Crapitiola!!

Great, great, great! Blogger is down...why? I don't know, there isn't an explanation. What I do know is it's taken me all morning to warm up and then I needed nourishment and when I finally (FINALLY) got back up here to sit and prepare an update post, I can't. CRAPITIOLA!!

I was going to tell you what I've been up to lately...

Let's go back to the beginning of October when the car died...dear hubby's car bit the dust on the way to work one morning...don't worry, he called a friend and was saved in time for work...how he called is left to the imagination because we no longer have a cell phone...I don't want to hear any comments pro or con; we decided a while ago that it was a stupid expense we could live without and did, and if I have anything to do with it will continue to live without!

After searching the Internet for a car, which was affordable and appealing to dear hubby; I asked where we were in solving the problem...the man drives over 100 miles every day! He tells me his choices; none new, probably not far from being undependable, one a "babe magnet". My response was to call my son, he had recently purchased a new car and helped Di when she purchased her new car. A friend of his was a manager of a dealership that not only won awards for their sales BUT actually treated people fairly and didn't push...they were big on customer service...something lacking today in my opinion.

Dear hubby works 4-10 hour shifts. Wednesday is his only day off where we can fit doctor's appointments, run errands etc. (He also has the weekends off) which normally would satisfy us as an alternative time to get things done.

This time, we had less than a week to buy a new car, pack his suitcase for an eleven day trip to Amsterdam (he had decided to go on when I was still in Las Vegas) and get him to the airport on time.

He called. My son called back. Hubby called the dealership and did a phone credit check (to be worked on while he drove the 35 miles to sign the papers and choose a car. He said he was not only treated like royalty but they had three cars waiting for him to test drive...he drove one home! Whew!! A whirlwind of a day! (I had stayed home and did laundry and packed. Problem solved!

Sunday dear hubby calls his son and finds out that he can't be out here until Saturday, which is fine by me BUT he was under the impression that it would be soon enough to get him to the airport on Tuesday. After some quick thinking and trying to find one of my proverbial lists I said I'd find someone off my "call me if you need anything list".

Sure enough, one call was all it took....my friend Alice came to the rescue...problem solved. Thanks Alice!! So we continue to ready him for his trip, check everything twice, and Tuesday morning we're off to the airport where we left him curbside and drove off. Alice and I did errands in town on the way home and I had a great visit with her!

Meanwhile my Dad was flying into Las Vegas to have a short visit, grab Mel and drive up here to be with me while I was "alone". They left Thursday morning and were here early Friday evening...just in time to join half a dozen or more of my "collected" kids, who also didn't want me to "alone". My Uncle drove down from Seattle as well. We were running out of beds! Super son and daughter in law to the rescue-AGAIN! They brought a trailer up and problem solved! Keith (hubby's son) arrived on Saturday and joined the melee that ensued.

Saturday evening we had probably fifteen or more people for dinner. (geez! I wrote that wrong! we are not cannibals!) My son was about to leave for weeks on a business trip to China, so he and the family were able to join us as well as deliver the trailer. He had recruited his sister to take the three kids home/here with her so he and his wife could have a date before China. The drive way was a parking lot...the house hot and loud...smiles, laughter, tears of joy and excitement, lot's of wine and very travel weary people.

This is how it stayed for the next ten days! So much fun and joy! My Dad, uncle, Mel and I worked on my grandfather's slides by the thousands. This was something I really wanted to do and was very worried it wouldn't get done before I did and would end up in the burn pile. Mel and I viewed the slides, chose what to scan; dad and uncle scanned and categorized on my computer, and the slides are now with Mel in Vegas. Thanks to their hard work and persistence I will now attempt to make cd's for my brother's and nephews, as well as my grand kids.

Saying good bye to them all was difficult...bitter sweet...I cried...I hugged...I sniffed heads...I tried to smile, I really did! The reality of saying "goodbye" is so real now that it bites!

The house was without guests Monday...Jake and Di were here, but sleeping...I fell asleep on the couch, where they left me to wake on my own about 5pm...guess I was tired, slept over two hours, so I must have been tired!

My co-worker from the library, and friend, Johnni came to visit for a few hours Tuesday morning...love it, she brings goodies and somehow knows what I'll be in the mood for...not sure how she does it! We had a nice visit, at least I thought it was nice...she asked if she could come every Tuesday, a sure sign of enjoying herself.

I tried to get this done yesterday but found my self too tired...so there you have it, a condensed version of the past few weeks!