My Gosh - We Are SLACKERS!

Katie and I have kind of ignored this blog for the past year. I don't want to let it go, but now that she is home for the summer, we have ample opportunity to talk face to face. Stay tuned - things should pick up once she heads back to the U of M!

Heat is Overrated!

Well, winter is almost here. Do you want to know how I know this? The furnace broke again. It breaks at least once or twice a year - and it is always the same... I can hear the burner trying to turn on (three times in a row), and then it gives up and sends out cold air. I woke up yesterday and it was 59 degrees in the house. I managed to get it to work temporarily and got the temp back up to 64 at lunch time. Sadly - when I got back after work, it was again 59 degrees inside. The Minnegasco guy was supposed to come and fix it - somewhere between 8 AM and 8 PM. He had not shown up when I left for Mankato at 4:00. I wish I would have been home when he came - I was hoping that perhaps he would show me how to fix it, since it is the same problem all the time. (Probably not, huh?). Anyway, I got home at 6:00 and the house was toasty warm. I ran around putting away groceries, etc. and boy - the house was toasty warm. In fact, I was working up a sweat. Hey - wait a minute! I checked the thermostat and clearly there is a conspiracy in the works. My programmable thermostat had been tampered with. The heat was set all the way up 68 degrees! Apparently Minnegasco wants me to increase my usage of natural gas...

Things that go Blech! in the Night

There is nothing more disconcerting that waking up to hear a cat heaving somehwere nearby. And then hearing it again, further away. Except for getting up in the morning and finding NO physical evidence on the floor. Do I dream of cat barf?

WTF??

I have company every time I come home for lunch. All God's creatures might be sacked out on my bed sleeping, but just let me open a bread bag and Jester comes running. He jumps onto the counter, purring loudly, and tries to horn in during my sandwich making. He has no concept of personal space. I have been known, on occasion, to crack him in the head with my knuckles if he gets too close. This seems to work marginally well. The other day, I had a beef roast in the crock pot. When I came home for lunch, I took the lid off so that I could shred up the meat. Of course, my old friend was sitting on the counter watching every move I made. I turned my back for a second to put a fork into the sink, and turned back just in time to see him dipping into the crock pot with his paw. Thankfully, I yelled before he actually touched anything - he would have burned himself for sure. Then I got to thinking - as distasteful as it is to imagine his dirty little toes in my supper, perhaps burning said toes would have solved this little problem. I don't know...

Give me a D, give me an R....

Keep spelling and you get DRAMA!!!!

Yes, my friends, that is what college is....you may think that it stops in high school...but noooo.

By college, I mean one of my roommates who creates her own drama and stress...I know that sounds familiar (ahem), but she is worse. She came back from a weekend at home only to be yelling at her mom. Apparently her mom glued her shelf thing wrong and it wouldn't hang on the wall. She yelled about it being wrong after she screamed at her mom to hang it up. This is the same girl that called her mom to yell at her because her mom forgot to pack the cleaning supplies. Since when does your mom pack up your stuff for college??? Not in my lifetime.

I always thought that relationships were supposed to be mutual and depend on efforts by both people...but not in her mom/daughter relationship. I don't think that the daughter brings anything good to the relationship. I guess that's what they mean when they say that you can't get rid of your family....because believe me, she would be cut out is she could.

SO Tired!

I am beat. I went to bed around 11:30 last night, but couldn't get to sleep. My legs were all restless and my back hurt, so I kept moving around. I also couldn't get my mind to stop thinking. I hate that. I did manage to get up at the normal time this morning (points for me!). I fed cats, turned on the coffee, showered, fed Mollie and got her outside. Then I went for that all important first cup of coffee for the day... and found a moth floating in the pot. I asked myself - do I really want to wait for another pot to brew? Nope - I fished the damn moth out and drank the coffee anyway. Aren't you proud?

Things That Go Bump in the Night

Last night was very relaxing (meaning I chose not to do anything on my never-ending list of chores). I was able to let two of the cats outside for a jaunt - they spent about an hour exploring the backyard. Of course, then we had to play the game where Gabby comes to the screen door and meows to be let in. I open the door, and then she takes two steps back and lays down on the deck. We played three rounds of this game before she finally came in. I was watching TV, but in the background I kept hearing a noise I hadn't heard before. It almost sounding like running water, but it was very brief. This happened for a short time before I began exploring. I walked into the living room and found Gabby laying on top of the finch cage. The sound I heard was the birds flying in a panic. Gabs looked very relaxed up there, although the cage top was bowing in the middle due to her weight. I managed to get her off without the cage tipping over, but now I am paranoid that she is going to do it again. I think she has an evil mind...

I Couldn't Make This Stuff Up!!

Well, the longer our newest teller works here, the more we have come to realize that she is a complete whack job. She is always running across the lobby, taking itty bitty steps. At least once a day, she trips over her shoes and nearly falls down. I have sworn to anyone who will listen that sooner or later she is going to do a face plant in the middle of the lobby, and I will be the one laughing my ass off. Yes, I will indeed. Anyway... She spends her lunch hour sitting in her car, smoking, talking on her cell phone and eating her lunch. Wouldn't you think that perhaps you could at least eat your lunch in the LUNCH room downstairs? That would kill 20 minutes or so... She lives 20 miles out of town (just like all the tellers we hire), which always makes it interesting on a snowy day. How on earth did she get this job, you ask? Do you really want to know? Being a native St. Peterite, of course you know that the Erbert and Gerberts is housed in the former Nicollet County Bank building. Well, one day this Einstein was driving down the avenue and saw a sign in the front window that said "NOW HIRING". Yep - you got it. She came into Nicollet County Bank and applied because she saw the sign at Erbert and Gerberts. Now, that's down right scary! What's scarier is that we hired her! Serves us right...

And two steps back...

Hey! Remember how Mollie was forever banned from sleeping on my bed once I got my new comforter set? It didn't take long at all to change her bad habits and I was feeling rather smug about it. This morning marked the 5th day in a row that I had to yell at her to get off the bed. What the heck is going on in that pointy little head of hers? I blame Katie - I think Mollie is acting out because of Katie being gone. After I got her off the bed this morning, she went back into my bedroom and all was quiet. I thought to myself "You little *&$^, how dare you?" as I sneaked into the bedroom to see what she was doing. It was too dark, so I had to turn on the light. There were three cats laying on the bed - but no dog. There was no dog standing in front of the window looking outside, either. I found her curled up on the floor by my bathroom door, laying on top of my "show" pillows that I throw on the floor each night. The look on her face was kind of like "I AM NOT on the bed, so just shut up". I am not sure who the winner is...

WORKING IS FUN - NOT!

So, this has been an interesting week at the bank... We have a very large farm operation that raises hogs. Right now, most hog farmers are losing money big time because the cost of corn has gone up so much. That means it is costing more than it is worth to feed each hog - to the point that they lose around $40 for every hog they sell. Seems kinda dumb to keep raising them, doesn't it? Anyhooo - this big operation is applying for another loan, with a government guarantee. That means that I have to type up all their financial information all over again, even though we just did it at year end. Monday I did all the forms that could be done on my typewriter and gave them back to Ken. Tuesday, he gave me the file back and I did all the forms that I could do that were set up on my computer. He took the file back mid-morning because he needed to work on it again. When I got the file back around lunchtime, the typed financial documents were missing. I was pretty sure that I didn't lose them, but I searched my desk and every other file that I had used. I even emptied the shredding box and went through each piece of paper one by one to make sure I didn't get them mixed up with the shredding. Grrr... I told Ken they were missing and that I believed he had them last. Of course, he couldn't find them. I imagined that I would have to retype everything I had already completed. Thankfully, he left a message on the machine last night that he found them - and basically, it was all his fault. I wasn't even mad - I was just relieved to know I didn't have to do them again. At least it shows he is not as perfect as he seems...

Oh TV God

Oh TV god, what did I do to make you mad?
You were clear and crisp one minute and then you faded bad.

Is it me, or are you getting fainter by the show segment?
Please don't fizzle out until I get a replacement.

Oh TV god, you disgrace me.
You don't even have DVD hook up...nor Wii.

I promise to send you to a good home...
As long as you can make it through my next show.

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.

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?

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.

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!!

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.

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.

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!

We are slowing down...

Wow - Seems like we really aren't blogging as often as we should. I suppose that is because we are the phone with each other instead. So... I really know nothing. People think I am strange that I washed the basement floor before the Culligan man came yesterday. And speaking of the Culligan man, Jeff reports that he was here for over 1/2 hour with tool box in hand. I am pretty sure the main problem was the fact that we didn't have any salt... Anyhow, I heard it generate last night, but the water was still pretty gross this morning. I am sure that is because we need to use up what is in the water heater/pipes first. I have high hopes for tomorrow. I don't know how Katie can handle having hard water at school - a person can't even work up a lather in the shower! Yucko!

Other than that, I know very little. Sick of snow and cold and rain. Am hoping against hope that the weather is decent for Sunday, so we don't have to worry about water proofing Katie's belongings. Boo!