Mental BLOG ...pages, actual BLOG...not so much.

The last several weeks have been very hectic for our little family group. We are , my mother 78, my husband 65 and myself 53. Our home was listed for sale July 29 for showing. There were 2 showings by realtors prior to the actual start showing date by special request which we allowed. Then there were 2 showings on Monday 7/29, 2 showings on Tuesday 7/ 30, 3 showings on 7/31 and then 1 on 8/1. The evening of 8/1, our relator called to say we had a couple of bids. One was for asking price but we cover closing costs and the other was for $2100. more and we share closing costs. We opted for the one that afforded us a bit more money. The buyer wants to close on the house on August 30. That could work but will leave us homeless for a short time. We are trying to negotiate a lease back program with the buyer for a couple of weeks after closing. No response yet.

 

Since we ordered the new carpet and had it installed about a month ago, we have being in full flung packing mode. Though I have still been working as much as I can, I still have been taking more time off than usual to assist Mike with the packing. We may have gotten carried away as we boxed up a great deal of stuff prior to the carpet being installed.  Packed all those boxes in the shed and then started getting serious about getting more of the household stuff packaged. Perhaps we have come to the point of being overly aggressive about packing. Last night, after finishing up for the day, I had a nice bottle of Chianti chilled in the refrigerator. Got it out and ...no corkscrew!! guess I will have to go get a new one I packed a good part of the kitchen utensils that I thought we wouldn't need that much for the next few months. I have no doubt that I will have other situations where I packed some gadget or other that I could use. We will just have to make do. With the exception of the garage and the stuff we use everyday, bedroom, living room, dining room & some kitchen stuff, we are about 85% packed and loaded. Yes, loaded, also. We have a 28' ABF freight pup semi trailer sitting in our driveway. WE started loading it Wednesday and now after 3 days of stacking high and tight, we have it packed back 14-15 feet back floor to ceiling , sided to side. We have installed 3 dividers of sheets of plywood just to stabilize and secure items from shifting and /or falling during the transport to New Mexico.

 

Things are for the most part falling into order. There may be a gap between when we have to vacate this home and before the new one is ready. If so, it may be challenging but not impossible. The priorities over the next few months include, taking care of mom and making sure she has all she needs and is not left alone more than a few hours at a time. She can stay by herself a good part of the day but needs to be reminded when to take meds and eat, and have those provided for her. If it turns out that there is going to be too much of a gap between getting out of this house and getting into the new house, we may move all to NM and set Mike and mom up in a motel and I will have to come back here to finish my work up till my vacation starting 10/4.  That leads right up to my retirement of 11/1. I still have some FMLA time left and may try to use that to get out of here sooner but only if the new home is up in place and ready to move in. If the new home is not ready, I can use some of the free motel reward stays earned from work for mom and Mike and I can work for a few more weeks for the extra money.  So many "what if's??" Just have to work one step to the next then the next till all is settled in.

 

I spend hours mentally writing or creating blogs, stories or even working on my family historical novel. I think I have written 10,000 pages in my head. Sadly though, not quite any where near that many on paper or should I say digitally? This retirement is anxiously awaited. I only fear that I will try to do far too much in the first few days, weeks, months and even years. I must pace myself. For 30 years now, I have always been on someone else's schedule and time restraints. It is anticipated that I will enjoy getting up in the morning and knowing that I do not have to jump into a truck and drive 500 miles, crawl into bed in a second rate motel just to get up and do it again 3-6 times a week.



An opinion just like everyone else

The recent jury decision in the Zimmerman /  Martin case came down a couple of days ago. Though, I am sure this whole case is far from over. I am not real familiar with the legal system but feel that there will be other cases stemming from this. First the civil case of wrongful death, much ;like the O.J. Simpson case. Even though found not guilty by a jury, a civil suit rendered a somewhat different  conclusion. They found O.J. liable for the death and gave a cash value award to the family of Nicole. Of course they were not able to fully collect as he then manipulated money to avoid paying the penalty. Fortunately, "Karma" or fate or divine intervention came around and left O.J. sitting behind bars, finally.
With social media, I am seeing so many varied opinions on the results of the Zimmerman / Martin case. People jumping to conclusions one way or another. Mostly people that little more information than the general public and what the "mainstream" media has peace meal fed to the everyone. Depending on your news source, you either get a slanted story portraying one or the other as the "fine upstanding" person full of goodwill and charity. The other one is portrayed as evil, up to no good troublemaker. Each version applies the same characteristics to each of them as they wish to demonstrate how the opinion that particular news outlet wishes the public to perceive them.
I wasn't there, and the ones that were close to the scene are offering sketchy narratives. No definitive testimony or proof fully tells the whole story. Each of the characters in this story will have to one day stand before the final True Judge, God. Then they will receive their justice, which one? I have no idea. All I know is that I am tired of hearing about this case. Was it racism? Was it "Stand your ground"? Could it have just been two people in the wrong place at the wrong time in a wrong frame of mind being mixed in fate's blender? What if's will be the headlining stories over the next few days. I think it is just another case which we, the general public will never know the answer to. Speculation only adds flames to a heated debate and can put rifts between friendships if you allow it.

family contacts

This morning I had another e-mail from a very distant relative in Germany. Through the Ancestry.com site and my online subscription, I have several online trees posted and open for public view. By the way, these trees are privatized. Privatized means if it has been 100 years or less since your reported birthdate and no death date has been reported, your information is not viewed publicly. That keeps personal information private so no one can see any information about a living individual without their permission. I take everyone's identity serious and take all measures to ensure identity theft is not ian issue. Sadly, it is identity thieves that make getting research information harder and harder to obtain.

I have many family members here that have asked for family information and I gladly share the ancestors information but not any on the living individuals without their specific consent. There are many cousins and cousins cousins ect. many may know of this family branch or that buit not the whole picture. Some relatives choose to remain somewhat annonymous and I honor those wishes. Others want to "over share" a little too much information. As a sort of self appointed family historian for the Clark side and a minor historian for the Wilz side, I get information from fmaily memebrs and add that to the ever continuing family tree.

I actually have several trees going at present. I need to consolidate them and sort through, re-organize and discard a great deal of information I have obtained over the last few years. It seems that my intrest in the family tree project and even the book I am working on move into and out of priority. At present, I am somewhat focused on a number of things that do not include family tree. With the upcoming retirement and subsequent move getting closer, I have been concentrating on organizing stuff, packing, fixing up and planning for new.

We, my husband Mike, my mother and myself are going to be moving in October. That means we are also fixing and selling this house in Irving, sorting and packing stuff here and making the plans for a new home and garage in New Mexico. I am also still trying to work full time ( or close to it) with getting runs delayed or cancelled. My job driving a truck keeps me away from home for periods of 28-48 hours at a time. There isn't much you can do while driving down the road..except drive down the road. Mike is retired and he can do some stuff while I am gone. Mom doesn't do a lot, she is getting pretty frail and her hands have started to atrophy a little from not using them as much as she should.

Back to the trees, I have received a letter from  a guy in Germany that is related through my Great-Grandmothers family. I am not sure of the exact relationship but we have common ancestors. I find that making contact with distant relatives is somewhat gratifying.  Finding others with the same family heritage often gives a little different perspective on the lives of our ancestors. For instance, This relative in Germany, 1) How did his family end up in Germany or my branch end up in Russia prior to WWI? 2) Why does one branch of a family pull up stakes and travel halfway around the earth for a new life, and the remainder stay in the Home country? 3) Are there any family resemblences/ traits common in both branches of families? 4) What were the religious, political or social positions of the various families? Just a few points to consider when delving into an extensive family tree across generations and countries and philosophies.

A basement in New Mexico

To begin, let me say that my heart and prayers go out for the people of Oklahoma that have endured and lost so much in recent days. I have many relatives in the area and haven't been able to contact very many so far. I am optimistic that they are doing well. Many people survived the destruction by being able to go into a safe room, storm sellar or basement.
In light of that, I wonder why building a home over a basement would be such an uncommon thing in New Mexico. New Mexico has on occasion had tornados over the years. Those were admittedly not anywhere near the strength of a Category 4 or 5 but more in the line of 1 or 2.
All over Kansas and Oklahoma, "Tornado Alley", there are many homes with basements. Even mobile homes can be set up over basements and often are. Yet, in New Mexico, the mention of a basement seems to only get questioning looks and responses.

We had been planning on having a basement built and a home built over it. That has been set to the wayside. Not gonna happen. then the idea of getting a modular or mobile home and having it set over a basement was the second plan. That, too seems to be a pipe dream. Our intention was to have a safe room for security as well as a secure gun room. Again, not going to happen. Perhaps after we get our home set up and moved in, we can build a cellar/basement on our own. Maybe with access through the garage or shop. That will have to be determined later.

Concerns about my own "carbon footprint"

I have never really been a "tree hugger" type person. I have however, been a person concious of the environment and my general surroundings as well as my personal effect on those surroundings.

I have some cousins that are much more in tune with the environmental issues of today. I think that their lifestyles and personal notes on social media sites have made me more aware of those same issues.

I know that my job is not very "green" but I also know that my company as well as many other trucking companies are diligently trying to adjust their fossil fuel usage as well as producing fewer amounts of pollutants. Yes, there are more and more restrictions on diesel engine trucks and that prompts the companies to respond with better emmission standards for their vehicles. It doesn't however, seem to place similar restrictions on the diesels found in railroad engines. That is a contradiction , in my opinioin, since our government subsidises the railroads a great deal through financial assistance, fuel cost incentives and tax breaks.

The trucking companies are following the newer federal and state guidelines out of necessity. These guidelines are also helping the "bottom line" as it seems that making the vehicles more fuel efficient and less polluting also makes them more economical. One of the simplest yet surely one of the financially frugal rules concerns idling. Since the implementation of diesel engines, they have been manufactured to withstand being run continuously for hours, even days.

During colder weather or on much colder climates, it was not incommon for a truck to remain running for days. Diesel fuel doesn't react to vey cold conditions very well unless you have additives that ensure it will not "gel". When diesel  sits still gets so cold, it becomes thick and is not easlily pumped through the system to be ignited. Once diesel is gelled, it can take hours and a great deal of work or vendor expense to get it back into servicable condition. While the diesel remains running, the simple vibrations  and heat produced by the engine can usually keep the fuel from gelling unless very drastic confitions exist.

Modern refining process produce a cleaner burning more stable product. Idling restrictions make for cleaner air and cleaner running vehicles. Drivers are being more aware of the implications of excessive idling on the environment. Companies are being more diligent in encouraging employees to be more conservative with their vehicles. All of these work towards a cleaner environment and less expensive mode of transportation of goods,

This is the floorplan for the home I think we are going to get. I am very exited and just love the size of this one. The kitchen and living area are great. The "breakfast bar" serving counter is superb. The closet for the master bedroom is the size of our smaller bedrooms in our house now. The smaller bedrooms in this model are the size of our living room now. It is going to be such a change...such a good change! Just the thought of getting so much of my stuff out of storage for display or use makes me happy. I have several antiques and many, many nic-nacs to show off. There's  my grandmothers china, my formal dining room with 80" table and china closet. And then there is the thought of decorating something from scratch, no one else's influence to have determined colors or schemes or anything, I am sure I will be digging out my sewing machine and making curtains and drapes.

Mom says she wants her room to be blue. That is not one of the paint options available from the manufacturer but I can certainly paint it before we get all the furniture moved in. THis is going to be such an adventure. I just have to try to maintain my composure until November 1, when I officially retire. Or..October 4 when I take my last vacation before retirement.

Just imagining all the things involved in this process will surely keep my imagination going.I don't believe I will have to worry about getting tired when driving. I can count pieces of furniture when trying to go to sleep. So many ideas. Budget! Budget! Budget! I must not let my imagination outrun my checkbook.

My nephew

I had a great visit with my nephew Christopher his wife Kristin their son Troy and Chris' brother Clayton. A very nice family I am proud to call mine. Christopher looks so much like David it makes me miss him that much more. Christopher and Kristin named their son (now 3) Troy. His full name is Troy Albert Lyon. He was named after 2 of his grandfathers. I know that was such an honor for dad. Fortunately, dad (Troy) got to meet little Troy before he passed. I know it made him very proud that Christopher thought that much of him.

Decisions...decisions

Well, yesterday proved to not be as fulfilling as anticipated. The home we had hoped to have built was just too far out of our budget and to downsize it to an affordable amount would have left us with far less than we wanted.  It was an interesting adventure trying to design a home with the HGTV program for building ang landscaping.

Right now, it looks like we are going the route of a Solitaire home. They are very well built and maybe even better built that a dsite built home as they have to be engineered to withstand a trip down the highway. Mike had a Solitaire home many years ago and was very happy with its design and construction, He also had a job or delivering and setting up mobile homes back in the mid 1970's.

Now we have to determine what we are willing and able to spend , not only on the home but on the site preparation, garage and any additional expenses that may arise from this endeavor. We will be adding a new water line from the water meter to the site. We are also going to have to have a new septic tank and line placed. Then there is the slab/pad to set the home up on.  Do we get it dug down 2-2.5 ft. or have the plad put level in the ground?

The garage will probably be about 30'X30'. A nice size for our toys. And then I am sure we will at some point have an additional shop built as necessary. Be sure, though, the shop will not be blocking any views. The views from this location are great in just about every direction. The site the house will be set had been built up for the old house. An area of about 50'X50' sits about 6-8 ft higher that the surrounding ground. This will also enhance any views.

It is time to get busy , ready to go see nephew and his beautiful family.

 

Small town

Yesterday, a lovely Saturday, Mike and I hopped on the motorcycles and went for a little bit longer ride. This was the longest ride he had gone on since having his groin surgery. It went very well. The ride part of the trip, anyway.

Our purpose yesterday was to place some flowers at his mother and grandmother's graves.We went yesterday as we will be on our way back from New Mexico next week for actual calendar Mothers Day.

The plan was to go to Pittsburg, Texas, where there were several flower shops listed. Find such flower shop and purchase a couple of nice arrangements. Then go on out to the cemetery and place those flowers. That part didn't go so well. We found a couple of flower shops, both closed on Sutrday afternoon. We had certainly not anticipated that there would not be any flower shops open on a Saturday afternoon, only a week before Mothers Day. We were disappointed. Fortunately, we found a grocery store with a small amount of fresh flowers. We got a couple of small boquets of roses, one red for Mike's mother and one pink for his grandmother.

Pittsburg, Texas, the home of Bo Pilgrim and Pilgrims Pride chicken products. A small but decent sized town in east Texas. I am pretty sure that in Grants, where we are moving to, finding a flower shop open on Saturday would have been fairly easy. But then again, I am not there to check this out. I know that years ago they were always open on Saturdays. Maybe people just don't purchase flowers as often as they did back then. Maybe some people prefer to get their floral arrangements at the local Wal-Mart or grocery store.

I do no know the reasoning behind a flower shop not being open on  Saturday but would hope that once I get back to Grants, if a need for flowers should arise, I would be able to find them , not only at the Wal-Mart but a real flower shop;.

following followers?

I keep trying to figure out how to find other bloggers that are just here for the fun of it. People that just want to express themselves in whatever manner they see fit.
I think I would find it interesting to read other peoples blogs, their ideas, opinions and thoughts on any number of issues.
I guess I will just keep trying by searching on particular topics that seem interesting and then pursue those blogs if I can.

House design

I have been playing/working with the HGTV program for designing  a home and landscaping it as well. Since we will be moving to New Mexico in October, we have been trying to decide on a home. We had mom and dad's house torn down and hauled off. It had come into such disrepair over the last several years, it would have cost more to remodel than to destroy and start from scratch.

First plan was to go with a modular home. That is one that is built at a factory and then delivered and set up on a foundation much like a mobile trailer house but the axles are removed and it is considered a stationarty home.A modular home has a perimeter frame. Mom wanted us to make sure to have a basement under the house and that became the sticking point. The builder could not find anyone to put a basement in that they could place the home over. With this company, I could design the home and their engineers would go over my plans and adjust as necessary for structure and stability. So that plan was dropped.

The second plan was to go with a double wide mobile home and have it placed over a basement. The company we were going to deal with was Solitaire. Since Mike set mobile homes up as an occupation back in the late 1970's, he knew about the various companies and their products. Solitaire has an outstanding product that is actually better built than most "stick-built" homes as they have to be structurally sound enough to be towed hundreds if not thousands of miles. Again, the issue was the basement. First they said they could place over a basement "IF" 1) we got an architec to design and submit the plans for the basement, 2) their engineers approved the basement design, 3) we  were willing to sign a void to all the warranties that would usually be in place, 4) we could find a crane operator that would lift the home off of the axles and onto the basement. So that choice was also dropped. We are not that thrilled about paying more for the setting up of the home than we pay for the home. We did find a couple of floorplans we really liked at Solitaire.

The next option, the one we are currently working on has run into a couple of snags also but we are not giving up quite yet on the house with a basement idea. We want the basement to be able to build a secure full room gun safe. We also plan on using part of the basement for storage and guest rooms when needed.

The builder we are currently talking to said he spoke to the people at the cement supplier in Grants and they told him that there were several basements in the area that had been abandoned due to having too much water seeping in when getting to about 6-8 ft. deep. I personally find this hard to believe. There was an old well pipe in the back yard that was 252 feet. It was bad water, high in alkalai content. Though there was good water at 90 feet just about 1/4 mile south of the old house. I do not know of any water being only 6-8 feet deep in the area.

The criteria I am trying to include in the drawing on the HGTV program include on the main floor:
a garage 30'X30'
large kitchen
moms bedroom to have a 1/2 bath inside of it
masterbedroom and master bathroom
guest bathroom
guest bedroom
large living room with corner fireplace
plenty of outlets
windows that can easily be secured with decorative iron
I actually find it fun designing the house of my dreams. I have already designed 10 or 12 and each is a bit different. The position of rooms and the views from those rooms are somewhat important. Though there are great views towards every direction, I would like to have my bedroom or kitchen windows facing Mt. Taylor NNE. and the fireplace in the SSW corner of the living room.

Dental insurance

Last Friday, I had a little pain when flossing. Then I started having a little pain on Saturday. By the time I woke up on Monday, the tooth/teeth on my upper left back were very painful.  As I had been off work for almost a week to take mom and Mike to their respective doctor appointments, I intended to go to work on my regular schedule at 6am Tuesday morning. At 2pm on Monday afternoon, the pain was getting worse, so I took several advil and tried to get a dentist appointment. I have not used my dental insurance since the union changed our dental plan in 2011. I usually am very good about taking care of my teeth but this past couple of years has had me focusing on Mike and mom.
The first dentist I stopped by as they are right next door to the pharmacy we use. The receptionist there spent almost 30 on the phone trying to see if they accepted the insurance I have. After all that, they didn't have any openings till Thursday. Then I got online and checked the providers that were klisted on the insurance website. I called one, Monarch Dental. They were able to get me in right away. After x-rays determined I had an abcesses infected tooth. It is the tooth on one end of a bridge. Even though the dental office I was at was listed in the pages of providers, the clerk was unable to confirm my insurance or find out any kind of payment schedule. The dentist I saw wrote me a prescription for pain pills and anti-biotics. She told me that as soon as they could verify the insurance, they would call me and get some kind of treatment started. I didn't hear from them by the end of the business day.
I had planned on going to work at 6am Tueday morning. Then my dispatcher called me at 3:30am and delayed my run until 2:00pm. I got up and was in pain but didn't want to take any more pain pills as I would be driving. When I looked in the mirror, my face was all swollen up on the left side. It was so swollen that my left eye was squinting. I called the dental office and they said they didn't get the needed information from my insurance. I told them I NEEDED an appointment to get this thing taken care of. Then I called my insurance directly and asked them what the deal was with my dental coverage. They said that they had talked to a lady at the dental office and given her all the information needed. I don't know who dropped the ball but someone did. As much as I like time off work, I hate this as now I will have added expense.
Then when I called the dental office after talking to my insurance, they gave me the number of peridontist that is what I need. I called them and what do you know, they were already out of the office. So another day must pass before I can find out when and where I can get the work done.
As it was explained to me, the tooth with the abcess is the rear tooth on a bridge. They are going to have to cut the bridge and remove the tooth then get an implant.
So far I am not happy with the insurance changes. The old policy I had, I could go to whatever dentidt I wanted and they usually paid all of the charges after $50.00 deductible up till $3000.00 then 80% of any charges over that. I had not used any dental insurance since we changed. Maybe if I had used it for a cleaning or some other work, then as an established patient, they would have found it before the problem developed. They would have also been more agreeable to getting me in on an as needded basis. It is all my fault, I let my teeth go for too many other things taking priority.

Bicycle

About 3 weeks ago, I placed my old Schwinn bicycle in the donate stack when I was sorting some stuff in the big shed. Last week, I replaced it with a new 7 speed DBX Crestwood model womens comfort bicycle. I made a few adjustments, raised the seat about 2" and brought the handlebars closer to what I considered to be straight in line with the front tire. I rode about 5 km. about 3 miles. It was the first time I have ridden a bicycle in several years other than a stationary bike at the gym.
I didn't get out and ride much this past week as the weather was crappy and then I had to be here to take mom & Mike to doctors and jsut casically stay busy.
The weather is warming some and I am anxious to get out and ride it some more.

Just another woman at a tire shop

Yesterday, while running errands after bringing Mike home from the doctor, I went by NTB. The NTB shop is about 1/2 block west then 1/4 block south and another 1/2 block west. It's close and convienient. I only went as I needed my tires on the Focus rotated and balanced.
The guys that had worked there before had been very good to Mike and I for our tire needs. There seems to be a whole new batch of employees and managers there. About 20 minutes after I had oredered the service and gave my keys over, I was called to the shop area. The guy that had been working on the car had to show me something. Basically the uneven wear on the  tires was the issue. I had been somewhat neglegent on caring for my vehicle with a great many other things seeming much more important recently. There was indeed uneven wear, minimal but present. Then I was told that I needed new struts / shocks. The cost plus installation and "shop fee" estimate I was given, was $1135.00. Unacceptable. When I told them that I would take care of the shocks my self, they said, " You won't find a better price at any shop". My reply, "I said I would take care of it.!" I guess that the idea that I could do the work myself or even know what parts to buy was out of the question in this guy's mind.
I have been treated this way on many occasions over the last 35 years. It still amazes me, especially when it is younger mechanics/technicians that make those dumba$$ comments. You'd think when it comes to mechanics and "blue collar" occupations, men still see women as the 1950's homemaker.
There, I have vented for today. I feel better now.

Case of helplessness

I have always had a soft place in my heart for animals. Personally I prefer dogs over cats but have not had any dogs since 1994 when I had to give the 2 Border Collies I had away. I was moving to the Dallas area and had no place to keep them and knew the city was no place for such exuberant pets. Those collies were like kids to  me. They had free access through their own door to my house. They slept with me, ate with me, watched television with me and always anxiously awaited my return from work.
Presently, though, we are the caretakers of several stray ferrell cats. The first was Missy. she is a grey and we started seeing her hiding under one of our sheds. So just as a fluke, we got a bag of cat food and started trying to coax her out from under the shed. She came out and even after several months, allowed us to touch and pet her. To this day, though, we can not pick her up. Then she had a litter of kittens. They were also very wild and we never got close to them. They started disappearing, probably killed by other cats or raccoons. A few other strays wandered in and out of our little soup line. Some returning many times and some only a few. Then Missy had another litter. While the kittens were very small, we set out live traps to catch them. We had 2 traps and once several of the kittens were caught, Missy was also trapped. We called the city and they came and got them all. The Animal Control Officer said they would spay Missy and release her somewhere near where she had been caught in about a week. The kittens were sadly, to be destroyed. This was in May of 2009. Mike went on his annual " father/son motorcycle ride" with his son and some friends and their sons. While he was gone, I happened to look out the back door and there sat Missy. She had been spayed and had the tip of one of her ears clipped off. That is how the city indicates that this cat had been fixed.
We continued to feed her and any other strays that may show up from time to time. There have been several arrive at our doorstep in various states of health and growth. Zorro, a larger black male with just a spot of white one his chin and neck. He was a loving cat that from day 1 alllowed us to pick him up and pet him. A very thin yellow male Mike called Rufus and I called Goofus came aroun d pretty regularly then jsut quit showig up. There have ebbn several that we may see eating on the back porch but as soon as they see us, they run off.
This past January, a tiny starving kitten of just a few months was spotted eating out of the bowls on the back porch. He was very fast and we couldn't catch hime by hand. We set the live trap out and caught him. Initially thought it was a her. We then moved the live trap into the garage as it was very cold this January. Then fed him and let him rest and stay warm. We decided to keep and possibly house train him. We took him to the vet and got his shots and a general check-up. Named him and kept hime in the house for a few weeks. Then he got out one day and Mike had a hard time catching him. He now comes and goes as he wants. We have to let him in or out but he has a litter box inside that he uses and he sleeps at the foot of our bed sometimes.
There is another, a female that has her ear clipped. She appearantly has at some time been a house cat. The first day she showed up, she tried to get in the house, no coaxing whatsoever. She is lovey and often lays on Mike or I while we watch television. We call her Rat Cat. She is not playful though we think she was only a few months old when whe wandered up. She also spends the night in the house most of the time.
Now we have a new one, partaking of the free grub. A large yellow male. He may be Goofus all grown up but we are not sure. This cat is very shy and stand offish. He has only allowed us to touch him a few times. He truly needs care thoug as he seems to be a scrapper, only not  a very good one. He has a large open wound near his left ear, often bleeding. He also has several wounds on his neck and sides. There are also a few patches of skin with the hair completely pulled out. He is very comfortable spending the nights in the cat condo Mike built, a 2 room cat house with foam pad and old tee shirt in each. He also stays on the back porch at various times during the day. We want desperately to catch hime to tend to his wounds but he will barely allow us to touch hime now. Whatever he is doing to get these wounds, he keeps doing it. He goes away for a while then returns with more injuries that he had before.
When we move this coming October, we are certainly taking Cowboy, the black male we got shots for. We may also take Rat Cat and get her shots and a check-up. We would like to take Missy but doubt that she will let us catch her to be albe to care for her more than just a free meal. And the yellow ton, he probably won't live till then unless he gets some medical attention and fighting skills.
Moving any or all of them to Grants will be a very radical change for the cats that do go. The temperatures and dryness, the rattlesnales, the coyotes all things that could kill them but hopefully will not.

Huge public events

Yesterday, at the finish line of the Boston Marthon 2 seperate bombs went off. As yet, the reports are sketchy. The news reports say that 2 were killed and many were injured.
Thus far, there has not been any release of information as to who the suspects may be, if any. It doesn't matter, this is truly an act of terror. Terrorists must be punished for these actions, no matter what their agenda, origins, nationality or religion. For all we know, it could have been a bunch of Boston residents upset about the traffic issues associated with the marathon. But I doubt it.
There are acts of terrorism carried out every day all over the world. Unless one pays attention to international unbiased news (Is ther such a thing?), they would not be able to fathom the extent evil activities around the world. As long as there are people that are considered different from other people, whether sex, color, age, religion, national origin, sexual prefrence,or education, it doesn't matter to those that have the intent of violence. These will always be a justified (in their minds). There are people that just feel they must do violence to anyone different from themselves. Basically, there will always be some form of terrorism going on for all time.
We, as a people, must learn to be more tolerant towards others. I truly feel that the people of the United States of America for the most part exhibit the most tolerant lifestyles. True, it has not always been that way. But in the last 225 years, more or less, this nations people have been a part of an ever evolving country. A country that is based on freedom and tolerance.
Tolerance of differences, as long as those differences do not infringe upon the freedoms of others.
We as a nation must be diligent to ensure that our freedoms are protected and that those that would preform acts of terror to  take those freedoms away from us are punished. How can someone from a country of no tolerance be so judgemental of a country that allows its citizens to express their freedoms, even if it includes complaing about the government and its leaders? There are countries around the world that have a zero tolerance towards its own citizens. Those same citizens have very few freedoms and certainly would be punished severly if they were to speak out against the leaders, their military or their laws that inhibit freedom.
We must also consider that terrorists may not always have an agenda, perhaps they are just mentally deficient and incapable of grasping what they are doing. They may not even accept the consequences of their actions.

Actions like these bombs causes one to take pause and wonder about the safety of attending or participating in an event like the Boston Marathon. If fear rules our lives, the trerrorists have already made a small victory. 
Be diligent, if you "SEE SOMETHING, SAY SOMETHING". As a nation, we are still on alert to watch for acts of violence wheter just criminal or actually terroristic in nature.

Moving?? Secure your mattresses!!!

If you are thinking of moving, and doing it yourself, by all means, secure your mattresses and box springs. The damage they can do is unimaginable. I have seen the damage a box springs can do to an 18 wheeler.
The occurance was in El Paso Texas several years ago. Mike and  I were at the El Paso terminal waiting for a load when one of our drivers came in, his truck on a wrecker. The driveline, normally a 3-4" tubular line from the engine to the transmission was about 3' around. A car with a mattress and box spring did not have them securly tied to the roof of the car. The box spring fell off in heavy traffic and the truck driver was unable to avoid hitting it. The chioices were, hit the mattress or hit another vehicle. The driver hit the box spring. It flipped up a bit and a part of the wire caught the driveline and in a matter of seconds, it was completely wrapped aound the driveline. The truck came to a screeching stop and the driver had little control over it.
The reason I mention this topic today is that on a short trip from Irving, TX to Houston, TX and back, I saw 4 mattresses on the highway. 2 in 2 seperate locations and 2 more in one spot with an SUV and a police officer standing there looking at them. This took place  in the Houston proper area, you know, where there are 5 lanes going in each direction. On a Saturday afternoon, the traffic was pretty heavy and moving at a pretty good clip. Fortunately, there were no accidents associated with any of these mattresses today.
Most people have no idea what kind of room is necessary for an 18 wheeler to manouver around a road hazard like a mattress or piece of furniture or just about anything. With far too many people driving distracted, there are more accidents that are the result of one vehicle dodging and another not paying attention.
Distracted driving, drunk driving, poorly maintained vehicles and areas of failing infrastructure like bridges and roads are all culprits an attentive driver must be aware of. I am a bit prideful of the good driving record I have attained. It seems though that each passing day presents more things to watch out for. I will be very glad when I do not have to drive to maintain my lifestyle. I doubt that I will be ever to ever let my guard down and hope that I will always be alert enough to avoid any mishaps on the road while in my personal vehicle or motorcycle.
An image from the internet of a mattress wrapped around a driveline. A rats nest of wires wrapped very tightly.

Movers...us or them or and them?

I have been looking at several sites on the internet to see an approximate cost for the packing and / or moving of our household goods. Most of them won't just give you a ballpark quote. You have to sign up and ok gettting e-mails from them. Then they want to send an estimator to look everything over and then give a better quote.
The options we are looking at:
1.We pack and load everything into / on to our trailers and pickups. Also rent a U-haul type truck. We will have to make a few trips to New Mexico.
2. We pack and load into unit left by company to be placed in storage area and moved by them later.
3. We pack then they load onto unit and move it or store till the move.
4. They come in and pack and load and move to storage then deliver.

Considering we have already started packing some stuff that won't be used before we move, we may choose an option where we pack things and they haul it. Then all we would have to move would be the garage contents and our vehicles. And some of the contents of the storage sheds. We have a 10X12 shed mostly full and a 12X24 two story shed that is also mostly full.

Our vehicles consist of:
1. 1948 Ford F-1 pickup fully restored
2. 1980 Ford F-250 300hp inline 6 pickup being restored
3. 1993 Ford F-250 351hp v-8 pickup extended cab was dads
4. 1993 Ford F-250 7.6 L turbo diesel pickup extended cab mine
5. 2000 Ford F-250  7.6 powerstroke diesel crew cab Mikes
6. 2007 Ford Focus  4 door car
7. 2008 Harley Davidson Ultra~Classic
8. 2009 Harley Davidson Road King
and a yard tractor.

Basically what I am saying is that we definately have too much junk and stuff and even some valuable stuff.

We are getting a few estimates and from that will be able to decide which will work best for us. Not just the money aspect but the time and effort of packing. Mom doesn't do much and her strength is failing and Mike can do alot most of the time unless he has a rheumatoid flare up. And me.. I have to try to act like I am keeping a full time job while missing as much work as I can without jeapordizing my job.

The last several months seemed to drag by slowly. Now they seem to be flying by. Now that it is time to start getting everything taken care of. Packing is only a small part of the equation. There is the getting the house in New Mexico either built or set up, depending on which way we go. Getting the utilities setup there, including laying new water lines and septic system. Getting this house in shape to show. New paint, carpet and a little tender loving care. Getting the yard also in presentable shape.
Got to get busy.

Truck Roadeo .. who knew

Yesterday I competed in a YRC company truck roadeo. A sort of exposition of skills. I placed second in my category. The event amounts to 1) a written test of knowledge of rules and regulations. 2) a pre-trip inspection where a unit has been thouroughly checked by D.O.T. personell and then a set number of items are manipulated tobe wrong or illegal, to be found by the participant and 3) a driving test through a course of several possible road/traffic hazards one migh find during the course of their job driving a truck.
I had not participated in such an event since 1990. It was fun, though there weren't as many as I would have thought participating. The next step is a regiona competition in May. Then providing I do any good at all, I may have the opportunity to go to Naionals. It would be a great honor to even go since this is my final year of driving a truck. I am planning on retiring on November 1 this year.
At the event yesterday, after all the company drivers completed their skills test, the wives and office ladies were allowed to take a hand at driving the course, in a bobtail truck (12ft. box). It was fun and each of the told me how they could not believe the limited visibility for close quarters driving from the drivers seat. Then after the ladies, the Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Officers that were present to judge were taking their turn at driving the course. This little experiment surely gave these people, women and officers a better appreciation of what a blind spot is and hoe easily an automobile can disappear even though within feet of a truck. There are blind zones around a truck that people should be aware of. There are many trucks on the highway with the "skins" advertising the "No Zone" displaying pictures of the positions onear a truck which make it impossible for the truck driver to see you. THe old signs that many trucks used to have on the back of their trailers didn't seem to help much. The signs said "IF YOU CAN'T SEE MY MIRRORS, I CAN'T SEE YOU.".  To this day, I still have vehicles get along side of my trailer in thjat no zone and just hang there. Sadly, now these are too often people that ate texting or driving distracted. They are keeping my trailer in their peripheral vision as a marker so they can pay more attention to their handheld device. THe reason I know this to be true, I have on occasion, hit hte brakes hard, when traffic was not near me except the texter and as soon as I did, they did as well. Then they look all around like "What happened?". It is infuriating to see how manyb people think their texting is far more important than my life or the lives of others around them in traffic.

Blended families

Recently, contact was made by a distant relative of my husbands. The lady that wrote, is the half sister of the daughter of Mike's half brother. Half siblings are much more common today. There were many instances of this in early years of our country, when people often died as young parents. Mostly women died due to copmplications resulting from childbirth. An example would be, Mikes Great-Grandfather. John Franklin Niell married Mary Ann Davis and had 4 children. Shortly after the birth of their 4th child, Mary died. They were on the way to Texas from Georgia on a wagon train. Mary was buried by the wagon trail and the rest went on. Shortly after that, John married Mary's sister. He had 4 young children to care for and make a living and home for. It was common that a man would marry his deceased wife's sister to help with the family more that any love. Just as well, when a man died, usually due to hard work or accident, his widow would marry a male family member of the husband. This ensured the children would be raised by  a whole family. The blended families were out of necessity.
Now, it seems that the blended families are a result of divorce, if marriage ever took place. Too may single women are raising a blended family on her own without the help of the childrens fathers. In far too many cases, there may be many children with a single mother and several different fathers. The old stereotype of a family doesn't exist as much as it should. Too many people have children with no intent of ever marrying. Abuse by step parents seem to be commonplace and it should not be. I am sure there are many families with step-parents that are caring loving people. Publicity only brings the stories of abuse or deaths of children at the hands of those step parents or partners of the parents to light.
Back to the main story I wanted to convey. Mikes father had a family in Arkansas , wife , 2 sons and 2 daughters. He and the childrens mother divorced. He later married Mike's mother and had Mike and 2 sisters. Mike had 2 sisters, 2 half-sisters and 2 half-brothers. The only contact Mike kept was with one half brother until he died in the early 1990's. He and I attempted to, through the internet, make contact with some of the distant family members . Some through the geneaology websites and some by general searches.
We received a letter from a Canadian address inquiring about Mike veing related to certain people. The facts were there that this was in fact a relative. Now we hope to have phone conversations and even a visit. Mike had not seen this particular relative since about 1962. It is exciting for a geneaologist as myself to see these types of family connections made and relationships renewed.

A writer?

Last night I watched a blue ray copy of "The Hobbit". I felt that is paled in comparison to the "Lord of the Rings". I read the Hobbit many years ago and was always amazed at the imagination of J R R Tolkien. I very much liked his works as well as those of Jules Verne. The ability to weave a story from imagination has always intrigued me.

I have often wanted to take pen to paper and put my imagination to words for others. Then when I start, I find that I just do not have the training or technique to produce an inspired product. The imagination, however, I have that to the Nth degree. Perhaps these past 30 years of sitting alone behind the wheel of a truck going down the road has served to feed the wanderings of my mind.

Another sort of author is the one that places their charachters in historic times and places. Not as far as to change historical facts but to embelish upon them. Much like John Jakes and his "Bi-Centienniel Series" . Truly a favorite  of mine. 

I look forward to my retirement from driving trucks, as it will afford me the opportunity to write and research. Often I have thought of building a historic novel upon my family tree research. Because of the combination of documentation and history,the lives of many of my ancestors are open to imagination. I have had ancestors in places at the times that make it most probable that they were indeed in the presence of history. I have found that they have been veterans of every American war since the Revolutionary War.  Some of my ancestors have been a part of shaping this country. Adventurous folks from Tennesse that made their way west to Texas and Oklahoma shortly after the Civil War. Families that were a part of the Oklahoma Land Rush. Railroad men that were a part of the westward expansion in the northern tier of states. '49er's that were part of the gold rush in California and up the west coast to Oregon.

Then there is myself, a woman in a male dominated field. I began driving trucks when there were actually truckstops that did not even have womens restrooms or shower facilities. Things have changed a great deal. There were many women truck drivers before me, especially during World War II. Women were taking necessary jobs that freed men up for the combat needs. Women, though, often returned to the role of homemaker after the end of World War II. Now in this day and age, there are more women than men working. The poor economy is the primary culprit.

Pope Francis and Charity

Our nelwy elected Pope has already in such a short time shown himself to be the embodiment of charity, of caring for the less fortunate and presenting himself to the world as an equal to every man. This Pope gives me a sense of the humility that he exudes. His actions with and to the general public and even with the convicts show us that he is one that indeed practices what he preaches.

This past Saturday, I was in the process of packing and sorting items in  our shed. While making the stacks of  "absolutely keep", "good useable donation" and "throw out", more went into the donation pile than anticipated. I am not bragging, only stating that while looking through 40 years of accumulated "stuff", I kept thinking of how someone else may be able to make much better use of this or that item. I thought of how donating would accompolish 2 things, 1.) help others with good useable items and 2.) Cut down on the amount of stuff I will have to pack and unpack.

I am somewhat of a clutter bug as is my husband Mike. We both still have items in boxes from when we each moved here to Dallas area in October of 1994. He from Albuquerque and me from Goodland, Kansas. The home he had was about 1200 square feet and my home in Kansas was 2100 square feet. We both had large 2 car garages and sheds. The home we ended up in here in Irving, Texas is 1100 square feet.  We do have a 2 car garage and a large shed and small shed. Everything is full of "stuff". Now add to that my mother's things that we brought back here to Texas with her.

Shortly after Mike and I got married, we consolidated and had a large yard sale. We had 2 and 3 of several items. Things like toastes, blenders, crock pots, irons & boards. The yard sale was interesting, we had a lot of lookers and many wanted to get items for nothing. I will not do that again. I think it is far less frustrating to just donate and write off off your taxes than to try to make a few bucks.

I have strayed from the topic at hand. Chatiry. This past Saturday, I took several items and dropped at the GOODWILL STORE donation center. There were many people there also donating. Could it all be the annual "spring cleaning" or could it be that our new Pope has lit a fire in our hearts to share what we have with those that do not have? I know that his words and actions are what had prompted me to look more closely to determine what I wanted to keep and what I wanted to donate. I still have a great deal to go through in the sheds and in the house. I am sure there will be many more trips to donation centers like St. Vincent De Paul, Disabled Veterans and Goodwill. Even my local Parish will get some of the stuff. They have baskets for gathering books to take for the prision ministries.

I imagine that once we get moved back to New Mexico we will be donating more of the stuff we pack. When we unpack, there will no doubt be things that after second thought will be donated to the local charites there in Grants. I now understand better why mom and dad had so few things. Almost everything they had, had a purpose and use. Thye lived very simply and though I so not think I will ever live asw spimply as they did, I can certainly do better than I have.

I pray that Pope Francis encourages and causes people all over the world to be more charitable to those in need, tolerant to those that are different and forgiving to those that do or wish harm on others. I believe this Pope will have a much more charismatic papacy than our previous one Pope Benedict 16. I do believe that the Holy Spirit does in fact cause the Cardinals to vote in a particular manner as to come to a certain conclusion. I also believe that it is this pope that the future of the Catholic Church will thrive and regain it's vitality.

Rambling

This blog is by no means structured. Though I will try to maintain a particular topic on each seperate blog, there will not be any rhyme or reason for the various topics.
 While driving hours and hours every day, my mind wanders over a plethera of ideas.
I listen to XM sattelite radio while driving. Usually Fox News, Rock from 1970's, 1980's, 1960's, Country from 1950's through 1990's and Catholic Channel.
One of the news shows today discussed the commonality of texting while driving. One of my favorite pet peeves. Often I think if I were to honk the truck each time someone texting passed me, I would be deaf by the end of my 9 hour drive. Oddly enough it is mostly adults (as the article mentioned) that obviously should know better. But in my opinion, they are self centered egotists that consider my life and the lives of everyone around them to be far less important than theur text. Surely they feel that they are so much better at multi-tasking that the law is not meant for them. Far too often, they wander across lane dividing lines, onto the shoulder and sadly into the path of other vehicles. They will pass you at a high rate of speed then a mile or two late, you will come up on them, usually in the left lane going much slower than they were. when you get beside them, you can see they are texting or even on a laptop or computer pad. 
The remains of wrecks caused by texting have increased each year since the introduction of texting to the general public by way of their cell phones. The deaths and injuries associated with distracted driving are a sad reality of technology being misused. People in general have become a society of the "Right Here, Right Now". The idea of waiting to respond to a text is foreign to many. Perhaps it is due to the fast food lifestyle that many now survive in.
Just another reason I so look forward to moving back to New Mexico and a more laid back calmer life. Away from the hustle and bustle could be a change that will be welcome.
Once again, it is time for me to hit the sack and get some rest so I can be alert to watch out for all those texters tomorrow.

New Mexico Treasure

What a prospect!! To find millions in gold and jewels. An 82 year old man in New Mexico hid a chest that is valued in the millions of dollars. Hid it somewhere in New Mexico. The clues? A poem gives hints that could lead the fortunate one to it.

Though I often wish my brother David was still alive, now would be interesting. He was great at finding things out in the back country of New Mexico. Often he could find things that someone like me would walk right past, oblivious to it's presence. And did. He and I were walking, looking for "arrowheads" or what ever we may find. after several miles, he stopped and walked up to me. He reached down and right next to my foot, dusted the light sand and small gravel to the side and ...ta da... what apperaed to be a piece of pottery. He gingerly smoothed the sand and pebbles away and gradually a small pot appeared. The pot was more like a small bowl that would hold about 1.5 quarts liquid. It had beautiful and surprisingly vivid ancient drawing.

I can only imagine how he would be tromping all over the countryside searching for this treasure. I wiah I knew half of what he did about how to spot, recognize and recover ancient finds like those pots. By the way, he did get in legal trouble for finding and selling those same kind of pots to collectors. He did make some kind of deal that any pots found in the future, he would document, photograph and give location information to the UNiversity of New Mexico. Unfortunately, shortly after that, he was killed in a car accident.

My other brother , Fred is also a good outdoorsman. He lives in southern New Mexico and works on a ranch, sometimes for a drilling company and generally a Jack Of All Trades. He has guided hunters into the Gila Wilderness, taken tourists horseback riding in the Wilderness and packed supplies in and garbage out for forest firefighters when they were in too isolated of an area to get vehicles in to. I imagine if he were able , he would look when and  where he could.

I have looked at the poem and wondered about some of the places I am familiar with and would love to be able to go look. Sadly I have to stay and work here in Texas. I have only 7 more months to go till retirement. Perhaps if the treasure has not been found by the time I get to New Mexico, I will make a few excursions.

Well, it is time for me to close this and get back into the truck to finish my trip to DFW. I just wanted to waste a little time as to let some of the morning rush hour traffic die down in San Antonio then Austin. I have found that a half hour wasted before getting into traffic often saves frustration. Also, I would rather sit here for half an hour than be out there in the traffic for an extra half an hour. Several times I have gone on into the traffic and by the end of the run, will have arrived at the terminal the same time as if I had waited a bit.
 

The weather is considered with the move to New Mexico

It is the 5th day of spring and still very chilly. I am very much anticipating spring and nicer, warmer weather. I am one of those people that would rather be at 100* than 50* I just hate the cold and thoroughly enjoy the heat. I am also anticipating moving to Grants area, even though there are much more harsh winters there. FOr instance, there were several days this past winter that the temperatures were in the minus range. As much as -13* were reported in January.

The weather will be a positive change for a number of reasons.
1. The humidity in Irving is usually high and in Grants usually low.
2. It gets cold enough in Grants to eliminate a majority of the summer bugs.
3. The drier air is better for someone like me with lung issues.
4. The drier air is also better for Rheumatoid Arthritis, that Mike has.

Heat is still heat and a dry heat, though different is much more comfortable to me. When it is hot enough to sweat, the drying process of evaporating the sweat from your body produces a cooling sensation. When in a more humid climate, sweat only make you feel more sticky and uncomfortable.

I will have to get used to cooking at a higher elevation. It takes a much shorter time to cook a pot of pinto beans here than it will when we move to Grants. The elevation at the property we will be building the house is about 6475ft.. The elevation here in the DFW area is about 450. So wqe will nbe moving about 6025 feet higher. Of course the oxygen saturation of the air is lesser there. It will take a while to get acclimated to the thinner air.

Trying to think of new stuff to place in this blog will be interesting. I am often daydreaming and thinking of a very diverse topic list. As the news is playing in the background, my wandering thoughts catch tidbits of the storylines. Potential topics:
1. the lottery
2. healthcare
3. investments
4. going to the gun range
5. improving my welding techniques
6. how to determine what to pack and what to donate
7. should I have a yard sale
8. taking time off for medical treatments for Mike
9. What home to chioose
10. How many solar panels will we use initially

That is just what I have been thinking of in the last few minutes. Too much to do today, my day off from work.

New soapbox

Thanks to a cousin, I see this location as an opportunity to vent, rant, compliment, complain or just post random thoughts. I have several links I will add to this in order to promote discussion. If you agree or not, healthy discussion is necessary for a civilized society to survive and thrive. Educated debate can serve to inform if not influence.

My job leaves me spending hours in my own company with little to entertain me but my own mental roaming exercises.
Although I do listen to sattelite radio a good dealof the time, it usually serves to just nudge my thoughts in one particular direction or another.

Even now, with a great deal of work and planning ahead of me, I still manage to let my mind wander aimlessly. Perhaps it is ADD or simply the inability to remain focused on one topic at hand. I do not know. What I do recognize is that starting thinking of a prticular subject doen't always mean I will follow that path. I am admitedly easily distracted from what ever issue I may be trying to address.

This is just the beginning submission to this project. I shall add more at a later time. Today is Sunday, March 24, 2013. It is Palm Sunday and I am going to Holy Family of Nazareth Catholic Church in Irving, Texas. Then I will spend the evening relaxing with my husband Mike and my mother Bernadette. Not a real exciting life.  In fact, most often it is a very uneventful life.