Happy labor day

The next generation will not charge us for what we've done; they will charge and condemn us for what we have left undone.

-Mother Jones

I rarely talk about politics in my journal but I read a lot about the subject in many out there in j-land.  I often feel helpless to do much in this country.  We here at our household have been subject to many different government agencies.  Both Mark and I have been to family court many time over our children and their support, we have had to deal with the state and federal government concerning our semi truck, we have also had to deal with our local government in that they have very little vision for our once small town.  Building more and more subdivisions without thought to the past...our once small farming community has made way for house upon beige ( or some various shade of it ) house stuck together as far as the eye can see.  Gone are the beautiful old farm houses, with their red barns and silos, replaced by the Target, Home Depot and soon Super Walmart.  At times we feel helpless to secure our future in this little square of world we have put together for our family.  We feel helpless to try and teach our children the values that we hold dear when the very world they live in tells them they must consume more to be popular.  I guess my point is this is we must in our own little way be true to ourselves and seek to change what we can and do what we can to make a difference in this life, in our little worlds.  Mark chooses to make right the time he did not spend with his boys when they were little by working with them, connected to each of them and trying to guide them to become better men.  I have chosen to not only guide my own, but to try and make a difference in the life of all children I come in connect with.   That way I can go to bed at night knowing I did something to contribute to this big old world we all live in....hopefully something good.  Love you guys, take good care of yourselves!  Rose~

                                                                    

My J-land buddy Barb suggested that we go out on the motorcycle this afternoon...so that's what we are going to do.  We did some yard work tore out some of the bushes that are pretty ugly, Mark's trying to talk me into ripping them all out...We made a deal he can rip them out (crazy chainsaw nut) if he puts grass in and we fence it in for an eating area.  Our 2 dogs have the backyard which isn't all the big.  We only have a 1/2 a city lot and you know how dogs can be.  Especially the Brittney that nut loves to dig.  Although I am old fashion and still hang all my laundry (not socks) out until they freeze.  If the bushes go I'll have more room to plant my beloved flowers and plant...works for me!

While we were outside this little yappy dog chased a neighbor's cat up a very high tree.  Poor thing cried for 2 hours, until I told the kids across the street and they got him down.  Boy was that cat mad. 

I am glad we decided to stay home...charge the old mental batteries for coming season...our school district gave up a lot of the holidays because the building.  The recharge will really help with the old attitude...plus it's supposed to cool off, nothing like sitting behind a giant engine to make your day.

have a happy holiday to all!

 

Stayed home

We decided to hang out here at home this weekend.  The holidays tend to bring out the folks that like to overdo...you know the type the kind that start drinking after work on Friday night and don't sober up until Tuesday morning.  A lot of them like to camp at our campground so we try and avoid that crowd.  Reminds me of the old days...besides drunks act like idioits.

Yesterday I was out walking and went by my favorite house in my neighborhood.  You know the house, the one that "got away".  We looked at it 10 years ago, but it wasn't in the cards for us to buy it at the time.  As I am walking I hear "Hey Mary" I look up and it's a lady I know from my old job at the special ed co-op.  Her daughter went to homecoming with one of my kids.  She had my name wrong but that's ok, I do that all the time.  She invited me in and I was so happy for her...she is living in my favorite house and in a good neighborhood.  She's a nice lady, they have their troubles too, husband lost his job, they haven't sold their other house.  I told her God has a plan for her and that everything would work out....just as everything will work out for us too.  We went and got Mark's semi.  Brought it home to try and sell it.  There are some folks considering it....I know it will all work out as everything else has in my life.  I feel bad though the semi is beautiful, runs good (now!!!),but everything changes in life.   And sometimes we have to do things we don't want to do. 

We have some yard work that we need to do, the bushes have gone nuts with growth with all the rain this season.  It's nice to hang out at home on the long weekend, although now we wish we would have gone to the Purdue game, they never have games on Sunday and there's one on right now!!!  Oh well, I would have had to yell at my goofy son if I was there.  I know he is just feeling the stress of being at college for the last year, but he really doesn't have to lose his mind over it!  EVERYTHING is a crisis to him.  He was fine all summer, but now he's at school and being goofy.   KIDS! I am glad though that none of them acted like I did, I was a very wild kid.  

Gotta go watch the game...with hubby. 

Happy Labor Day~~

I am not too sure if I'll get on the computer this long weekend so I just want to tell everybody to have a safe and great Labor Day weekend.  We live in a great country with so many opportunities.  Sure we have our differences and such, but I personally feel blessed to be an American.  With all the hatred and violence in the world I feel lucky to be in a country where we can try and get along...in peace....

Hubby is home today, the powers that be at his job decided to give the guys the long weekend because they have a lot of work coming up.  Problem is they all weren't told until yesterday, but we probably wouldn't have gone too far away anyway...so I am not sweating the small stuff...and in my mind everything is small stuff.

It's hot and humid here again and I LOVE IT!  Although like most area's of the country fall is peaking it's colors out.  I love autumn, this part of the country is beautiful this time year.  Although I complain about the weather here in Illinois I sure do love the changing seasons. 

Time to enjoy the day...If I don't talk to you all sooner make this a wonderful weekend...I have the dogs and bugers bought and ready to take out to trailer to hang out with the family....Peace all!  Rose

I'm full....

Whew I am really full.  Had a nice dinner with middle stepson and finance' Brandy.  She started teaching Math at the new high school and she still looks like she is IN high school.  She just graduated in 2000 and she is already teaching!  She just looks so darn young.  But she'll do great.  We sent her a plant and she was so surprised she told us she got goose bumps.  Made me happy.  They are getting married next summer and are building their house at the end of this year.  They have been together since high school when they were just 'babies', boy does time fly.  I had the pleasure of raising Matt since he was in 8th grade, he's turned out very well, thank you.  And he wants kids, so I get to be a GRANDMA again!  I gotta get a scanner or a camera so I can show off my family.  I'll put that on my dream list.  It was so nice to spend time with them.

Today was a long day.  I ended up getting called back in to do a midday.  It was so cute. The kindergarteners first day and they were so excited.  Their parents were taping us and taking pictures.  One even followed me in his van through the rest of my route!  But the kids were very good.  Although at the end of the day they couldn't find a kindergartener from another school, seems she got off at the wrong stop.  Poor driver is brand new and it took almost an hour to find this kid.  Thank God it's Friday or I think this poor girl would have quit after today.  But I always say what doesn't kill me will make me stronger.  I actually had an awesome day...I've learned a long time ago in my working of various jobs to just go with the flow...and make the best out of any situation.  I have had some pretty awful jobs in my lifetime, so with this job, which I adore I feel very blessed.  I am tired, and full, but happy!  :) Happy Friday!!!  Rose 

DAY 2 ... The test...school goes all day....

Full school day today, the morning went fine, except I still have a mother that thinks it's ok for her little 3rd grade daughter to cross a busy street to prevent her from having to stay on the bus an extra 20 minutes.  People are so weird!  This year I refuse to drop kids off on the wrong side of this street...if she's so hip to the kid crossing the street she may as well have the kid walk to school, there's an even busy street there :).  Sheeesh

I am in one of those bratty moods where I want to stir up some action...but I better behave, too early in the school year to start messing with the new people.  Might freak 'em out.  I am the type of person that gets bored very easily.  Used to be that I would go look for trouble, but now a days I try to use my personality for 'good' rather than evil.  But with so many new people at work it is so tempting to be naughty.  I am not really naughty, I just like to tease people.  They can be so serious about life, and it just doesn't need to be that way.  Life is way too short to be so darn serious.

My stepson is really trying to drive my hubby crazy.  This kid came in 10 minutes late two nights ago, which means it was after 10 on a school night.  And last night it was 20 minutes late.  My husband is the type to make threats first, be rational later, but usually he is smart about it and vents to me and then doles out the punishment.  If it was up to me I'd just tell the kid he's in the house on school nights and can go to his mother's house and do what he wants on the weekends, but hubby won't go along with that.  He'll keep playing the game with this kid.  I personally quit playing games with the kids. But I like to let my hubby figure this out on his own.  He takes the kid's mistakes and testing personally.  I don't, having raised 4 boys before this one has desensitized me to all the B.S. that their little teenage minds can come up with.  Been there, lived through that!  But as with the other 4 they will find their way...some of them are still wandering around but they will hopefully get it before they get too old!  And then I get grandbabies!!  Oh yeah, I may get the grandbaby this weekend!  They were talking about coming by the campground and letting him play in the lake.  Yippeee!  He is getting so cute, he is a short little chubby guy and soooo funny.  Babies I love 'em!  Here's to a happy day!!!!  rose

Whooo hooo nobody left over at the end of the route!!

Well, it was finally the first day of school here, and what does dear old Rose do first thing???  Well, I drove right past the first street I was supposed to turn on....only lost 4 minutes and I got away with it because it was afterall the first day.  AND was it crazzzzzy !!!  We lost our normal dispatcher so alreay we had a handicap.  And then the beautiful new school is only housing 9th and 10th graders so the we have to send two buses to both schools in the same area.  And you would think that high schoolers would have the brains to remember what bus they got on in the morning.  We spent 1/2 hour at the high school because all the kids couldn't figure our where they want and of course everybody was late.  And then the poor grade school kids couldn't figure out what bus they were supposed to get on either, or better yet they didn't get off at their stop.  My morning 'mind blip' was my only problem.  I have really cool junior high and high school kids.  My grade school route is very small mostly a group that go to a day care and those kids are tattle talers, but I already got the "NICE bus driver" stamp of approval by a 5th grader.  So I guess I pass the first day test.  I just love kids, I look at them as my own, or better yet like grandkids, I can spoil them and then send them home.  I also have a late route after the normal one for the alternative school kids, there's only 3 and who every has to stay after for detention.  So I will get extra hours for that and not have to do a kindergarten route.  Hubby wanted me to do a kindergarten route, but I said that I would only do that if he helped with cooking, shopping and cleaning, so he said.....ok just sub.  When the kids are older I'll do it, but I need to be here...to keep this house together, plus keep my sanity...or what's left of it!  All and all it was a great day...Liz looked so cute too, she had a little (NOT TOO SHORT) skirt and cute top on, with these cute pink ballet shoes.  My BABY is growing up!!!!!  I am lucky because I leave in the morning before she is up and about, but I get to see her walking home from the high school.  

So...more later...it's good to be back!  Rose~