Friday the 4th

[Emptynester]

Rain that evaporates before the ground is vega or vaga. Can't remember how it is spelled. We didn't have any dust storm here, just wind and rain.

It is much cooler today, 80s vs 110 from last week. Humidity is now @ 60% vs 5 to 10% from previously.

[FelineFriend]

I was so FREEZING in my skirt, blouse, vest and cardigan! I changed into bootleg Levis and a patriotic navy shirt with red, white, and navy appliques like in a tic-tac-toe configuration made with embroidery lines. There's a red plaid star, then a fireworks embroidery design, Uncle Sam's hat with a flag sticking out of the top of it, another patriotic star, a red plaid heart edged in red, white, and red, and the last one's the American flag. My pewter heart-shaped earrings have a pounded in design with stars on the top curved part of the heart, then a horizontal line with vertical stripes. I've had them for years and just can't recall who gave them to me, but I "think" they were a gift?

The dneighbor is running heavy equipment near his house. On the 4th of July! It's probably the only time he has to do his work, so we just pay attention to ourselves, "Independence Day," movie on TV and await DD's arrival. But the dull roar's a bit annoying. I'm tired from getting up too early, although I had a morning nap.

We're going to have a Grilled Chicken Hawaiian dinner baked in the oven, fruit, breads, salads, and there's leftover mashed potatoes and leftover squash. If DD wants ice cream or a Drumstick ice cream cone, for dessert, she can have one. It's 12:28 p.m., she said she'd be here between noon - 1 p.m., but the TV said the traffic was awfully slow-going on the freeway between her place and ours. I hope she got herself an early start. She does that a lot, too. So she might be here on time.

I wrote 1 letter to a friend, but my writing's shaky, so I won't write my 2nd/last letter. I don't know why my fingers are writing shaky. I haven't been crocheting. Just journal writing.

I'm glad you didn't have a dust storm, MT.

R.Rose, Sorry about your dust storm.

Kathryn, I'm glad your blinds are looking good. Sorry about the issue with that window handle and heat vent. Hope they can fix it.

Nancy, your grill food sounds YUMMY!

Twins' Mom, I agree, it does seem like a Saturday.

Sunny, Your food sounds good, too.

Waving to Harriet, Lucylee, and Booksaver, Sadie & EVERYONE!

[DeeClutter]

I love Eeyore, Indy. My phone cover is Eeyore and I have several other likenesses of him.

I took a little nap after making a S am's run for Angus burgers. Saw friends here for a few. He was sort of another son (actually was db of DS-A's first wife & business partner of DS-R for a lot of years.) Her parents are camping here. DS-A & ddil#2 & family finally got here this afternoon. How I hate miscommunication -or lack thereof. They were supposed to be coming Wed (did bring their MH and got it parked). I had bought guest passes for them for both days & made them out. Hoping we can change them for later in the season. They do have wrist bands for tonight through Sunday.

Beautiful out today but cool.

Think I'll hop on the cart and see what the rest of my family is doing. Everyone is here except dsoil who is in FL. I had posted about his new job plight in J&C. The dock foreman met them yesterday and gave each of the guys $200 cash, saying they should not have to be without a paycheck. He's actually working all weekend and they will eventually get their paychecks but the job won't last long, at best.

[Kathryn-in-Canada]

Just finished writing up our 'travelog' for the move. Filled it with pictures both of the view and of the rooms.

That took me all day long.

We put off our bike ride until it is too late, now there are storms. We have an errand to run tonight but will wait until after dinner. In the meantime, I still need to go to the mail room and pick up the sales flyers for this week.

[Nancy]

It is 10 min. After 1:00 p.m. here just heard the first fire cracker in the distance, neighbors that do so many said their cat took off. Other neighbors dogs do not like 4th either.

H is chillin ' watching car TV. I cleaned the sink, swept up a mess I made, swished the toilet, cleaned the front walkway to the house swept that and and the patio od kit. Area, made the bed rinsed dishes from breakfast so we can use'em again for dinner. So at least I feel like I have done something.

[helia]

Hello all! Another check in, likely my last one. Saw the parade with dh. It's a mediocre parade, imho (I think I'd heard that before which is why we'd never gone before), but the drumline was great, one of the best entries! (In my unbiased opinion, of course. . ) Much better than the gazillion politicians throwing candy at kids. We skipped the last of it to navigate the streets to pick up dd16. I had an hour for lunch. I probably did something else, but I can't remember what - then I went to the groc. store, unloaded groceries, got the chicken marinating, gathered items for tutoring, tutored - and I am just home from that (we went long) and have had a snack. Now, I have 1.5 hours to get the house ready. These are good friends, like family - if it isn't perfect, they won't care.

Dh just bought some fireworks.

Dh said he went through all the mail while I was tutoring and found a couple large undeposited checks as well as a couple outstanding bills. Oops. He said we do come out ahead. LOL! I do the initial go through of the mail but leave letters/bills/whatnot l I think need dh's attention.

Dd18 is still not 100% but thinks she is getting better. The girls are currently asleep. . . .

Ds is playing the (out of tune) piano. So nice to hear that again. He was quite good but quit lessons after 9th grade to concentrate on the clarinet.

[lucylee]

Re-start solved the problem w/the computer! * whew * I am still getting a LOT -- I mean a LOT -- of spam e-mails (this has been going on for the last week or so, a HUGE noticeable increase) but otherwise, everything seems to be working fine.

I have lain in bed all day long... sooo sleepy... sooo stuffy-headed and achy... and I just told dh, sad, b/c my family is ignoring me.
DH said, "Well, you've never invited THEM to a cookout."
(Neither do my uncle & aunt, but I bet THEY were invited to this. )
I said, "I invited them to Christmas."
He said, "Maybe they'll invite you to Christmas."
I said, "They do have a lot on their minds."
Besides the death of the oldest sister, there is the thing w/next sister's husband changing jobs, and the oldest niece buying a new home & beginning renovations on it, and her brother moving out of his grandmother's house and into her trailer, so... they are really a busy bunch right now. I'm just going to keep calling my aunt every week or so and * hopefully * stay in touch with them.

I sound like Eeyore today, don't I?

I'm going to take a shower and then we're going to go get something for supper. Maybe that will make me feel better. We may watch fireworks tonight, and we may go to a movie.

Our dog used to HATE fireworks, Nancy. He was a big, ferocious, part-Lab/part-German shepherd... but ooohhh... fireworks would make him a trembling, shaking mess.

The weather here is amazing. So breezy and cool... (Everyone keeps saying "football weather." Wish it WOULD be this cool when football games start! Saturdays in the deep South are normally pretty hot and humid during the first half of football season.) I am sorry about the dust storm for RR, and the hurricane on the east coast...

And so sorry problems keep popping up in the new apartment, Kathryn! (((BIG HUGS)))

5 more Fun Days for LO... summer sure does pass by quickly... 8 weeks from tomorrow, I think, college football season starts.

I do not envy you the hours at the MPB, LadyM! Goodness... Everyone thinks it's so great to run your own business. No one thinks about all the headaches that go with it when the customers are not watching.
Same for being a landlord. That is why dh wants NOTHING to do w/rental problem that belonged to dmil. He says the profit from rent will not be worth the cost and headache of upkeep. (These are all 50+ year old buildings and our little town is getting more and more empty buildings as time goes on.) If dbil will take that and let us have dmil's house for ds, we will be indescribably happy!

Waving to EVERYONE!!! I'll try to have a better attitude when I visit the next time.

[Norma]

Happy Fourth! WOW FF, there isn't anything about you that isn't screaming AMERICAN. Sounds like you really put it together for the holiday. Nice.

We never go anywhere on holidays, just stay home and keep it laid back. Mr. Guy isn't eating a whole lot, but what he was hungry for was Lasagna, so, Lasagna it was. He is sleeping a lot because he has been taking his pain pills due to the extreme soreness in his thigh and calf. Evidently the tourneqit (sp) was on really really tight and that is what has bothered him more than the knee. The knee is doing really well.

I see in the TV Guide that tonight's Capitol Fourth has Frankie Valli. I was thinking the other day about Jersey Boys and want to see it. Mr. Guy ask Sweetie if they were going to see it, both being from Jersey. Of course they are going. I was thinking how many of our great singers have come from Jersey - Frank, of course, Bruce Springsteen, Jon Bon Jovi, and etc. It must be the water there that has brought us so much talent.

Hope you all are enjoying 4th of July festivities.

[Kathryn-in-Canada]

Dh and I have a coupon for a free movie and plan to use it for Jersey Boys.

We had a romantic 'date' taking the garbage and recycle down to the garbage room and checking the mail. Our new licenses have arrived with our new addressed and my church magazine made it. The Economist still is going to the other address.

[Nancy]

Jersey Boys is playing here too. Thought we could see a diff. One but it is not playing here.

We got the tree branch cut up moved and cleaned up it looks better now.

We got the arbor tweaked and trimmed so we can both walk under it now to the back yard. It is quiet out the neighbors must be off doing something else so we have a break from all the noise. I have done some knitting.