toward, I really don’t know). I do know that the local news ran a story last week that the number of tickets given in the city have tripled in the past year as well as a big hike in the costs. Hmmmm? Quinky dink?

Oh well…only $161 less in my pocket. (I’m being sarcastic) I haven’t gotten a ticket in over 20 years. They weren’t NEARLY that much then. The officer was very polite when telling me that my insurance wouldn’t be affected. I wonder how he knows this?

And a full moon this week. I should just pull the covers over my head now.

I need to post something to get that gigantic picture where I don’t see it every time I’m here. Isn’t it funny how you never like photos of yourself? I never do anyway.

Today is Friday. Yay. I’m ready to do nothing on the weekend…which is odd because I really do nothing all week as well. I mean I go to work but once home I don’t do much. My husband has been working overtime and in this heat that means he’s REALLY exhausted when he gets home (as opposed to just really exhausted on a normal work day). We’ve been having high humidity and high temps so our heat index temps have been hovering at 115. That’s just TOO hot. I honestly don’t know how he survives it. And now another tropical storm might make it’s way over us (which just means a bit of rain which means more ridiculous humidity) and so the heat index will remain high. I suppose is better than a drought but boy does it make for a long summer.

That’s also funny how you react to the seasons in different parts of the country. We usually don’t have very bad winters (although the past one was colder and more wet than normal) so I don’t mind them, but my relatives that live in the North just wait for summer. Of course they only deal with highs just barely getting to 90, if that, and their “summer” is actually about 3 short months before cold again. But we have HOT weather from mid April to at least mid October if not later. 6 months of heat! Blech.

Ok…done complaining and back to remembering it’s Friday. Yay!

Wish 1) I had a better camera and/or 2) I was just a better photographer. But it was such a fun trip.

We’re just having a great time hanging out in Sitka. (Don’t pay attention to my husband’s sweatshirt. He’s had it for OVER 22 years and insists it has to go EVERYWHERE. It was also one of those freebies you get sometimes….)

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I’m back from vacation and at work. I can’t really complain because I’ve only had a 3 day work week whereas my husband went back on Monday and had to work overtime today AND it’s like 150kabillion degrees here. Darn humidity…it ups the temps at least 20 degrees sometimes. So, even tho our temps are lower than normal for July it feels like it is 115 degrees or more. I miss Alaska…

We did have a lovely time. There were 14 family members on the cruise which is a good number. We took the daughter and her husband and had a good time with them around.

I actually gambled! I took $20/day to spend (big spender) and on the penny (yep 1 cent) slots on the last few cents of my $20 I won over $1000! I quit at that point. I’m saving it for a down payment on the next vacation. My cousin won a FREE 7 day cruise and her mother won $1880 on BINGO. However, that must have been all the luck my cousin had as the airline lost her luggage (ALL 4 people’s luggage) and it hasn’t been found since and that makes 7 days…

I did come back with a cold but that was a small price to pay for the fun. No one else ended up with it so I don’t know where I picked it up. Alaska is really just amazing to see. It is SO beautiful (of course remember I live in a plains state) that I can just sit and look around and be happy. I’m thinking we need to save our money and do a land tour and stay for a week just wandering around.

The positive thing about the trip is that we took the stairs all the time on the ship and walked a LOT so I’ve carried that back with me and I’m back in the gym on the treadmill. AND I didn’t gain any weight even with dessert twice a day. Yay.

I will be here tomorrow! Then sailing away to Alaska. I’m looking forward to this trip. I’ll get to spend some time with my mom. Most times I visit her it’s hectic and quick as my husband doesn’t like to spend the night at other people’s homes. This way we’ll have our own cabin and I can see her during the day at various times but not ALL day with everyone else around. It should be much more relaxed.

Our daughter and her husband are going too and that is always fun. It might be our last trip together before they have a baby! Today they are going to the doctor’s appointment with the young woman that is giving her baby up for adoption. They are beyond excited. I sure hope it works out and the woman doesn’t change her mind. Of course if she does then it wasn’t meant to be and we want what is best for the baby after all…but it will be heartbreaking for my daughter. But only positive thoughts that it will work out!

Just 3 days until our vacation. I’m really looking forward to it. We’ve been on this cruise before, and with family, but the last time we also had friends with us and it was a bit of a stress to try to spend time with friends and family…just too many people. This time there is just family so it will be a bit easier in that way. Our daughter and her husband are going and that is always fun.

Without putting a jinx on it the kids may have a child to adopt. It would be a private adoption. The baby is due early October. Of course nothing is certain until it is over but it is looking good so we are saying our prayers that it continues the way it is supposed to…whatever that may be. That is a HARD prayer!

The conference this past week/weekend really went well as these things go but it was exhausting! Part of the problem is just me…I always get up too early to be sure things are done before the conference starts, but this time I kept waking up even earlier than necessary. It was held at a casino and people would just randomly call at 3:30 in the morning looking for people NOT in my room and then I’d be awake and couldn’t go back to sleep. So I’m really looking forward to vacation and some sleeping in or at least naps!

My husband says there are only 7 working days left until vacation, but my calendar says there are 9. Obviously, he has a better calendar than I.

OR I’m a poor planner to schedule a working conference that goes over the weekend right before vacation. Oh well…at least this way I’ll really appreciate the vacation….even if I don’t know when I’ll find the time to pack.

We are having a house sitter this time when we leave. It’s more to help a coworker from another campus that needs a place to stay for several days while her father is in the hospital in our town. It happened to coincide with our vacation and so I offered our house for her to stay in so she wouldn’t have to spend a lot of money on a hotel room. It’s weird tho as we’ve never used a house sitter (and we really DON’T need one).

is it is a good thing I married when I was very young and naive (stupid) or my husband would have a different wife.

Oh and Mother Nature? You AREN’T helping matters either with the flooding.

Except that I agreed to stay up all night (after working all day) to volunteer at a fundraising event. What IS the matter with me?

So the first insurance check is cosigned and will be deposited today. The roofing company will be very happy to get all their money. Now we’ve filed for supplemental payments since costs were more than the adjustor allowed for…why not pay for everything the first go around? I suppose it is to be sure you get all repairs done, but it’s a hassle. After all THAT is done we file for recoverable depreciation. Just a circus it seems at times.

Also my poor husband is having a bit of a hurdle. He’s very down, but with all the insurance circus and his mom having cancer I suppose it’s normal. It can be so trying to have to work to keep his spirits up. Thankfully, I have a different personality and process objects in my way in a different manner. But wow. I’m about done in myself. I’m really ready for vacation in 3 weeks.

However, before vacation I have a week long conference I have to work…it’s out of town (only about 100 miles) but every time I leave town it seems a disaster occurs around the husband. Let’s hope NOT this time. Maybe since vacation is the week after that he’ll be able to hold on while I’m not home.

I sometimes wonder what a stress free husband/daughter would be like? My son-in-law laughed because when he asked to marry our daughter I asked if he was sure…but I meant it. They are lovely people, but it can be a difficult road at times.