I AM READY TO GO HOME

More than ready. Even though I think I have solved the internet problem (sort of) I am so ready to go home. Yes this is really a second home, but... The kids left this morning. That is a mixed blessing. Like fish, even the most loved ones - those with whom you spend a lot of time anyway - like fish, begin to smell after three days. In this little house in the Texas Hill Country, four adults, three children, three dogs, and a cat begin to have a little too close relationship. As much as I love them, I was ready yesterday which was the fourth day. Today- they have been gone two hours and I miss the devil out of them. I am really going stir crazy. Everyone else got out of the house for at least half of the day going hunting. I was here all day, all night every day. I. Want. To. Go. Home. I told G last night there will be no more two week stints here for me. This is about to kill me. Sorry for the rant. I have to get it off my chest. At least one of our hunters and his brother are here. That will give us someone new to talk to this afternoon and tonight. I just have to count the days (hours) until we leave. Today will probably be about the worst. Tomorrow is laundry day - again. And it will be DEEP vacuuming - three boxers shed a lot of hair! I know one of the reasons I was ready for them to leave is Karrington (the youngest - at 7) arrived with lice -again. They are going around her school like crazy. So that meant after treating her hair, my daughter spend hours several times a day "picking nits." It also meant she washed and washed clothing and the like. My washer doesn't get used that much in six months. I was worried about the septic system - it is a small one, but I guess it's ok. I don't think it is going to overflow or something equally horrble. So - thanks for reading/listening. I feel better, andis about 48 more hours we will be on our way home.

Short and VERY quick

Internet here is terrible. Some days I can't load anything. Will be back about the 2nd when things are better. With pictures of the project for Brian!

What can I say ...

We are here at the end of the earth once again.  Unremarkable trip. Just the usual 5 1/2 hours.  Idiot neighbor has added yet another "private" sign.  That makes four signs he has posted.  What a dweeb.

Today we ventured into the thriving metropolis of Mason.   Since it was Tuesday, many of the shops and restaurants were closed.  But we managed to gather items (and spend money) to bring back to the wilderness.

I really NEED to be working on the embroidery things I want for the craft show on the 7th, but I didn't bring my machine.  Just as well - the main road into this place (which is rock/dirt) is literally a washboard.  You can see the lines across it.  To stay on the road, you have to travel at less than 15, and your teeth are still rattled out of your head.  Wouldn't do my computerized sewing/embroider machine any good at all.

Before we left, my DIL saw a pattern for little microwave bowls, and she told me Brian would really like some of those.  Well - ok.  So I bought the pattern, downloaded it, and while in the thriving metropolis, I bought wool batting (at a fortune), cotton fabric and cotton thread.  I have my old (and I do mean old) machine around here so I can make those while I am here.  I might even try to make extras to put in the show.

Of course, I couldn't find my shopping list when I got to the grocery store.  That was really ok because I will go into Fredericksburg on Sunday and visit the good store for Thanksgiving necessities.  I remembered almost all of the list, but I was so irritated with myself.  The list was here on the floor when I fot back

I have had another fungal bloom in my ear which means it is full of fluid again.  That means I can't hear out of that ear.  I hate my ears. And I am sure that was far TMI for everyone!

And once again, there are thing going on here that I am not sure of - at least the keys are putting out the proper letters. I promise the end of the last post was what was coming from the computer, not my fingers. I type poorly, but not quite that bad. Seems like it is nap time around these parts anyway!

Got a virus

Not me, but this Toshiba.  In fact, it is sick, sick, sick.

It's really rather ironic too because I have two anti-virus programs on it.  But that's the way of these viruses.  If those idiots who dream up these viruses would put their obvious intellect to something good, who knows what we could glean from them.  Shame.

I have a great guy who will clean it for me in a day or two.  He worked wonders on the Dell (new hard drive after I dropped it in Alaska) and G's Dell that he ran "barefooted" through the internet for a couple of years.  It had hundreds of viruses on it.

This attack is my fault.  I take full blame.  I had a pop-up telling me my player was out of date.   Seemed like something normal.  I had been trying to download an update before.  Well ...   That was the wrong thing.  Now Firefox is not a good browser for me.  It does really strange things.  Among them are pop-up ads (not at all surprising), and the keyboard doesn't put the proper letters in a document (which is surprising!).  But at least I have Chrome.  So if I don't comment on your posts - that may be the reason.

But this can be fixed - whenever I am home for a while.  Yes - we are getting ready to leave again.  This time for two weeks.  I. Am. So. Tired. Of. Being. Gone.

I ordered the youngest grandchildren's Christmas from Toys R Us.  I paid for a little more expedited shipping.  I KNEW I needed it all to be delivered by today,  Only two of the eight items will be delivered.  With the beginning of the holiday shipping, thieves are lurking looking for packages being left of the porches.  We had one case in the area where I really think the do-bad was following the Postal Carrier.  As soon as the package was left - he struck.

So I am running the risk of having $100 worth of items stolen.  I am upset.

Another reason I don't want to go is that a friend and I will be doing a small craft show on the 7th.  I have today, tomorrow, Sunday and six days after we return to complete all the things I want to do.  I would take my big machine with me, but I really don't want to put a several thousand dollar machine in the bed of the truck, AND there is no way I could pack all the fabrics and threads I need.  BAH.  Holiday spirit at its best.

So why are we going this early.  One reason is this unseasonable freeze.  I didn't leave the heat on, and it has been colder there than here.  Of course, in this weather we are leaving THIS house to freezing weather.  Then comes Thanksgiving.

It has been traditional since the house was put in to spend Thanksgiving there.  In fact we moved in at Thanksgiving.  G said we would spend it at home this year until DIL said they would be with us this year.  Well - guess what.  They will be home

the computer is goilg crazys  see ya later with my ralts  this should make selseh but remember what I said about the keystrokes>>>

What fun!

I am so glad I tagged along for the water polo tournament.  Our girls were a rather rag-tag team.  A lot of girls who usually play together couldn't for this tournament because the main rule was you could be no older than 14 AND not in high school.  Our usual team (the club is called Viper Pigeons) are 14 and in high school.

So girls from all over the greater Houston area were picked up.  They were still short and a girl was there with her father and brother from Connecticut.  Her team decided not to come because the tournament was in the Dallas area and they were concerned about Ebola.  Not. A. Problem. Now.

Anyway we got her, and she is one heck of a player!  Things wouldn't have been as close as they were without her.  We also got one of the Viper Pigeons from San Antonio.  Again - great player.

The first six games were against either California teams where water polo is a UIL sanctioned sport - or at least VERY popular or a team from Chicago.  The Pigeons held them really well.  Their defense was quite good, and that was important because our goalie didn't want to participate in the tournament.  None of the girls there played goalie.  Defense was our only hope.

The second to the last game, against Santa Barbara I believe, they lost  by one in the last 30 seconds.  What a game!  It was so exciting.

The last game was against the Dallas Thunder.  Once again - back and forth, back and forth.  But this time our girls were ahead with 30 seconds.  They managed to get the ball back and hold it for the win!  Glad I didn't have to take my blood pressure after either of those two games.

It was really a fun weekend.  Now back to the real world except for Katie.  She had volleyball on Thursday, two water polo games both Friday and Saturday, one Sunday, and her last volleyball game of her school career today.  Tomorrow begins basketball try-outs.

Hope your weekend was nearly as good as mine because mine rocked!!!!

Change in plans and change in browser

Originally, Katie wasn't going to play in the tournament in the Dallas area this weekend.  After last weekend when she got elbowed, she wasn't too eager to get back out there,  And her mom didn't want to do the drive to Dallas.

That all changed last night.  They (the coaches) convinced her to play.  This is a tournament more like Junior Olympics.  But then anything could be better than the past weekend!  It was a mess.

So Krissi called me this morning and asked me to tag along.  Of course!  So we will be heading out early tomorrow morning to get on the road ahead of the traffic.  And her first game is something like 11:30,  So early morning.


I have changed browsers especially when I blog or want to write something to Facebook.  I loved Firefox, but it would hang up for several minutes while I was trying to post here.  At first I thought perhaps I had gotten some strange virus.  But when I came over to Chrome, I have no problem.  So bye-bye Firefox - at least when I want to type in more than two words!  All my addresses are saved over there on Firefox along with passwords, but slowly but surely I can see a total move taking place soon.


Yesterday I spent a good part of the afternoon trying to organize all the ribbons I bought from the Beg, Barter etc site.  I just wish I had taken all of my ribbons.  Several are stored on the coat hangers you get from the dry cleaner that have the cardboard tube for hanging pants.  That tube generally fits the hole in the spool of ribbon.  Well  - perhaps someday.

I started a really cute skirt for Karriington.  I used my serger for the very first time and I have owned it for something like 7 years.  I couldn't get the bottom looper threaded.  So a couple of years ago, I took it to my sewing center to have them do it.  I don't want it to become unthreaded again!!!

But I am finding that the serger only works for part of it.  I still have to use my machine.  Today will be the hard part of sewing it.  It is the ruffles!  Not necessarily easy, but gonna try!

Catch ya' later.

Busy days

 I don't know where the time has gone, but it surely has flown by.

Saturday we went to one of Katie's water polo games.  There was a local tournament. They were beaten badly, but then they were playing 18 year old girls (Katie is still 13 - until  January).  Shehad to guard a girl who is nationally recognized.  Tough girl! Both of them

Sunday, I ended up doing family dinner - again!  Before everyone got here, I gave William his first piano lesson.  I don't know how this is going to go.  He only had to use three fingers on each hand

At the end of the time - which seemed like hours and hours - he still couldn't play with fingers one, two, three - going up three adjacent notes.  We did only two little three note songs - playing hands completely separate.  I don't know how this is going to go.

Dinner was purposely simple.  Frozen lasagna, salad, chibata bread, and a bought bundt cake.

I don't know why I am continually tired, but I am.  I just have no energy, and I have so much to do around here.  Nothing seems to get done.  My feelings are that it is because we are gone too d*mn much.

Today was eye injection day.  That went well enough.  Fluid is still there, but not increasing.

Then we voted.  Easy as can be.  All the folks (the few) must have voted early.  We breezed in!

I sat and waited for the computer to work for 15 minutes.  Got sick and tired of it and went to Office to cut and paste.  This whole procedure has taken 30 minutes for 5 minutes work.  So if something is out of place or makes no sense - that's why.