Branson Trip

Well, we are back from our Branson trip this evening. We had a great time. Bob A. and I asked Phyllis F. to go with us and we really enjoyed ourselves. We spent Friday at Silver Dollar City and Saturday at Branson Landing shopping. We stopped at Joplin on our way home late afternoon and had dinner/lunch at a new restaurant. I will have to tell you what it is later after I can remember the name. We didn't take as many photos as we had meant to but do have just a few we took at Branson Landing. I will post them here. When I got home I noticed my hybrid Iris had begun to bloom. We are expecting storms tomorrow and perhaps tonight so they may be torn to pieces by tomorrow so I took some photos this evening.

We rode the train at Silver Dollar City. Phyllis had never done that. Of course anyone who has been there knows the train robbers try to rob the train. I got this long photo of them. I hope you can make them out. Also there is a photo of my Iris bed before the storm ruins it.

Long Messy Thursday

What a mess today was. I worked but that was not the worst part. The newspaper neglected to run the story of our library meeting for Living the Questions group and at first I thought we might as well cancel. The majority of our people though wanted to have the meeting anyhow and just invite friends to join us. I called the newspaper and they agreed to run the story on Saturday. That won't do a lot of good though since the meeting is Sunday evening. All afternoon the meeting was on again and off again. The man that was going to host it got disgusted with the constant changes and stopped answering his cell when I tried to call to arrange to deliver the DVD for the meeting.

I finally took it by to another couple since Bob A. and Phyllis F. and I are leaving at 6:30 in the morning for Branson. I don't know whether he will do it or not. If not, I may have to do it myself or we can move the meeting to Jack and Marilyn's. It's a mess and I am leaving town and cannot resolve the dilemma. Someone else will have to do that.

Wednesday For Lunch

My brother-in-law called a minute ago and wants to meet for lunch today. I had not heard from him in a couple of days so we will catch up on the news. It looks like it's going to rain.

In fact, it's supposed to rain in Branson Friday and Saturday too. We will have to take our umbrellas Friday.

I will go to Independence tomorrow morning at 7:00 to get my hair done before work. I will have to leave here at 6:30.

Yesterday Santorum bowed out of the presidential race. He didn't have a chance of getting the nomination anyhow and if by some chance he did get elected, it would be another disaster like Bush II. Neither of them are bright enough to be president. I always thought Cheney was the force behind the Bush presidency.

I need to leave for work so there will be more later on today.

When I got my newspaper this noon, I discovered that my news story about the "Saving Jesus" class had not been published. I called the paper (it is only published twice a week) and told them about it. The class is to be held at the library community room on Sunday evening and is open to the public. Unfortunately, they have no way to know it's being held now so we will have to cancel it. That's the second time that newspaper has dropped the ball for me. I tried to submit a news story announcing the Lenten luncheons last month and that story never made the paper either. Luckily, the ministers had announced it to their congregations so it had good attendance...no thanks to the Journal. I didn't complain for that reason. But this is a different matter. Saturday's paper will be too late.

Wet Tuesday

Today it may rain. We had storm warnings last night although the storms went west of us. I had gone to bed at 8:30, very tired. Then my cell phone, which I leave beside my bed, started beeping from nexia, a program that elerts us to any local problems including the weather. It appears the weekend we have planned to go to Branson will be a rainy one...at least here. I will check the weather for Branson on my computer. I am hoping they will not have the same weather.

Today, I will attend the Salvation Army luncheon at the First Baptist Church at noon. I bought a ticket last month.

Tonight I have the library board meeting at the library at 5:00. I get off work at 4:00 so that shouldn't be a problem.

I mowed last night and the yard looks nice. I had trimmed on Saturday so I won't have to do that.

More later...

I attended my library board meeting tonight and was elected secretary. I had been standing in for the secretary when he was unable to attend. I did not want the job. I just got out of the ministerial alliance's secretary job after ten years.

I'll try it for awhile but may give it back to him.

It turned out to be a beautiful day with no rain.

Monday Again

I always dread Monday when I have to go back to work. They have not had enough to keep me busy lately and I have had to just "make work". One of my co-workers is on vacation until Wednesday so maybe I can use his scanner to scan traffic tickets.

I felt very good about my weekend. I got my pressure washer put together by myself. That's really phenomenal since I am not mechanically inclined. Then I pressure washed my patio and got the loose paint washed off it. Now I will do it again soon as my maple trees stop dropping their seeds. Then I will paint that floor with cement paint. I will also pressure wash the front walk that leads to my front door and paint it too. Little by little I will get my projects finished.

It helped so much that my son-in-law and daughter got my new garbage disposal installed. That was one thing I couldn't do myself.

I have several other big projects. I want to paint my back fence. It has been five years and it really needs some help in the form of paint. I also want to paint my mailbox and the trim on my house. That may not get done until fall. I still want to strip the wallpaper off my kitchen and paint it too but as long as I'm working this many hours, I simply cannot do it. The hard part will be pulling the stove out from the wall to paint that wall.

Easter Sunday

It's Easter and my daughter and Melissa have planned a special service for Easter. I have no idea what it is but I'm sure it will be good.

I have no other plans for today.

There is no newspaper today so while I usually sit here at the kitchen breakfast bar and read the Sunday Paper, if I want one today I'll have to go buy a USA Today or Tulsa World.

I slept later this morning. I got up at 6:00 instead of 5:00. I will fix some oatmeal for my breakfast. I am still slowly losing weight. I don't cook anymore and I have lost fifteen pounds since Bob died almost two years ago. I usually wear a ten but now I am down to an eight.

Everyone have a great Easter today!

My son-in-law came over after church this afternoon and installed my new garbage disposal. I was delighted. I was going to bite the bullet and call a plumber. My daughter said I shouldn't. She said I had only asked them to do one thing for me since Bob died and that was to haul off some limbs Bob A. and I had cut out of the tree in my backyard. So today, after lunch, he and my daughter came over and he installed that new garbage disposal. I was going to have him look at the air filter on my mower too but I didn't have the heart to ask. I also wanted him to dig up a Rose of Sharon that had grown into my peony bed. I didn't have the heart to ask him to do that either. So I did it myself.

Here are some photos before and after.

It is amazing what an old woman can do for herself when she puts her mind to it though. :)