Manic Monday- - Clouds

It is now Monday and the start of another week, hopefully one that doesn't include ice.

The Manic Monday topic is "Clouds". I have had a very hard time deciding which picture I wanted to post for this topic. I love watching clouds. Storm clouds to me are amazing. Seeing clouds from an airplane was the most awesome thing I've ever seen. I have taken pictures of the clouds sooooooo many times, I couldn't possibly count them all. So I decided to post a few of my favorites. I hope you enjoy them. And, of course, if you want to see what others have posted about the topic of clouds, then browse on over to the Manic Monday site.....the link is in my sidebar.

The Ice Is Gone

For the past week we have had ice and snow. I have heard the sound of tree limbs falling to the ground for days. Alot of people have been without electricity and water. All the area schools have been closed. Several counties in our area still have people without electricity. The kids have enjoyed it, but I think we were all glad to see the sun shine today. The temperature went up and the ice began to melt. People were out cleaning up the tree limbs in their yards. And, there were alot of them to be cleaned up. Our whole community looks like a tornado has gone through it.

I was driving to the bank today, the sun was shining and I was glad to see the shadows on the ground. I'm sure all the electric company crews were glad to see the sun shining and the warmer temperatures too.

I couldn't resist taking a few pictures as I drove. I needed some pictures for my Shadow Shot Sunday post. If you would like to see some other shadow shots head over to Hey Harriet. (her link is in my side bar)

Girls really do love taking pictures. My daughter and her friends went outside yesterday to do just that. I have to admit, most of the time they get some good shots.

The weather man is saying we could get more snow on Monday. I think this time it is just going to be snow. Hopefully everyone will have their power back on before the next round of winter weather.

We Have Ice AND Snow

Well the weather man said it was coming and this time he got it right.
We received about 3/4 inch of ice. The temperature went up a little and the precipitation changed over to rain. Then the temperature went down again, the rain that had fallen froze and the snow started. We got about 1/2 inch of snow today on top of all the ice.
I took this picture yesterday morning. These are power lines in our back yard.
Our power was out yesterday morning for about 4 hours. It has gone off a few other times, but comes back on after a few minutes. Our cell phones were out most of the day yesterday. We had no signal at all. Finally last night our signals returned. Lindsey was more concerned about not having the usage of her phone than she was about having electricity. She is a true teenager......
She has enjoyed being out of school, for sure.
Peanut was confussed by the ice. The tree limbs breaking and making noise as they fell was driving him nuts. He would bark and carry on. So finally we let him look out the window so he could see what was going on.
Michael and I prepared for the weather by bringing home things from the office that we could work on. So we have had the leisure of sleeping in, but still getting work completed. I like this working at home stuff. I can cook and do laundry and still get documents and letters typed and ready to go out in the mail. I can even do this in my pj's if I want. Heck, let it snow.........
Here are a few more pictures around our house.
This picture is of one of the trees in our back yard. As you can see power lines go right through it. I was so afraid that the limbs were going to take out the lines, but back in the fall, the electric company came out and trimed the tree limbs around all the power lines. I guess it helped.










This is the light on our back patio.


This is looking down the street, today alot of the limbs on these trees are in the road and the neighbors yard.

This tree is in our front yard. I took this picture yesterday. This morning, I think there is about as many limbs in the yard as there are on the tree.
I went to the mail box and was afraid to walk through the yard, as I normally do. Ice and limbs keep falling.
A couple of our neighbors have parked their cars in our driveway because of all the downed tree limbs.
Michael moved my car from the place I usually park it in, thank goodness, because there is a tree limb were my car usually sits.

Waiting For The Snow, Or Ice.....

Check out other Manic Monday post at:

http://www.manicmeme.com/

The weather man is predicting that we will have a mixture of sleet and snow beginning Monday night into Tuesday and then chances of snow the rest of the week. Lindsey says it probably won't do anything, because everytime she thinks she will be out of school due to snow, it doesn't happen. All the surrounding county schools close, but Warren doesn't.

So we are waiting for the snow..........

I don't mind the snow. The ice, sleet and freezing rain I can live without. It is pretty on the trees and such, but usually the power goes out and that is not fun at all. The snow I can handle, it's pretty also, but traffic can at least move a bit easier and with less danger, the kids get out of school, we can sleep in a bit (not that I sleep), and we can take a break from the same old everyday routine.

I'll have to post some pictures if it happens, so be sure to check back.

A World Of Shadows

I must say, that since my post last Sunday, I have learned to look a bit more closely at my surrondings. Things that I see everyday have taken on a new look for me. I never realized just how much our world is filled with shadows. Having said that.....on to my Shadow Shot Sunday.

This picture was taken atop the lighthouse at Hunting Island State Park.
You can see the entrance to the lighthouse at the bottom of the picture.

Hunting Island State Park is a beautiful beach in South Carolina. It is a 5,000 acre park and has 5 miles of beach. It's a place where you can truly "find yourself again". The Park is located 16 miles from Beaufort and around 56 miles from Savannah.

Being the "Lighthouse Gal" that I am, I truly loved climbing to the top and enjoying the view.

If you like collecting shells, this is the place to visit. I've never seen so many shells on a beach in my life. I even found a sand dollar and the locals that I talked to said that it is very common to find them at low tide.

I hoped to see some of the loggerhead turtles that are also supposed to be common there, but I did not.

Anyway, this is my post for Shadow Shot Sunday......
I hope you enjoy it and I look forward to reading your comments.
Have a good week all.......

Feels Like A Monday

My days are all mixed up, I guess because the kids were out of school yesterday. It has felt like Monday to me all day.
Maybe I am just out of sync because, yet again I have a sinus infection.
Like always, it starts as allergies and goes into an infection. Hopefully my antibiotic will kick in soon.

At least I have been able to stay home and rest today. Michael has been out of town all day in depositions so it has given me the day off......I was truly glad too. Peanut and I have watched the Presidential Inauguration and festivities. My main job today has been to hold the couch down. I've done a very good job too.....

I'd also like to thank all who posted comments on my Shadow Shot Sunday picture.
I hope you will check in often and post your comments.

My First Shadow Shot Sunday

This is my Shadow Shot Sunday entry.

It was taken on the Bratcher Farm in Ohio County Kentucky. The pond is really pretty and the girls like being out there.

I've been following a couple of blogs with some really neat shadow pictures on them and I thought I'd join in on the fun.

Hopefully I will have a chance to enter often.

An Update From Bowling Green

I know I haven't posted in awhile.
I do have to say that I am so glad I am not working at Target anymore.
Not having to work retail during the holidays was great. Ten years of retail was enough for me.
Now I can wear something besides red and khaki.

I am enjoying my new job.
I still don't think of myself as a Legal Assistant.....or a Paralegal, but I'm enjoying it.

At first I was so intimated by the whole office setting. Having had no office training other than a high school typing class.


The fax machine,









the printer,









the credit card machine,








the copier,

the business computer programs.... it was scary.

But, as is usually the case, the fear of the unknown and the worries of making dumb mistakes was unfounded. It is not that difficult. Granted, I have had plenty to learn and I have made my share of silly mistakes. (Like filing original documents in our client's file instead of at the courthouse). As for the office machinery........they have been a piece of cake to learn to operate. I have actually shown the others in the office how to use certain functions they knew nothing about, like the sort button on the copier.
The main thing is to not be intimadated, use your common sense, remember that help buttons are there for a reason, Google can answer many questions, and if these things don't work....ask someone else.

The Farm

These are some pictures that were taken the weekend after Thanksgiving.
We gathered together on the Bratcher Farm in Ohio County. We had a good lunch and a great visit.
Clif and Eva look happy to have us all there.



Even Peanut and Duke had a good time together.





After lunch the kids decided to go outside and toss the football around.

Dan and Pam took advantage of the relatively warm weather to get out and enjoy the scenery.

The pond makes a great back ground for pictures, so we had to take advantage of that.

Lindsey's friend Natalia went along with us.





It was a nice day!

How Thankful Are You?

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!!

Here are a few little quizes that I found and thought you might enjoy too.........

http://www.blogthings.com/howthankfulareyouquiz/

I was 73% Thankful.

http://www.blogthings.com/whatkindofshopperareyouquiz/

This quiz sure pegged me right.

"You Are a Discount Shopper.
You love to get things as cheaply as possible. You live for sales.It's partially because you like to save money, but it's also because you like the thrill of finding a fabulous deal.Of all the types, you tend to shop frequently but rarely by. You keep an eye on prices.Brand names are not that important to you. You know how to have style without collecting designer tags."

http://www.blogthings.com/quizzes/?topic=christmas


For those of you that are heading out to the stores tomorrow for all those Black Friday deals, HAVE FUN. As for me, I choose to STAY AT HOME!!!! For the first time in ten years, I don't HAVE to be in the midst of the madness!!! I can sleep in and do my shopping another day. Yaaaayyyy!!!!!!!

Mama

It's hard to believe that it has been 16 years........

I miss her alot, but know that she is still with me in my heart.

And, I must admit in my head quite often, as I hear her words when I do things that she would fuss about. (like serve food from the pot instead of pouring it into a bowl). I remember lots of things that she used to say to us when we were growing up, I love saying them to Lindsey and remembering Mama!!!

I am so very glad that we did the suprise party for her. It was a difficult thing to put together without her catching on to what we were doing, but sooooo worth it!!

She enjoyed it alot!

I have been looking through some pictures tonight and I thought I would share some that I came across. I hope they remind you of Mom and are a comfort to you the way they have been to me.

Outsmarting A Puppy

I knew that having a puppy in the house was going to be alot of work, with having to house break him, teach him when it's play time and when it's not, what he can chew on and so on....

The thing I did not consider was the fact that it was going to be quite a challenge to keep him in one room at night or while we are gone. I thought the laundry room would be the perfect room for him. It has a tile floor, no carpet and it is a good size room so he has some room to move around. We put some newspapers down for him to potty on and he has his water bowl in there too. The room is just off of the kitchen and has a door that leads to the back yard, but it does not have a door leading into the kitchen, only a doorway. So we had to block the doorway to keep him in there. I didn't really think that it would be difficult to do this. He's small and there is a step down as you enter the room, so just place something in front of the doorway and, presto, he's in there until we want him out. At first we didn't have a gate, so for a few days we had to use what we had available in the house. Which was one of the floor cushions that we have, they fit perfectly in the doorway, all we had to do was find something to place behind it to hold it in place. This worked for a few days, then we had to resort to using some wooden boards that he could not push over. Finally I bought a baby gate and that worked for almost two weeks. We came home the other night and found him up on the couch and the gate was properly in place. I was the one that put him in the laundry room before we left. So I thought maybe I put the gate up, but didn't put him in the room. Didn't really think that much about it, being as I tend to do those kinds of things sometimes. (You know, go in to the kitchen to get something only to forget what you came in there for once you reach the kitchen.) Anyway, last night I put him in the laundry room, and began my normal routine of picking things up and turning off lights and such before going to bed. Peanut usually barks and whimpers for a few minutes until the house gets quiet and then he settles down in his little bed and goes to sleep. I could hear him doing just that and payed no attention to him. But then here comes Peanut trotting along into the living room. I thought maybe he had knocked the gate over, so I check. The gate was in place.

So I put him back into the laundry room and hid just out of his sight to see how he was getting out.

The little stinker has learned how to climb up and over the gate.

Smart little doggy!

So now I have to wedge the floor cushion up against the gate to keep him in. The cushion is a bit taller than the gate and he can't get over it.

We will see how long this will keep him in the room.

Having A Me Day

It's a peaceful day........The sound of silence fills the house. The only noise to be heard is the puppy running across the hardwood floor or his slight growl as he tugs on one of his chew toys.
Michael is out of town, Lindsey is at school and I am enjoying the silence. No t.v., no radio, just Quiet! Soon the house will be filled with the sound of music, tv, the voices of my family, but for now I will enjoy the quiet. Maybe I'll get some cleaning and laundry taken care of while there are no distractions. No one saying I need or I want this or that.

Don't get me wrong, I Love my family dearly, but sometimes I do love the peace and quiet. The ME time. Time to do what I want to do. If I want to clean...I clean. If I want to play on the computer......I play on the computer. If I want to watch tv......I watch tv. If I want to sleep......I sleep, and so on........

So for now I am having a ME DAY. A rejunvination of me. So that when my family returns this afternoon and evening, I will be relaxed and can enjoy their company.

Meet Peanut

We finally bought a dog. We have been searching the newspaper and online for quite awhile. We had been looking to find a Yorkie, but they are quite expensive and we could not find one of them that we could afford. We saw an ad in the newspaper that said they had puppies for sale, they didn't say what kind of puppies, so we called. We ended up going to the lady's house to look at the dogs. She had alot of dogs......We ended up buying one of them.





The Peekapoo. A cross between a Pekingese and a Poodle. He is very small (about 3 pounds) and will not grow to be much bigger than what he is now. His mother is only about 10 pounds and his father is a small dog also. He is only about 12 weeks old and we are in the process of housebreaking him. He seems to be doing pretty well. He has only had a couple of accidents.
















As you can see from the pictures here he is going to be one spoiled little dog.












I'm sure you will see him in future post. I'll have to update as he grows and learns to do new things.

WKU Incident

Wednesday, October 22, 2008---The scariest day of my life.

12:30 p.m. Central time A text message goes out stating that armed men had been seen on the south campus, which is also known as Bowling Green Community College and is separated from the university’s main campus. That area is soon surrounded by police.

12:44 p.m. The campus emergency management system announces to all students on both the south and main campus that there is “an immediate danger” throughout both campuses and they “should seek shelter.” The outside alarms are sounded.

About this time I get a phone call from my sister asking me if I have heard about an incident at Western and if I have heard from Adam. Within minutes, the radio that I was listening to began to talk about reports of a gunman on Western's Campus. I franticly begin texting my son, he usually responds to my texts rather quickly. But I got NO response. I called......his phone went straight to voicemail.

12:47 p.m Students receive an e-mail message saying that an “incident involving guns” had been reported.

I turn on the tv and the local station has a reporter at South Campus. They are also talking about possible gunshots. I begin to panic, because I can't get a response from my son.

12:52 p.m. University officials send another broadcast e-mail message saying that shots were reportedly fired at the Pearce-Ford Tower. The building is the largest dorm on campus, with 24 floors of student housing and a food court.

I begin calling the Alumni office, to see if Adam is there. I know that he goes to work inbetween classes sometimes and I think maybe he is there. The phone rings and then gives me a message saying that they can't answer the phone at this time to leave a message. I try calling Adam's cell phone...still no answer. I leave a message.

I stay glued to the radio, tv and internet all at the same time, hoping to hear updates as to what is happening on Western's Campus. I also continue trying to reach my son. Calling his phone and the Alumni office. But still am not able to get any response.

Finally one of Adam's friends calls me and tells me that he has talked to Adam online and that he is is lockdown at DUC (Downing University Center) and that he is okay. He says that he and everyone else are having trouble getting their cell phones to work, so they are sending messages to their families online. Oh my goodness was I relieved. Still I want to hear my son's voice, but knowing that someone has heard from him was sure wonderful news.

3:07 p.m. The all clear was given.

Adam called me as soon as he was able to leave DUC. I was soooo very glad to hear his voice. So many bad thoughts had been running through my mind, with all the school shootings that have happened. Adam said that it was frightening when he got the text message saying "Shots fired at PFT take cover immediately!" and just a few minutes later they were told to stay away from doors and windows and to remain in one certain area of the building. Also knowing that PFT (Pierce Ford Tower) is only about a block away from where he is, had to be scary.

Thank God everything turned out alright. And I commend WKU for taking things seriously and for having the emergency systems in place to keep their students, staff and parents alerted as to what is taking place.

Even today Gary Ransdall, President of the University sent out an email message to parents and students regarding the incident. The following is what he had to say:

Dear Parents of WKU Students:

As I am sure you are now aware, WKU officials initiated our Emergency Notification System yesterday to notify students, faculty, and staff that a dangerous situation existed on our campus between 11:25 a.m. and 3:07 p.m. We advised all individuals on campus to remain inside while law enforcement authorities brought the situation under control.
What we now know is that a fight occurred between a small group of students on our South Campus, which houses our Community College and is located on Nashville Road about a mile from the main campus. When police were called, the same individuals involved in that fight went to an area on the main campus near their residence hall and, once again, began to fight with one another. Reports to 911 indicated that individuals saw a fight and one heard a gun shot on the main campus and that prompted us to immediately notify the campus of a dangerous situation. Despite this, police have been unable to substantiate that guns were present or that shots were fired.
A number of students who observed the fight have been questioned. Five individuals were taken into custody yesterday afternoon, questioned, and released. Police continue to investigate. Once the individuals involved in this altercation are found, they will be subject to the campus judiciary process.
The good news is that our campus emergency notification system worked well. Following reports of the first incident, everyone across the campus was notified by text message to stay clear of the South Campus area. The South Campus was quickly secured by law enforcement authorities. Following the 911 call to report a second incident, police were on the scene immediately. The emergency notification system, which includes emergency text messages, emails, an outdoor voice warning system and postings on the WKU website, was then used to advise all on the campus to remain indoors until police issued an “all clear,” which they did at 3:07 p.m.
Our staff in Student Affairs, Public Affairs, and Information Technology communicated effectively and thoughtfully but with sufficient patience to ensure valid information. I am proud of the manner in which we responded and ensured a secure environment until actual information could be validated. As a parent, you should know that we will always err on the side of caution in such matters.
The message I am conveying to all of our students, and it is a message that has become commonplace in our society, is that aggressive behavior has consequences which often go beyond the individual parties involved. Steps will be taken to ensure safety for the uninvolved when individuals use physical action and threaten one another. We must assume that any such situation could escalate, and we cannot allow that to occur.
We also live in times where it is difficult to control exaggerated information. We will always take steps to communicate and then sort through what is fact and what is not fact in each situation.
We are working directly with our Campus Police and the Bowling Green City Police to increase patrol across campus and throughout our community. I want you to know that if we ever do find a weapon on a person on our campus, we will expel that student or dismiss that employee. So far we have no reason to believe that such a circumstance exists, but we will be diligent in maintaining a safe and secure campus environment.
Thank you for the opportunity to communicate with you. WKU values the safety of every single member of the WKU family, especially your sons and daughters who make up our student body.
Thank you.
Dr. Gary A. Ransdell President, Western Kentucky University

Storm Repairs

Michael has two houses in Louisville and during the recent storm (Hurricane Ike) both of his houses had trees down. One fell across the driveway and wasn't a major deal to remove, but the other house was a different story.






As you can see from the pictures, it was a rather large tree. It fell on one side of the house and caused quite a bit of damage, mainly to one of the windows. These kinds of repairs are always costly. The thing that I was most shocked about was the cost of removing the tree.



It cost $8,000 to have this tree removed. I know it wasn't an easy task and that it was a big tree. I realize it had to be braced so that it would not move while it was being cut away from the house. I am sure that it took some time to get the job done, but $8,000. WOW!!

No wonder insurance is so high.

Anyway, the tree has been removed, the window will be replaced and the other repairs will be made. Then the insurance company will probably raise the rates. What can you do?

Sinus Infection....Again

Anybody out there in the market for a sinus infection........
I've got one that I would LOVE to GIVE AWAY!!!!!
I am on my 4th round of anti-biotic.
I have taken 2 rounds of Arithromyacin or (Z-Pack).
Then I was given 20 days worth of Amoxicillin ,about half way through it I got worse.
Now I am taking Ceclor for 20 days.
That is not counting the Depo-Medrol shots that I have been given.
Yesterday I got a double dose shot. Surely I will get better now.
I do have to say that the shots help. I usually feel better after getting one of them.
My muscles always hurt more than normal when I am ill and the shots help my muscles not to ache so much which helps me to feel better, or it could be that I usually sleep ALOT after getting a shot which helps too. Maybe it's the combination of the two.......all I know is the shot helps.
If anybody else out there is suffering from allergy/sinus stuff right now......I feel for you!
Hopefully I will be WELL SOON!!!!
Take Care All.