Don't like the weather? Don't worry this is Illinois it changes daily. Wait a day it will be completely different!

Monday night when I left work and headed toward home. I stayed in the left lane of the one way going north here.....I had a feeling that people would have trouble going over the viaduct just north of here.

I was still a block away when I saw there was a tanker truck in the right hand lane...WAIT A MINUTE... HE'S BACKING DOWN THE VIADUCT. BACKING TOWARD TRAFFIC BEHIND HIM.

Yes, I definitely want to turn and go down the other street that goes over the railroad track not over it.

This is the viaduct that people were trying to cross...


This is what the street looked like that I went down. Yes, there is a train, but I would much rather wait on a train then get caught trying to go over the viaduct.

As I sat waiting for the train. I kept watching people over on the other street still trying to go across the viaduct. (Silly people, don't they know that thing is slick as snot?)


Shortly later there were 7 of them stuck up there. All it takes is one guy to have trouble and if he is in front of you (Well, you basically are up the creek without a paddle).

Late yesterday afternoon it started to snow again. It is very cold. And as I stopped at the light going to the nursing home to see my MIL I saw some geese headed south.

When I got to the Nursing home I saw more and was able to capture them on camera.



I think these guys have the best idea yet....THEY ARE HEADED SOUTH!!!!


How far will they go? Where is it warmer then here? Arkansas, Texas or New Mexico?

I want to join them and go----IT IS SO COLD HERE!

Perhaps it is because I am getting older, but I am at the point where I simply detest winter time.

Today, however the sun is shining, but don't let it fool you. It is cold out there!!!!

Guess I should be grateful that we did not get the snow that some others around us go. In Ohio there are some schools closed due to the snow. And I guess parts of Texas and Oklahoma really got a bunch of snow too.

THANK YOU LORD FOR THIS BEAUTIFUL DAY EVEN IF I THINK IT IS VERY COLD OUT THERE!

The search is on.

Seriously...... I hope he found what he was looking for.

He came around the corner this morning asking, "Verna , Did I give you that small piece of blue paper this morning with a note about those Crane people?"

"No, Bob, my note you gave me about that crane was pink. I have it here since you wanted a check to give to them today."

This is what I found a bit later......He had rummaged thru the garbage...

I see two pieces of blue paper in this stack...Sure hope he found the one he was looking for..I think Julie told me that he did. Should I be watching what is put in the garbage cans?
Since the mess was left and I ended picking it up.... WELL....Thank goodness there was no food.

NEVER A DULL MOMENT AROUND HERE!

Have a great week end.

If he delivers here again.

Last week when there was ice and snow on our driveway, and the entry into our lot was slick.

This Dayton Freight truck driver stopped on the street.

When he came in and told me he had a delivery for us, I simply told him he needed to back into our lot or swing wide for our driveway and back up to the dock.



"Oh, I couldn't do that."



"WHY NOT?"



"Oh, my truck is too long, and I couldn't turn around back there, plus there is too much traffic on this street."



"Sir, all the other truckers are able to do so. And as for the traffic.. Sir, they will stop when they see you start backing up. I have yet to see anybody crashing in under any truck backing in here."

He insisted that he would not be able to do so.

So I got on the phone and called the shop man to the front to talk to him. After all he is the one who would have to unload this truck on the street. Now our fork lift is okay, but would it be able to go onto the street to unload whatever he had for us?
This driver refused to even hear about coming into our lot. David brought the fork lift into the front lot....and then had to help carry the heavy curb over and put it onto the fork lift so he could take it back to our dock.

Later David informed me that he told the man that the next time he delivered anything to us, he best come into our lot from the 3rd or 4th lane. There was plenty of room in our back lot to turn around. WAY TO GO DAVID!

Today I couldn't get my camera out fast enough to get this truck coming in the front gate, he came in from the 4th lane, even missed my car which sits right inside the gate. Also missed the post on the other side. And he did not stop and back up to get into our lot.
I ran to the back door and I catch him 3/4 in his turn around already.

I went out back and told David he had a trucker out there....and I wanted to know how long his rig was. His reply was I could ask the trucker myself. I don't think he thought I would, but I opened the side door and when he got out of his truck opening the back of the truck, I called out to him) Hey sir: can you tell me how long your rig is?"

53 Ft was his reply..... I thanked him and went back to my desk.

YES, 53 ft and he came into our lot and turned that rig totally around. He did not even back in like some of the guys who come into our lot.....

I think trucker # 1 should take lessons from trucker # 2 I'm pretty sure truck # 2 was bigger then truck # 1....

I can't wait till trucker # 1 comes to deliver something to us again... I know have proof it can be done.

I am told that he was here once before and made David come to the street for that shipment too. Might be interesting to see if what David told him that he wasn't going to unload shipments on the street, that is why we had a dock out back and a lot big enough for him to turn around.

On the war path.

YES, I am on the war path!!!!!



Against these stinkin little ants that are evading my space here at work.



They are crawling out of my computer, out of my calculator, clear through my drawers, out of my printer.







Last year I had to work to get rid of them too.



No food on my desk---or in my drawers. No pop cans sitting there to attract them.







PRAY TELL HOW IN THE WORLD DID HE GET ONTO MY ARM AND IS CRAWLING UPWARD. YIKEES DO THEY JUMP?



AND HOW DO THEY BITE LIKE THAT BEING SO TINY?







I went on line and read about getting rid of ants.... The one item I found was by mixing alcohol and dish soap. I don't have a small bottle that I can mix this stuff together to spray on my desk.



However, I do have my small bottle of alcohol that we use to clean our glasses with setting up here on the file cabinet.







I can tolerate the smell of alcohol, not sure I could buy ant spray and be able to breathe if I used it around my desk. SO WATCH OUT ANTS...I will douse you with alcohol. I will spray the edges of my desk to keep you off. If it kills you YAAAA. I simply cannot have you guys running around on my desk and up and down my arms when I am trying to get some work done!

I also stopped at Walgreens on my lunch break....Got some new houses for these tiny little critters.







Yes, it will look dorky sitting on my desk, but you little guys have got to stay away from my work area.

Reflections from last week.

Monday Morning --- up like normal ----off to curves... or so I thought. As I cross Pershing Road I see what appeared like flashing lights everywhere just ahead.


At the corner where I wanted to turn left to go to Curves....the cops had the street closed.





So, I went down to the next block and turned....pulled into the bank parking lot and pulled my cell phone out and called curves......Judy answered saying it was a great day to be at Curves...



Ya right ---if you can get there.



Do you need directions?



No, Judy---the cops have the street closed. At that moment Judy replied that there was a cop coming into Curves and I heard him say "You need to close up shop and leave NOW".



Later in the morning we learned that they had a pipe bomb threat and that is why everybody had to leave.



Yet later in the day we find out it was a hoax.... what they saw was a childs rocket under construction.



But, better safe then sorry.





Bud was in Texas, and I had spoken to him early in the evening...... I was watching tv when
there was a knock on my door.... There stood my landlord, wondering if I was okay. Stated Bud had been trying to get me on the phone and I wasn't answering.

Well, when I put my robe on, I left it at the bedside since I also use it as an alarm clock.

After all, I had spoken to him earlier and he stated he was going to bed. So, why the crap was he calling me back 2-3 hours later?



I was fine, and he really didn't want anything except to tell me he would go pick up his license plates when he got home instead of my driving across town the next day at lunch.



Since the landlord was there anyway, he looked at my bathroom fan, that was not working. Stated he would be back the next day to replace it.

Tuesday night this is what I saw. He had to take it apart and get a new one to replace the one that was not working.
(Things Like this is why I am glad I rent and don't have to try and fix this stuff myself).


I tried to get all my things done at work, So that I could take Wed. and Thursday off to go to Bloomington/Normal and get some Kenley lovin, and spend some time with Kim and do what needed to be done.

Laundry, cleaning, rubbing her shoulders and chillen out with Kim and Kenley since Clay had to go back to work.

Wednesday morning on the way to Bloomington --- What is the big round orange thing in the sky? Oh, that is the sun---we haven't seen it around here much lately.

Wednesday and Thursday--- not going to work I sure would loose tabs of what day of the week it would be, but even tho I helped with the jobs that needed to be done, I had time for Kenley lovin and snuggling.

She looked so sweet in that seat.

But actually this is my favorite:

A little grandma/granddaughter lovin time.

Friday it was back to work, since it was payroll and a desk that needed to be cleaned up again.

I was able to get almost all of it done that day, so when I go back tomorrow a.m. I will not or should not feel overwhelmed.

A bit of filing that still has to be done, and invoices to post. Probably a bill or two that will need to be paid.

Yesterday - I was able to chill out here at home. Oh, I did vacuum, got some groceries, did the laundry and just sat watching some tv. (Yes, Kim and playing on facebook doing a bit of farming).

Today it was Church and Sunday School, a reflexology then to the nursing home to see Bud's mother. This visit she actually visited. Ask for more photos of Kenley. His sister, Judy is here from Arizona. Guess there will be meetings with the doctors. She told me that they don't intend to let her out of the nursing home this time, until her and Jerry (Bud's Stepdad) are in an assisted living facility. Guess time will tell how fast they will actually move on this.... I have been telling them for months they need to be in a facility where there are other ---older people-- and where they have the access to help in their care if they need it.

So the week has been a busy one for me........will this next week be just as busy?

TIME WILL TELL. Stay tuned later.

Paco such a silly bird.

Paco has a love for walking around on the floor, and for chasing Bud around the living room. I have never in my life seen a bird of any kind that walks on the floor like a chicken. Also plays and flys around your legs and feet about 1 to 1 1/2 ft from the floor like this.

Tonight he also thought he could try chewing on my computer cords. He soon learned that I would not let him chew on them.

So he commenced to sit on the back of my chair and tell me that he was a pretty boy and that he loved me.

After a very busy day at the office today after two days of bliss enjoying my daughter, and granddaughter, plus a wonderful dinner cooked by my son-in-law, I find it relaxing just to plain sit here. Not doing much at all. Just sitting, and playing on the computer.

Yes, Kim I did a bit of farming tonight. (Smiling).

Does Kenley look like her Mommy did?

Jan. 1, 2010 Grandma Coleman with Kenley Faith.

On Jan. 9, 2010 she did not want to look at the camera.
March 1980 Verna (now grandma Coleman) and Kenley's mother (Kimberly Anne).

The discussion has been does she look like her Mommy?

Kenley and her mother.
When Kim saw the photos she too decided yes Kenley does look like her.
http://kimsjourneyjournal.blogspot.com/2010/01/okay-she-looks-like-me.html
I looked at things in Kim's Baby book that I plan to take to her and have found that she too ate, slept, and never cried... I believe I described it as she whimpered when she wanted to eat.

Need more snuggle time----less stress.

We were in need of more snuggle time like this! So yesterday I hurried and did all of payroll, all of the time cards then declared to my fellow worker...."I'm Outta here, I am heading for Bloomington so that I will be there before it gets dark. "

I dared any of the guys to tell me I could not leave early since I had not taken a lunch break. So if I took my lunch break I was actually only taking off 1- 1 1/2 hours early for the day.

After all Julie had the office covered so why should they care if I left early. PLUS I have been going in earlier then most people to get all my work done so it isn't like my desk looks like this anymore:

Yes, my whole corner was a dreadful mess earlier this week. With lots and lots of stress to go with it. Year end can be very stressful! Cleaning out all the drawers and boxing them up in boxes to take out back for storage. Oh, and don't forget that Sunday is the 10th of the month and all the bills need to be paid and ready to mail by or before Monday morning.

But, I do have a great helper!!! Julie I sure appreciate everything you do for me. Sometimes, when the phones are ringing off the hook, I am sure we get on each others nerves. Then when those guys call in that we both have trouble understanding, Neither one of us want to talk to them. But we do make a great team getting everything done that needs to be done.

I truly need to teach you everything I do, So you know how to do everything I do..After all I do want to retire one of these years.

Stress: I would just one time in the 30 years I have been employed here come to work of a early morning and not have to worry how to get into the driveway and not get stuck. I ended up parking across the street in Doc's office (He always has his lot plowed early) And once again waded across the snow bank ---crossing busy Franklin Street---and wading between ankle deep and knee deep snow to get to the front door.

I actually went off on them the morning it looked like this. Actually told the boss how I felt about it. Later in the morning Bud stopped by to bring me a much needed cup of HOT coffee (I had left my cup in the car), and the newspaper. As he sat in Bob's office talking, Bob told him "Shhhh, Verna's mad at me because the snow wasn't removed".

The shop man didn't want to wait to get the back cleaned off so the semi's could deliver the much needed equipment so we could change out those furnaces and keep people with heat.

He David rigged a snow plow and when Bob saw that he had cleaned off the back lot, he told him that he could also clean off the front lot. These were taken from the front window.

Oopps he lost the snow plow and had to pick it up again and reposition it.
Today I am away from all this stress...... I am going to enjoy snuggling with my granddaughter and helping my daughter in anything she needs me to do.

Hope everybody has a wonderful week end.

Definitely not changing professions

NOPE NO WAY Better stick to something I know how to do.




The windows have blinds on them, but the cold air was coming in....and it is cold, cold cold outside.... I priced drapes to fit these windows.... ya,,, rather expensive. SO, I purchased towels for my curtains.... fastening them to the curtain rods.... My husband called it getto, but it does keep some of the cold air out... and if I never need them on the window, then I will have heavy duty bath towels to use. Decorating is not a profession I will be seeking.


And I will not be going into the baking profession either!!!!!
I tried making Christmas cookies. Oh, I got cookies, AND THEY ARE NOT BURNED LIKE MY LAST COOKIE ATTEMPT WAS (Smiling).... but if someone tells me making rolled out cookies is easy. I would have to tell them .... (Well, I won't say it), but they are not easy for me.



So, I guess I will stick with bookkeeping. All the headaches that go with doing, payroll, payables, receivables, collecting bad debts, etc. I know I can do that even if there are days I feel stressed from the general public being so demanding.
Year end is upon us again. I hope I don't forget something that I need to do. After all some of the stuff I have to do only has to be done once a year.