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Saturday, July 12, 2008
Ugh! Can't Sleep!
I have had the worst time sleeping this past week. Much of it is because my shoulder is painful, and I just can't get comfortable, but I don't think that's the entire reason. Come two thirty or three, my body screams "It's time to get up! Get up, get up, GET UP!!" So, I do.
Last night Brock called at two thirty, and I couldn't get back to sleep afterwards. He had five minutes left on his calling card, so wanted to call and say hello. He said "If I can't sleep, you can't either." Brat. He's doing fine, still not at his final destination with his unit, but making his way there. From what I gather he and the other four he's with are gathering supplies. I don't quite get it, because - Hello! People have been stationed there for years, could they possibly be so low on supplies it's taking a month to gather them all?
Thursday evening Hub stubbed his toe on the couch. He was grimacing and I felt terrible for him. He's battered and bruised. I really need to learn to sympathize from a distance, because last night I stubbed the same toe, on the same corner of the couch! I'm bruised up into my foot, swollen, and wow - it really hurts. It's no shocker, I've broken my pinkie toe on one side or the other at least seven times. But this one may be the crowning glory, because it's above the toe, so if anything is broken it's up in the foot, not the toe itself. I'll see how it goes. Hopefully it's just a very bad bruise. If the swelling or bruising doesn't get any better I'll consider having it looked at. Otherwise, it's limp and learn.
We got a good rain Thursday night. The weather station is claiming it's the "Wettest" monsoon storm we've had in over a decade. Ok. I'll take their word for it. The back yard is flooded, and a portion of the interstate had to be closed for several hours as it was under three feet of water. The washes were running rapid, and of course several "Stupid drivers" had to be rescued. I'm not name calling. Arizona really does have a "Stupid Driver Law." If you are stupid enough to drive through a wash marked as "ROAD CLOSED" and have to be rescued, you'll be paying for the rescue under the Stupid Driver Law. We're supposed to get more rain today, and then we have a chance of rain through Wednesday.
We needed the rain, but I don't think it's going to save my corn plants. The tomatoes didn't survive the 17 days of 110+ temperatures. I'm down to one cucumber plant, one crook neck squash plant, and the dying corn. Sigh. I think gardening is the thing I miss most of all.
dklars at 5:55:05 AM MDT
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Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Sunsets and Lightening
All photos © KGL2008
Same pic with a PSP filter ...
    
dklars at 8:14:43 PM MDT
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The Trial ... and Verdict
The trial ended last week, I just needed this whole time to regain control of my brain. I think it leaked out my ears and onto the courtroom floor due to all the liars on the witness stand!
I started the whole thing being so trusting, thinking that taking an oath actually meant the witnesses wouldn't commit perjury. After the second witness testified, and his story was completely different than the first witness (They were boyfriend and girlfriend at the time, too. He was also up for a murder charge in the same case, but plea bargained. How could their stories differ so greatly?? Liars!) my good faith was waning. I have no hesitation in saying every single person who was at the scene of the crime and testified in this trial told lies on the witness stand. Every. Single. One.
Just briefly - it was a murder trial, with two counts of aggravated assault thrown in. There were so many holes, so many missing witnesses, and three missing smoking guns. It was truly hard to decipher the whole case with so much missing, but under the law, there was no way we could find him not guilty with the evidence, testimony from the experts and police, and what the witnesses "said" happened. Every person involved was an alcoholic or drug abuser. The lawyers on both sides went so far as to say two of the witnesses were "Crack Whores." Direct quote there. The defense attorney even called one of them a "Crack Ho" which nearly made me pass out because I was trying so hard not to bust out in laughter. Seeing such a suave and debonair elderly gentleman calling a witness a crack ho was more than my sensibilities could handle! The prosecuting attorney made each and every juror upset with some antics she pulled in her final argument, and several jurors were planning on complaining to the appropriate authorities. If I get a juror's survey, I will probably mention her antics, as well.
One of the "Crack Whores" (should whore be capitalized? Is it a title worthy of caps?) actually was subpoenaed and failed to appear, so she was arrested and drug into court wearing shackles and handcuffs. She literally fell asleep between, and even during, questioning. Each and every question had to be asked at least twice, because she had to be awakened so often. It was her fiance that had been murdered, you'd think she'd want to testify against the defendant. Her problem, though, she said, was "This whole thing is ruining my street cred." She was more concerned about people thinking she was a snitch, and therefore they were not fronting/selling her drugs any more. How very, very sad is that?
Picture entry coming right up. No quote today. Murderers don't deserve quotes.
dklars at 8:01:26 PM MDT
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Saturday, June 28, 2008
Stunned!
I was forced to go shopping for new clothes today. Almost every decent pair of shorts I own need to be held up by a belt, and I've reached the last notch on the belt, so even that isn't working any more.
I need a smaller size.
I was just planning on picking up a few pair of cheap shorts at WallyWorld. I picked out four pair and carted them to the fitting room. Too big. If I took my hands away, they fell down.
Got two sizes, smaller. Too big. As I have not been blessed with hips, nothing was staying on. I finally grabbed a few pair of size 14, and a 12. No "W" after that 14, either. I'm literally in shock, thinking I'm on "Punked" or something. The fourteens fit, and not tightly! The twelves, fit, too, but I'm not counting those, they have an elastic waist. I shed a few tears in the dressing room. and again when I was trying to tell Hub about it. I probably should have tried on the 12's, because I don't even have to unzip these to put them on.
I have not worn a 14 since I was in middle school.
A 14!
No, it's still not "Small." It's small for me, though.
Now I need to get over my irrational fear of clothing touching my upper body. I still buy tops that are too large on top.
The trial is nearing it's end. We're hoping to start deliberating Tuesday. I'm really going to miss the others on the jury! Every day we have taken turns on bringing in food for every one. Fruit, nuts, cakes, cookies, breads. I had no idea jury service would be so much fun, and mentally draining at the same time.
Four days ago as we were getting out of court we had am unexpected monsoon storm. Lightening struck in the Gila River Bottom, and it immediately burst into flames. The mesquite and cedar ash are like kindling, and cause thick black smoke. I thought the smoke was actually a cloud coming off the mountain, but it kept getting darker, and larger, and I realized it was smoke. I took some pictures of it from home that night, (And one from my car ... sshhh) and a few today. It's moving south, having burned over 2500 acres now. It's still an active fire, and the winds aren't helping at all.
This is from my back yard ... the back of the smoke cloud the first night ....
And this is from my front yard, the front of the smoke cloud. All the darkness is the smoke cloud.
And today, the smoke is less obvious, but still there. 
A few garden snapshots before I call it an entry ...
Quote of the Day:
A spark neglected makes a mighty fire.
~Robert Herrick
dklars at 7:56:42 PM MDT
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Monday, June 23, 2008
Overwhelmed
June 14, 2008
Yesterday I was totally overwhelmed at work. I am days and days behind in my charting, firstly. It sucks. I hate having work stacked up that I can't seem to get to. It's annoying, not to mention messing my desk up!
June 23, 2008
Well, I wrote that nine days ago, and haven't been back to finish the entry since then. I did finally catch up on my charting, and get my desk cleaned off. I was in court two days last week, and caught up on all the work I missed those two days relatively quickly on Friday past. This week I'll be in court four days, so I imagine I will have a huge stack of catch up work when I go in on Friday. Thankfully the schedule isn't jammed packed (so far) so Doc and his wife shouldn't have too much trouble while I'm away. It's the phone calls that need returning, the scripts that need renewing, and the paperwork that comes in that is really the mess of it all. The charting is fairly easy to get caught up on, it's all the other little things that add up to one huge conundrum.
The trial is fairly interesting, but :::Wiping brow::: it sure is taxing on the brain to have to pay such close attention to details! I come home wiped out (Of course, the air conditioner not working in my car, and 115ºF days might be a contributing factor in the feeling of being wiped out!!) and all I really want to do is go to bed for the night. Seriously, I didn't think sitting in a court room all day would be grounds for exhaustion, but that seems to be the case. (Ha! Did you catch all the unintentional legal references in that?) I can't wait to give some details of the case, but I can't say anything at all until we are through with deliberations. We are no where close to deliberating, either.
I enjoy all the people on the jury with me. We laugh a lot, and all get along quite well. There's some comfort in being locked in a room with your peers when it's actually enjoyable and not a royal PITA. The hardest part of this whole ordeal is the driving downtown. I've done quite well, though, and learned which streets are one way, and the escape route home is fairly easy to maneuver. Thank goodness. There's a parking garage for the jurors, and then a shuttle bus picks you up and delivers you to the court house.
It's a bit shocking to see how many homeless people live downtown. Some of them hang out around the courthouse and ask for money. If one is observant, you can see the little hovels they have created while riding the jury bus. A few towels and blankets on the ground in a shady corner. A shopping cart serving as a catch-all to hold all their worldly possessions. Sad, really. How they survive the summer living outdoors in this heat is a mystery.
Hub's sister and husband did end up coming to visit for the day, and we had fun catching up. We all went out to eat for an early dinner later in the day, and then they headed off to Tucson.
MitMarie's house isn't as bad as my mind had let it become. Their house got struck by lightening, and their air conditioner caught fire. There was lots of smoke and water damage. She said it will be up to two months before they can move back in. The entire house has to be rewired. I'm sure she appreciated all your prayers.
So, every other day the situation with Dee and the children changes. Last I heard they ARE moving here. I can't keep up. They asked if we can drive over and get their dogs, but I don't see it in the cards with the way gas prices are hiking up. Besides, we can't drive my van that far (It's getting up there in years. I have an elderly van) and who wants to drive all that way without air conditioning in the heat of the southwestern summer? Not me. Two pit bulls, me and the hub in the cab of a truck doesn't sound at all enjoyable to me. I think this all came about because if she flies the dogs they (the dogs) will have to change flights, and she doesn't want that. They're dogs. They can handle it. So, I have no idea if they are really coming back or not, I'm not going to get my hopes up until they are on the ground in Phoenix. I miss those babies so much!
Today my son leaves for the middle east. I'm going to start getting a care package ready for him, to include presents for his 23rd birthday, which was Friday. He'll have his laptop with him, so hopefully he'll be able to get online every so often and we can write regularly.
I've got to finish getting ready for court!
Quote of the Day:
The trouble with the laws these days is that criminals know their rights better than their wrongs.
~Author Unknown
dklars at 8:56:14 AM MDT
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Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Jury Duty
Ugh! I survived driving downtown and the L-O-N-G drawn out process of jury selection. I also was chosen to be a juror in the Supreme Court for a trial that will last about a month. I texted the boss last night (He is on vacation) and he hasn't answered. He's probably in shock and wondering what he's going to do - who will take my place - while I'm out. I tried in vain to explain there's no one but me and the doc, no one to cover for me, but the judge wasn't having it. Luckily it's not every day, at least for the first two weeks. I have to go in today, again, but not 'til a little later. In a way, it's kind of exciting, but on the other hand, I feel like I'm leaving the boss in a lurch. I don't know how I'll recover the lost wages - the court will cover some of the wages, I hear, but we (The jurors) were a little lost on how that works, even though we asked questions about it. We'll see in the end, I guess.
I have to say, I had to speak twice yesterday, and I overcame my fear of public speaking. The last time I was in court for jury duty, my voice was cracking and I was shaking like a leaf just stating my name and occupation, and reason I felt I should be excused (No one to cover for me at work.) but yesterday I spoke clearly, no shaking and no cracking of the ole vocal chords. I'm not saying I'm ready to become a public speaker, but at least I got through yesterday.
If you don't see any comments from me in your journals, or emails, or posts from me, you'll know why. I will try to keep up, I just might not be able to read all your journals, or comment if I do.
Just got a text from the boss, and all it said was "K Thx" I hope he's not pissed at me. I really did try to get out of it. He's back to work tomorrow, flying home today, and I will be at work tomorrow and Friday. Ugh. I hate being the person who is causing strife!
MitMarie's house caught on fire! I don't know all the details, as she texted while I was in court and said she'd call later or send an email, but I haven't heard back. It must have been quite damaging, as she is staying with her sister. I wish I lived closer so I could help out - have a fund raiser or something. People here will have car washes to pay for funerals, I'm sure they'd come to a "Restock the house after a fire" car wash. But it wouldn't bode well since she doesn't live here. I don't even know if the house is still standing! I hate not knowing. Maybe it's a sign that she needs to just move here! There are two houses on the street for sale (Cheap, as the housing market is horrible) so come on down!
I can't remember if I mentioned Dee and the kids will not be moving here when Brock goes to the middle east. I was a little down about it, I was so looking forward to being able to spend time with the grandbabies. She did say they will be in town for Gavin's birthday in September, though. Hallelujah!
So this morning I got up early (As usual) and scrubbed the floor underneath all the counters, cleaned the super dirty vents under the fridge, wiped down all the cabinets, and now I need to finish mopping. I made hamburger buns for our dinner, and I've got a loaf of white bread started. I need to find something to wear to court, see if it needs ironing.
Hub's sister was supposed to be in town this weekend, but I have no idea if they are still coming or not. A month or so ago she said she and her husband were flying in to Phoenix, then renting a car to go down and see her son in Tucson - he's newly married and just got stationed down at the AirForceBase.
I've got to get moving again.
Quote of the Day:
Justice is incidental to law and order.
~John Edgar Hoover
dklars at 9:47:38 AM MDT
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Monday, June 9, 2008
You'll Never Guess ....
The pool is FINALLY done draining! (It's ankle high in the deep end. Done draining in my book.) Gee, it only took 3.5 days!
So much so say, so little time. I have some photos I took this weekend, too, that I'll probably post. Maybe later, if not then, tomorrow after jury duty.
dklars at 7:57:49 PM MDT
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Friday, June 6, 2008
"Too Longer"
When Brock was tiny, if something was taking a long time, he'd say (Whine) "It's taking too longer!!" That's how I feel today. I'm draining the pool completely. I took the water up to my local pool store yesterday to get the water tested, I couldn't keep the chlorine level up, and the pH was way too high. The clerks eyebrows raised while he was checking my sample, and I said "Uh oh! Eyebrows raising like that is never a good sign!" He laughed and, as if he were telling me "It's OK to go toward the light," he said ... "It's time." Nodding his head, he simply said again, "It's time." I understood. It was time to drain the pool. How I understood, I'm not sure. He did one more test, pouring the water into a little cup that looked to be sitting on a miniature scale. Shaking his head again he gave me the results, talking in hushed tones so other customers wouldn't hear the morose details. "Your particulate rate is off the charts. My machine won't even register the results." Darting his eyes around the store he whispered "The particulates are all the chemical remains, dead skin and body oils. I'm so sorry." I thought I was going to hurl thinking about swimming around in dead skin cells and body oils.
We opted to buy a water pump instead of rent one (They didn't rent them, and I was not looking forward to finding somewhere that did rent them.) See all that scale on the pool? The white ring around the tile? Twenty dollars to buy the supplies to remove that. The vent cap needed replacing, too, so by the time I left the pool store I was armed and ready to tackle draining, and then cleaning, the pool ... and broke. I started draining at eight thirty this morning. It's one thirty, and it's only diminished by a few inches. See? TOO LONGER!
Ran out this morning to make the deposit for work, and stopped in at the pharmacy in search of a "PedEgg." Heard of them? I have a slougher but it doesn't work very well, and I've heard nothing but good stuff about the "PedEgg." On the back of the package it shows a person emptying their "PedEgg" and a whole lot of dead foot gunk was shown in the picture, and I thought "No Way!!" I did one foot, and .... Way! That thing removes the hard callused skin better than anything I've ever tried before. (I think I've tried them all!) Maybe if I keep my feet in shape it will keep some of the dead skin cells from floating around in the pool water?!
The tomatoes are doing quite well on the north side of the house. Hopefully I'll actually have too many tomatoes this year. I want to can some spaghetti sauce, but I never get "Too many" tomatoes, much less "Just enough," or even "A few." I've never had such hard luck growing tomatoes as I do in the desert. Gee. Maybe the "Desert" part has something to do with it? It makes me feel like a very poor gardener! 
The corn is up and growing, too, and it would be so awesome to be able to go out and pick a few ears for dinner. I have to utilize that crab boil, ya know! My last attempt at growing corn yielded ... one ear of baby corn. The kind you find in Asain cooking. Yeah. Gardening here tends to suck. I haven't the foggiest idea why year after year I keep trying. A smart one would have given up after the third of fourth year. This is my 11th year trying.
Anyone have a good recipe for Chimichurri? Pass it my way if you do, else I will have to look one up on FoodNetwork.
Tomorrow is grocery day - Oh Joy! I hear the angels heralding as I type. Such a joyous occasion.
I think I need to work on my sarcasm issues.
I've been addicted to three things lately (Aside from my frozen grapes.) FoodNetwork, TruTV, and the remote control so I can flip between the two channels. It was barbeque week last week on FoodNetwork and Oh. My. Salivary glands! It made me want to rush out and buy a pork shoulder and some ribs. Oh. And a smoker. I've smoked meat before on the grill, but it would be nice to have an actual smoker. I might have to look into the price on a small one. I think Weber makes a fairly cheap model. Mmmmmmmm. Ribs. (Think Homer)
Last weekend we stopped by the KennyChesney concert. We saw Gary Allen sing, and then Sammy Hagar. (He was always on my "Dream sheet") I'm glad I never saw him in concert when I was younger. He'd have been scratched off the dream list pronto. Man has no moves! Anyway, the ac were horrible!! Couldn't understand the singer, even if you knew the words. We had tickets to another event, so we left the concert without seeing KeithUrban, and KennyChesney - which was no problem for me. I like listening to Kenny, but I can't stand watching him. His eyes and mouth bug the living heebie jeebies out of me. Keith - eh-- could take him or leave him. I really loved the people-watching though. I wish I would have had a camera at that time.
I do want to go back to the arena where the concert was, though. (The AZ Cardinals stadium) It is like a little city around the stadium, with very cool architecture. I want to go down and take pictures. There's a JohhnyRocket's there, too, that Hub wants to check out.
I'm off to watch the pool drain. (Just kidding.)
 
Quote of the Day:
People do not die for us immediately, but remain bathed in a sort of aura of life which bears no relation to true immortality but through which they continue to occupy our thoughts in the same way as when they were alive. It is as though they were traveling abroad.
~Marcel Proust
dklars at 3:06:56 PM MDT
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Memorial
Granny's memorial service will be this coming Monday, and I will be unable to attend. The ticket to get to either Atlanta (Where I could drive up with my sister, Mom and sister in law) or to the Philly area (Where I could drive the remainder of the way with my cousin and her family) is much more than we can afford at the moment. It saddens me that I'll be unable to be with my family at this time - Granny was the matriarch - the only remaining grandparent - it's just part of life when you are not well endowed in the Bank of Mom and Dad.
While we were all fairly well prepared for Granny's passing, as she's been unwell for some time, it's never easy to say goodbye to someone. I don't really think of her as "Gone" though. She's just in a much better place, where she will be pain free, and able to watch over her family, blessing us as is needed. (Believe me, it's always needed!) I think what will please my Grandmother most of all is being able to look after those of us who weren't able to see her these past few years since she became ill. Previously, she'd travel to be with us, but was unable to do so once she began having trouble with her legs. She'll get to "See" her great great grandchildren. I know she was heartbroken to never be close enough to hold them.
Family was always very important to Granny. She was always considerate in her gift giving, selecting her presents with great thought and pride. I suppose that's why losing some of the jewelry she had given me in the burglary was a hard pill to swallow. It hurts even more now that she's passed to the other side.
Oh my, the stories Granny Dot would tell. She was a very interesting person. She was a model at one time, and her legs appeared on a billboard in Times Square. (I believe, at one time, her legs were also superimposed on another model's body, for another billboard.) She was on the cover of Collier's magazine several times. My sister is in possession of those covers now. What a treasure! She and my grandfather were friends with JoeDiMaggio* during (And after) his marriage to MarilynMonroe*. Granny swears the reason for the divorce was Joe's desire for children, and Marilyn's desire to not be a mother. (Just as well, I suppose.) Granny cared for her elderly mother for many years, and I always remember her being a wonderful caretaker. She kept Nanny in yarn for her knitting, or thread for her marvelous crocheted doilies. There was always a fresh box of peppermint patties in Nanny's nightstand drawer, too. (I think Nanny went through them so quickly because she gave them all to her great grandchildren!) Granny cared for her until she was no longer able to, and Nanny had to be put in a nursing home, where she eventually passed away. Granny swore she'd never end up in a nursing home, "Left to die" like her mother. Where do you suppose Granny passed away? At the very same nursing home my Nanny died in. There was no other option, however, as Granny needed the doctors and nurses to care for her. It couldn't be done by my aunt and cousins - her needs were just to great to be sent home, or to someone else's home.
Granny lived alone until she was 96. I'd say that was a great feat in and of itself. She never wanted to be a burden to anyone. My aunt had to finally stop taking Granny for a license renewal as she tended to drive with a lead foot. She tried six or seven times to renew her license before my aunt had to tell her "No more." Granny swore up and down it was the testers fault, not her own. The tester "had it in for her" because she was old. Having a lead foot in the mountainous area she lived in could never be a good thing. We were all quite relieved to know she could no longer drive, but Granny was not. She hated having to call someone for a ride, or use the cab service. (Though she was quite happy she could call a cab and go any where for three dollars with the seniors discount.) She was quite independent until well into her nineties.
When the kids were little, she'd knit matching sweaters for them, or send outfits that matched, along with a few toys that they never really seemed to be interested in. They knew when a package was from her, as she was heavy on the tape use. It was like getting in to Fort Knox trying to open her boxes. The kids nicknamed her "The Tape Queen." She got a good laugh out of that, and would often call and identify herself as 'The Tape Queen" if they answered the phone.
Granny came to visit me once while Hub was overseas for a few months. We didn't have a spare bedroom, so she slept with me in my room. One night we were getting ready for bed, and she was talking about sex, and an incident that happened soon after she and my grandfather got married. It's quite a funny story, but not one I can relate in a public forum. We were laughing so hard it was like being at a slumber party in high school. Before she rolled over to go to sleep she giggled and said "The night (Hub) comes back, please call me. I want to wear earplugs to bed that night, because you'll be flying across the room screaming in orgasms and I don't want to hear it all the way in Pennsylvania!" Hee! She was a character!
There are so many more stories I could wax poetic about, but I'll save those for some other time.
Rest in blissful peace, my lovely Tape Queen.
* Names typed without spaces so searches for them on the Internet won't end up here.
dklars at 11:00:22 AM MDT
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Tuesday, June 3, 2008
If You're the Praying Kind ....
Please send up a little prayer for Dot, the newest Angel in heaven, my Granny. She had 97 great years on this earth. I appreciate it.
dklars at 9:55:56 PM MDT
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