Shaky wake up!

My husband works overnights.  My daughter Liz and stepson Jim live with us.  All the bedrooms are upstairs, mine in the path of the stairs so I hear all the wanderings of the night.  Often I awake to the sounds of the night.  Around 4:30 this morning I wake up to the pulls on my dresser rattling.  First I thought it was my husband stopping by in the semi from work, no, then a train?...no, my bed shakes, my ears start ringing....hmmm, then nothing.  I hear a door outside slam, neighbors...I note the time go back to sleep.  At 6:00 I am up, I must of felt an earthquake, put on the news, yep!  Sure enough!  Down state in southern Illinois there is a fault line, way down deep so when it shakes we really only feel it, rarely any damage.  Even in the nearby towns minor stuff.  Not like the California quakes, this one was a 5.2.

Such excitement for a Friday.

Otherwise we are all well.  The weather has finally become spring like, with it's winds and mild temperatures of nearly 70.  I've been walking a lot.  Yesterday after seeing the gas prices at $3.55, I walked to work.  This weekend the Huffy is coming down and checked over for leaky tires.  I am not giving the oil companies any more than I have to.  Going to bike the mile to work.

Last weekend the kids were here again as I had Friday off.  We went to a nearby Park that also has a small zoo attached.  Dakota got to pet a snake, or nake has he calls them.  3 year old talk is so cute.   The zoo had cougars, crocs, turtles and peacocks.  The kids mostly loved the play ground, school in this town was in so we had the place to ourselves.

Dakota, Jacob and Dayton.

This weekend is yard work.  Sunday promises to be sunny and I have loads to catch up on.  The buds are just now appearing.  Hopefully mother nature will let us enjoy a little of spring before the hot and humid summer appears!

 

Have a great weekend!

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babies! oh and sunshine! OH and it's 65 degrees!

 

 

Dayton --- 20 months

The kids missed grandma so they came over this afternoon and spent the night.  The day was glorious sunshine and warm.  They have gotten so big!  We had a great day.  They were so wore out that Dayton went to sleep and 6:30 and slept until 7:00 this morning!! Today we headed to the river park...Jacob is at the age where he loves to chase other boys, girls are just too much for him.  Dakota is still pretty much plays by himself and Dayton runs around or observes everybody else.  He is talking up a storm.

We came back to a huge lunch and then Tracey came and got them.  Bet they took a good nap this afternoon!

FUN DAY!!

My Jacob he'll be 5 in June!

 

Dakota 2 1/2

 

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quiet ... just like I like it...

I am a worrier.  In my youth I had horrid stomach aches, missed school, and made myself sick with my imagination and my perceived boogie man.  I have gone to great lengths to slay the fear, but some habits are hard to break and now a days I look at such fears as problems to be solved and I love the buzz of solving them.  After all, rarely does life work out like our minds fear.  As of late Mark and I have been more proactive in our work area.  We both (me first, then him) have realized that his line of work-- construction is in a very low point...may be for some time.  He gets laid off every winter.  Usually, unemployment gets us through.  This year we realized that the winter layoff last season really didn't go away until nearly July.  Very scary for a couple who have raised most of their clan and are digging out of debt.  Actually scary for anyone who lives in this place we call the USA. 

Fortunately for us Mark is a very good truck driver.  He was rehired by a company that let him do winter work a few years ago when he wasn't able to get unemployment, as we were self employed for that quarter.  Thank God he did this as the company he usually works for is not even begun to work.  Usually by early March they are back. There was rumors, of work for next week, but it's been raining, the ground is still frozen.  I even noticed that the chain stores have just now put in their Pansies, a flower that is normally planted weeks ago.  The trees still have yet to bud and everyone's moods brighten when the sun stays out longer than a few hours.  Today we actually reached 50 degrees.  It's going to be a very slow, late construction year.  Some aren't even being called back.

Back to my worries.  I don't have any ... none, the main lifestyle bills are paid.  There's gas in the car, food in the fridge, the pets have food...I have no worries.  Even work is good, the school kids are behaving after my sick day they still have an appreciation for me.

Mark has a good job that works fine for us. If he goes back to construction there's talk he may work both jobs ... a big plus.

There are some rumors of my job in transportation not being renewed, but that's over a year away, next contract and I never worry that far in advanced.  I tend to be a right now worrier...

Not today....I am feeling better, I have extra work next week, and even have a no school day next Friday (paid).   The weekend weather report calls for sun, I have leaves to bag, something I enjoy.  Maybe there's some tulips under there somewhere.  Spring means renewed hope...and hopefully warmth...God I can't wait to be warm!

April first was my 13th wedding anniversary.   My marriage is good too.  My son is taking us out to dinner Monday.

Isn't life grand!!???

back to the world of the living...

I am finally feeling like there is a light at the end of this sickness tunnel.  While I still wasn't 100 % I still went and worked for Mrs H this past week.  Her morning help went on vacation so Julie and I split the week.  She was grateful and so was I for th extra money.

I had such big plans for spring break, cleaning, throwing the windows open and washing the winter off my screens, but the temperature has hovered around 40 and we actually had snow Thursday.  There's plenty of time for spring clean up.  I mostly rested, tried to keep up on the daily stuff and tried to eat.  Everything still tastes like metal.  Oh and I went out to lunch with two friends from work.   Bakers square tasted bad too, should've had the pie.

Being home all week let me experience all the wonders of my changing neighborhood.  I live in an old neighborhood with old homes that many have become rentals.  All the houses except one surrounding me are rentals.  Nothing against renters, but I've found over the years it's hit or miss with them.  A few years ago we had one doozy next door that locked their dogs in the house over the weekend and left.  The poor animals went crazy and broke all the windows out of the upstairs bedrooms and ran on the roof barking their poor heads off.  This couple died in a car accident.   I felt bad for that.  After them a nice family moved in, but the landlord did not keep the house up and now it is empty until he can do some major repairs.

We have always had trouble with the neighbors across the street.   Too many adult kids who have kids.  They tear up our lawn with all their cars and  the young  mom of the 3 little boys loves to scream at her kids.  I thinks she just doesn't know any better.  One time the cops brought the 4 year old home as he wandered away one morning.  I thought things would be quiet now that that couple and their children moved to a different rental down the street.  No way, just as I was getting over having a coughing fit last night around 3 am Iheard yelling and banging.   The kids who are adults that are still living there were having a fight.  By the time I figured out how to call the non emergency number to the police (this after calling the fire department and waking up a nice fireman) the fight stopped and they went to bed.

There's two houses across the street from me that are empty.  One the girl moved in with her boyfriend and the other the lady over extended her mortgage and lost her home.  One has a for sale sign the other is for rent.  Should be an interesting summer....

Guess the housing crisis hits everywhere. 

did you get the name of the freight train?

famous last words....I never get sick...blah!  Over a week ago on a Sunday afternoon I felt the first signs of a sore throat, then tired, then by Tuesday afternoon I was in the grips of the shakes that go with a fever of 103.  I managed to get through my afternoon route, barely.  Call off work Wednesday, came in Thursday as it was the last day before spring break, heard all the complaints, the sub was mean, she called Danny a girl, she drove right by us, blah blah, can't you kids see bus driver is dying here??!

J (7th grader) tells me he's going to Florida for break, he's the one who loves to swear and give anatomy lessons on the male species...Good look up my dad while you're there bet he's not afraid to wash you mouth out with a good sturdy bar of soap.

I barely remember Friday, or the weekend.  Mostly a Vicks, filled stupor trying to stay warm.  Oh and did I mention the coughing?  Fits of it, just as I get all comfy in my warm bed.  Cough Cough Cough

Today is what Wednesday?   Throat better, chills gone, fever gone, now my sinus feel like they are full of some alien ooze.   Great.

I get online and my email box has been full since Monday.

My father did call me on Easter telling me he's been sick too, three weeks worth.  Wonderful, I've been sick for 1 and half...he lost 18 pounds.  Me so far, 10.

Guess Hubby's not as big a sissy as I thought!

Is it spring yet?

A busy week with work,  grand kids, and a household to keep up with.  Mark has been sick and his sickness has draaaaaaaaaaagggggggggged to the point where all he does is sleep, go to work and stare blankly at the TV.  I have tried to be patient, I rarely get sick and when I do I do generally try and ignore it and go on, usually with only a trace of whining.  Because of this the household has fallen on me, even the smallest tasks, like dishes I have had to deal with.

Because my husband has been of no use and pretty much in his own world I have ignored him and gone about my own business.  The weather has been warm and sunny so I have taken advantage of it by taking long walks in the evening.  Thursday night my stepson told us about a car that was for sale in his subdivision.  Liz's  father gave her some money that could go to a car, this after she told him Mark would match what he gave her.  Her timing perfect, tax time so he had some money.  He has been neglectful over the years, I do not feel any shame in her asking him for money.  The time has come for him to support his kid.

Liz and I took a look at the car, it is old but it is a type that I have had a couple of in the past.  It is small but sturdy, good mileage and this one was in our budget.  It did not leak oil, ran great, but smelled like an ashtray.  The car belonged to an uncle of the seller who had suddenly died.  We gave the kid our number and name and went home to wait, seems the seller had to discuss the matter with his sister.  He immediately called me to ask me if I was related to my stepson as he had gone to school with my sons.  I said "yes, I am the mom" and he told me if I brought the money that evening I could have the car for $200 less then asking price.  Oh course I agreed.  Liz is now a proud owner of a 1990 Plymouth Horizon.  The car has it's flaws, a little rust, the door handles need replacing, but she runs great and for 500 bucks she will be a great first car for a girl who has only been driving under a year.  Now I can sigh a huge relief,I no longer have to worry about my own car, which will be paid off in 4 short months. 

I am trying very hard to not the let the stress of what my household has become get to me.  Spring is upon us, they will all go back to work soon and I do enjoy having the grand kids come here a couple of times a week.  Dakota and Jacob love my bus driver stories and they look at me wide eyed when I tell them the latest antics.  Speaking of that I inherited a stop near my own route as the bus driver there got into a fight with a parent.  I know the children and they can be quite a hand full, as matter of fact I drove them two years ago.  They have blended in fine with my group.  I just let them know who's boss but with  a sense of humor and I usually know who to seat my kids.  Usually....

Enough of that, this too shall pass, my husband will snap out of his funk, the sun will shine, the plants will grow, it will motorcycle season soon, and all this stress will be a distant memory.

 

it's a strange life...

I have noticed over the years my life  has been effected by it's far share of death.  Of course there's plenty of life...kids born, marriages all that joy.  But here's another death item...

This young girl was my cousin Dawn Niles.  She was born deaf and when she was 15 she became pregnant by her 18 year old boyfriend.  She disappeared one day and was found stabbed 30 times in a forest preserve.  My father tells me her boyfriend was accused but his father got a lawyer and was never charged.  Her younger sister never gave up trying to get this guy.  It seems she talked to the right people and now the guy is in jail with a very large bond.  DNA is available now.  Now this poor girl can rest in peace.  It was very surreal for me to see my own family member on the front page of a Chicago Newspaper.

I have had way too much action in my life lately.  I have picked up some trips, and an extra day caring for Mrs. H.  She has been worried lately, afraid she will have to go into a nursing home.  I advised she take everything a day at a time...always has worked for me.

My husband got a horrible flu bug last weekend with a temperature that lasted for days.  He's still whining....I've been glad to be away and busy.

Jeremy and Tracey sold their home.  Slow work and expenses.  She is at her mom's small home with the boys.  Jeremy is here until he can find a house.  They are looking for a house near us.   That will be great....I love them kids.

Eric had a going away party Saturday night.  He will be going to Wisconsin on the 17th.  Menard's puts him up in a hotel for 2 weeks enough time to find an apartment.  While I was at his house I never realized just how close the NIU shooting site was from his apartment.  Just across a parking lot, while it was large it was still too close.  Liz and I looked at the site...it has a flowing river right in front of it, made it seem peaceful....the crosses have been moved to a church, but the piles of flowers, stuffed animals remain.  DeKalb has signs everywhere encourage the kids to move forward.  Hope they can.

The weather is supposed to warm up to normal temperatures...I'd even settle for 40.  We have two weeks until spring break.

I haven't let all this change effect me too much.  I am looking forward to spring.  I can't wait to get my hands dirty in the garden!

 

 

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