Last night I dreamed that I was laying in bed and Tom was next to me sleeping and a train was going along right next to our house. I could see it out the window and I started thinking 'if this train derails, it would fall right into our house because it's so close already'. Right then, the train broke in half and the cars in the back started piling up in our bedroom. It was awful!

I think this comes from the feeling that I am being derailed at every turn with the house repairs, work, insurance company, contractors, etc. Everywhere I turn there is some sort of road block that I have to deal with. I hate all of this.....why can't things be easy? I am tired.....sick and tired.

I have left numerous messages for my adjuster to call me. He hasn't. I have sent emails, no response. Now I think I will ask for his boss. Maybe that will get results.

WHAAAAAAAA, WHAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!

Thank you all for the support with my problem with my JERK neighbor. He and his family was gone all weekend (apparently to the races), so it was nice and quiet all weekend! How wonderful!

Tom mowed grass most of the weekend, trimmed trees and such as that. He stayed in the yard most of the time. It was soooooooo hot!!! 102 degrees Saturday and it was about the same Sunday. We had no rain again. Our plants and trees need rain so badly, but we just seem to keep getting bypassed.

As of today, I have 32 working days left before retirement. It amazes me how little time I have left to have to work. Tom keeps saying he wants me to continue working, but of course, I am not. I just look at him like he has two heads when he says that kind of stuff.

I have THINGS TO DO when I retire! I won't have time to go to work! The Nerve!

Today I am trying to think of things for which to be grateful. Before I tell you my gratefuls, I will tell you a member of my extended family needs lots of prayers. It's my daughter's brother-n-law. His name is Aaron.

Aaron is 24 years old and a newly wed with a new baby on the way. Last week on Memorial Day, the entire family went to their camp in Mississippi. They had not been there since the hurricane last year and there was a LOT of debris that needed cleaning. Each one of them had their own area to clean up and were all working together to get that done.

Aaron had the porch to clean up and there was apparently a lot of mouse droppings, etc. on that porch. He cleaned and swept the area. By Wednesday he started feeling badly and had to leave work early. Thursday he was worse and by Friday went to the doctor. The doc said he had a urinary track infection and put him on antibiotics. By Saturday he was feeling much worse and at about midnight that night he asked his wife to bring him to the hospital. They went to the tiny local hospital (a very rural area) and the hospital admitted him. His breathing was compromised and his organs were inlarged, like the liver, spleen, gall bladder, etc. All of his blood counts were in the abnormal range.

On Sunday night, his breathing had gotten more labored and he was transferred by ambulance to a bigger hospital in a nearby city. He was progressively getting worse. His kidneys were not functioning properly, breathing continually worsened. By Monday morning he had to be put on a ventilator. He has continued to hold on since being put on the ventilator, but now the ventilator is breathing for him 100% whereas earlier in the week he was still taking breaths on his own. His kidneys are still not functioning well and still all of his other organs are affected. His is in congestive heart failure also.

The doctors are thinking he has something called Hantavirus which you get from mice, ticks, etc. I had never heard of it before. This is one very sick young man who has a lot of life yet to live. Please everyone who reads this, please say a prayer for Aaron, that he may heal and be here when his baby is born and be able to be a father to that child. He wants that so very much.

Gratefuls:
1) that there are so many people out there praying for Aaron.
2) that I only have 64 days left before retirement.
3) I am grateful for all those who love me in spite of me.
4) My pool is up and running and it's not going to rain this weekend.
5) my three little dogs that give me kisses and hugs every day when I get home from work.

I think I am going to live afterall. My burned skin is somewhat turning brown. The purple parts are still pretty purple and those are the parts that will peel in big sheets. I need Daisy's family down here to peel me. She cringes at that thought. But it feels good to me.

It's Monday and I am back at work. I have 67 days left till retirement and I am chomping at the bit. I am so ready to get out of here.

After pulling my hair out for several weeks, I finally talked to a contractor this morning and I think he will be doing the work on my house. What a relief. He said as soon as I get the appraisal back from the Mr. Appraisal and Mr. Insurance, he can start work on my house. He is also a member at the company where I picked out my flooring and carpet so that won't be a problem for me or for him. Looks like the wheels are starting to turn around here again. Maybe my house will be in order before I retire afterall.

My Mom will be moving in with us around the end of the year or the beginning of next year so I need to have all this stuff done and completed before she starts moving her stuff in her end of the house. She will have her own wing, so she (as she says) can hide if she wants to. I am looking forward to having Mom with us. It will give me some company when Tom is at work and he does work a LOT. Mom and I can work on crafts and stuff together, watch movies, of course watch the soaps, etc. We have never had that kind of time to spend together. I hope it all works out for us and especially for Mom. I want so much for her to be comfortable living with us and still be able to keep some of her independence.

Yes, summertime is definitely here and the sun is very mean! My best buddy came over yesterday and we were out at/in the pool for about 5 hours. I am burned. I know better than that, but time flew by so fast, by the time I FELT the sun on my body, it was tooooooooo late.

Today I look like this sunburned gecko. Isn't he cute? I can tell you this, if he feels like I do, he is one miserable gecko. I don't usually let myself do this and I could kick my own butt for doing it this time. More skin damage anyone? Yes, me me me me! Am I an idiot or what?

Today I can't even step outside in the heat, much less get in the sun. As soon as I go outside (had to go get the dogs inside) I feel the burning sensation. People should wear sunscreen you know. I didn't. Smart, right?

Now I will go off an suffer in silence. Have a nice day.

I am ready for the summer now. I have my pool set up and filled with water and am treating it with the start-up chemicals. I am so ready to just flop down on my Molly Brown float and relax! Now, this, of course, is not MY picture on the float, but of one of those beauties they show in the ads to make you want to purchase one. I am 'just a tad' more round than the woman in this pic. But who cares. I enjoy my pool and that's what counts.

So anyone who wants to join me in a nice relaxing float for a while, come on over to my house. I am usually by myself in the pool. Tom doesn't fool with it much, so I just enjoy it all by myself and that's ok too! I turn on the radio, jump on the raft, watch the white fluffy clouds overhead and the birds flying so high I can hardly see them. I wonder if they have oxygen up there.......I guess so or they wouldn't be up there in the first place, eh? That cloud looks like a duck.......and that one looks like an elephant.....oh no, his trunk is disappearing and now it is taking the shape of a dog with floppy ears. Aaahhhhhh, so relaxing!

Well it's getting closer and closer to retirement. I can hardly stand it. 71 more days. 45 working days. That part stresses me, because I have so much to do at work before my 45 working days is up. I guess I shouldn't even worry about it because, at this point, I am not supposed to even care....but I do.

My house is still in chaos. Nothing has been done yet to get this show moving. Neither I, nor the insurance company has been able to get in touch with the contractor that is supposed to be making the repairs to my home. Sooooooooo, Mr. Insurance sent an appraiser to my house on Monday (Memorial Day) to try to come up with a cost of repair. Mr. Appraiser was very nice and will hopefully give us a good price so we can start hiring Mr. Somebodies to FIX OUR HOUSE! Living on concrete floors is getting to be the pits. I have already picked out my new floor tiles and carpet, so I am just waiting for someone to say "GO!". Mr. Insurance is getting antsy too. It's costing them more money every day this goes on. Maybe he will say "go!" soon. I sure hope so. At this point, all I can do is, as my brother says, "wait for somebody to call my name". Boy! Is he right about THAT!

Well folks, I need to get to work, so I will see you guys again soon. Have a great day!