Friday, May 30, 2008

Things to do...

Well, the first of June is just two days away and I still have some planting to do. I did manage to clean out the pond, plant some things and put the screens on the kitchen windows. My goal for this weekend is to put the sliding screen door back on the French doors so that we can get some good air movement. It is not that difficult to put the screen door on - what seems to be difficult is to KEEP the screen door on. Invariably, the dog is in too much of a hurry to get outside and she knocks it off the track. And this is not the first sliding screen door we have had - oh no siree! The original one (which I also had rescreened once) was wrecked beyond repair - I can't even remember what happened to it. So, I trotted off to Home Depot and bought a replacement. Then I installed it and felt oh so much like a handyman. How thrilling! The very next morning went something like this: I wake up, and turn on the coffeepot. I see that the cats have gotten the lid off the dog treat jar, have gotten some treats out, and left partially chewed dog biscuits all over the counter and kitchen floor. Great! I can hear the dog dancing in her kennel, needing to go out. Of course, as she tears thru the kitchen on her way to the French doors, she makes note of the treats on the floor, but cannot stop because she has to pee. So - pee she does, and then makes a mad dash back to the French doors, because, by golly, there are treats to be had! Sadly, she was so excited, she literally ran through the screen door. It has never been the same since. To top it all off, when I put together the coffee the night before so that all I had to do was turn it on, I apparently forgot to put the coffee grounds in, so I just ended up with hot water. Talk about adding insult to injury.

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Apparently Nobody Works Here...

Well, this is panning out to be an interesting day. I am pretty sure the crap will hit the proverbial fan this week (I actually hope so!). We are terribly short of loan officers today. One is out on medical leave. One left at 10:00 this morning to watch his daughter play golf in a section meet. One left at 2:00 for a doctors appointment. Another left at 2:30 for the day (he actually does this twice a week or so - saying his kid has a doctor appointment). Sam is fishing in Canada, but is due back tomorrow. Our newest officer is mad as hell - he wants to know who is keeping track of these people and if they are burning up vacation days or sick days when they pull this kind of crap. I have pondered about this for a few years, and am so glad to have another person come around to my way of thinking. Of course, all of those folks get paid salary, so they get paid for 40 hours a week, whether or not they actually work them. Now, for us hourly folk, we wouldn't dare make appointments during the day because it would directly effect our paychecks. What's wrong with this picture?

Monday, May 19, 2008

I want that little doggy in the window

Nothing like driving to class on my first day only to see something that I wish I hadn't...no it's not ass cracks or see-through pants this time. It was a dog laying on the dashboard of a van...not that back either. It was in front close to the driver's side. If that van would've gotten into a crash, it would have been projectile puppy up the driver's nose. Not cool.

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Summer Time??


Well, it's been a week since our last entry. Jeff has completed his college career, and Katie is now a sophomore and a half. Everyone seems to have done well and now we are gearing up for summer. Too bad no one told the weather man - it has been cold and rainy, and actually snowed again this past weekend up north. Of course, today happens to be a beautiful day, because it is my day to stay late at the bank (thank you very much). I was thinking back on last year, and all the things that I had to get done before graduation out in the yard and gardens. I would be absolutely dying if I had to get ready for a graduation this year - it seems like every weekend has been rainy. Of course, the only decent weekends we have had this spring were the three that I spent up in the cities visiting Katie. I didn't get anything done at home, but there is something to be said for sitting on the rooftop patio of Stella's, eating fish and soaking up the sun!!

Wednesday, May 7, 2008

I am a wreck...


I haven't heard from Katie for over an hour this morning. I know she is probably taking her online test, and the waiting is killing me! I so want her to do well and be happy with the way it all turns out. If it does not go well, I know that will cloud the rest of her day and probably tomorrow, too. I DON"T want that to happen! Boo.

So - what to do to pass the time? I am going to think happy thoughts and look for recipes online of stuff I might want to make. I also have to make up a grocery list (the milk expired on the 6th - need I say more?).

And in the spirit of lightheartedness, I have added a graphic that has absolutely nothing to do with any of what I have just written.

Tuesday, May 6, 2008

What Not to Wear


Hmmm... It is not even 10:00 AM and I have run out of things to do at work. At least I have run out of things that I want to do. I hate when that happens... I heard the head teller this morning ask one of our newer tellers if she was wearing pajama pants. Of course, the teller insisted she was not, but the head teller did not sound convinced. And then I heard the head teller say "It looks like you are wearing slippers!" to the same person. I really couldn't see what she had on since she was behind the teller line, but of course I had to take a good look when she went across the lobby. Sure enough - what she has on is even a stretch for "casual" day, which isn't until tomorrow! Thin white cotton pants (they look like yoga pants) and some kind of blue shoes that (indeed!) look like bedroom slippers. Too funny! I am sure that no one will say anything official to her, though. The pants are so thin that they are very much see through - ick! She should be wearing nude colored undies, not white ones.

Monday, May 5, 2008

Attention: Quota has been reached

I read something the other day, which sums up the spring (ahem...more like winter weather)..."Minnesota is like a box of chocolates" Forrest Gump can fill the rest in for you. I read this on the menu of the rooftop restaurant that I was eating at. Who would have that that a week ago it was snowing. I have been taking advantage of the nice weather when I can by sitting outside and soaking up the sunshine. Got to get my vitamin D in...hmmm...that shows I learned something in nutrition. Being of European descent (a nice way to say uber white) I burn like toast in a 500 degree oven. As much as I want to sit outside, I hit my sun quota too soon. My doctor would yell at me for not wearing sunscreen, but I didn't bring that to college...I just got rid of my winter gloves. I know that I got too much color today because I felt the chill one gets after getting sunburn. I though ahead and pulled my hair back so I wouldn't burn my part...too bad I still had a small part. Yep...half of my part is beat red and peeling and the other half is butt white. To top it all off, my bangs are parted on the side and were covering part of my forehead. The only reason I know this is because half of my forehead is pink. If you are one of those "I tan easily and never burn" people...now you can relate to what us fair skinned people complain about.

Grinding to a halt...

Well - here we are at the butt end of the school year. We filled up the pickup truck with most of Katie's belongings yesterday and moved them back to Saint Peter. It seems as though the year both dragged by, and flew by. I should have kept a log of meltdowns throughout the year - it would interesting to compare with next year. Actually, I only know of two or three major meltdowns, although there were many smaller ones along the way. Now that we stand here at the end of the school year, it seems to have gone by pretty quickly.

My baby is no longer a first year student - she is closer to being a sophomore and a half. Wow! Time really flies. I only hope that the summer seems to go by slowly and that she gets a chance to enjoy herself a bit before we start all over again!