It seems like forever since I was here, and the time has just flown by, to where I never know. My Baby stayed for 2 weeks, what a great time! For her too, I hope. Then band camp was last week. And I spent most of this wek catching up on sewing jobs, not to mention last minute details for school, which starts next Tuesday. Besides, when I stay home and am busy, I am not spending money that I don't have. Not that i spend much anyway, but the budget is pretty tight right now. That does worry me. I have to pick tomatoes tomorrow, time to get started canning them, although I really shouyld go down to the basement and count up what I have left from last year. It's been a good month.

Actually, she's already here. My 5 year old, almost granddaughter. She and her mother lived here with us for about a year, when she was 1 to 2. She calls me Grandma, which cheesed off my hubby for quite a while ( he loved the baby, greatly disliked the mother) but I don't really care.. They were basically homeless, and that little girl needed us, I don't care what anyone thinks. I think in hindsight that he realizes this now, but it was tense towards the end of their stay. Any way, mother is now married to a very nice young man, they have an almost 2 year old son, and our little girl is still coming to visit us. Although, that will be happening less frequently now, she will start kindergarten in the Fall. She is so excited! She brought her "homework" with her, she is practicing her letters and numbers, and writing her name. She did go to preschool this past year, and had a great time, so she should do well in school. She is going to the zoo tomorrow with DD2, and all they talked about today was seeing the penguins and the polar bears. I hope that the weather is nice.

Most of my plans have about as much chance of sucseeding as snowballs in August. It has been a productive day, but I am tired. Almost got my fountain for the yard going. Did get some plantings done in the flowerbeds. Don't know if I'll get the shed painted this year, the weather has just not been cooperative for outdoor painting. Definately won't get the outdoor wood furnace installed, or most likely not, at least. Still need to get one good, reliable vehicle for Hubby and one for me to drive. It would be SO NICE not to have a fleet of older, needs something all of the time ones. I have to laugh sometimes at the financial advice columnists. I look at Dave Ramseys website quite often, and have read a couple of his books. He is just rabid on not taking out car loans, or leases, just drive what you can afford, while you are saving for something better. Good advice unto itself, but if your vehicle breaks down, is unfixable, and you still have to have someway to get to work, you can't afford to wait until you can save more money! Real life must intrude here somewhere! You will end up buying another old clunker, and it will need repairs on a regular basis, and you will be right back where you started. Been there, done that, still doing it unfortunately! I know why poor people stay poor, they just can't get a break! I also know why rich people stay rich, they just don't spend any money. I have firsthand proof of this one anyway. When Hubby and I were first married, he worked as a handyman for a guy from our community who was very well off. He owned several businesses, took golfing jaunts to Bermuda etc. etc. This guy was so cheap that he wanted to build a garage, so he had my hubby drive to one of his businesses about 90 minutes away, and tear down old wooden shelving to use to build this garage! Used old broken down equipment, until it literally fell apart, and was completely unfixable. He definatly got the most out of every dollar, and kissed them goodbye when he finally had to spend them! It makes me sad to write this, He did work hard for what he had, but boy he was not a pleasant person to work for. Now he's in the nursing home, and I feel sorry for him when I see him. I hope that he has better memories of us, than I do of him. I must be tired, TTFN.

I went to a family reunion yesterday, had a great time. I was the only one from my household that went, it makes me a little sad. I want my kids to want to keep in touch with the other relatives, I just think that it's a nice thing to do. But, we hosted it here last year, and they did all come, so maybe it was just not the best choice of day/time. I really need to get back into the habit of going to church, I just kind of drifted away, because I was working every weekend, and was just exausted. But I haven't been working for the last 3 months, and I did go a few times, it just seems like the weekends are so busy! I know, a bad excuse is better than no excuse! I do kind of miss it. More later.

That refers obliquely to the fact that I went to the vet with one dog, and came home with two. Someday I am going to write a book about our families animal adventures, and be the new Erma Bombeck. (anyone remember her?) She wrote about the life changing challenges of everyday life with the family. I got the fauna angle covered. We have a new canine resident in our home, well new about a month ago. We now have a dog that belonged to my FIL. He has been in the nursing home for about a year, and the family had to close down his house, the money is gone. Two of his sons had been living there pretty much full time, to keep an eye on things. It's just not safe to leave an empty house, even in this rural area. So we volunteered to take the dog. She's an old lady dog, at least that's what I call her. Not because she belongs to an old lady, shes just an about 11 year old female dog. Small to med size, black with big ears, I think if she was brave enough to jump off a roof, she could fly like Dumbo. Anyway, she joins our 7 year old golden retriever, strictly an outside dog, while the little gal stays inside. Big Goldy had just been to the vet the day before, I wasn't brave enough to take them at the same time. It was the lady dogs turn to go to the vet the next day, so into the truck we went, and down the road. Got there with no problem, she loves to ride, didn't make a peep at the vet's office, in and out. Well, when we walked out of the vet's exam room, there was a blonde lady standing there, saying something about finding a lost dog. It had a tag from the vets office, could they look it up, and find out who it belonged to. Sure says the lady vet, what kind of dog is it? A big, fluffy golden retriever. The vet looked at me, and I looked at her, and she says, do you think it could be your dog? OMG! I handed the leash to the kind vet, and stepped out the door, and there is my goldy in the back seat of the car! What on earth is going on! The lady was driving down the road, by our home, and there was our goldy, standing on the side of the road, so she opened the door, and he got in! So I thanked her profusely, and put the dog in the truck. Now, I am thinking, how am I going to get these two home in the same truck, when they don't get along particularly well. Luckily, I had the club cab truck. Little gal went in the back seat, big goldy went in the front, and after I got done giving them a growly pep talk that included lots of "you'd better lay down!", we got home with out any major incidents. Then I had to go back and finish the rest of my errands, beacuse no way was I going to get out and leave the two of them in the truck, alone. I can hear the loudspeaker already, "attention shoppers, there is a dog fight in the parking lot, would the stupid person with the brown truck please come and remove it from the premesis, people are starting to place bets!" Or something equally mortifying. So that's how I went to the vet with one dog, and came home with two, not exactly what you were thinking was it? I don't know how far from the house goldy was, the girls think maybe he was jealous and followed me, and the rival dog, down the road for a ways. Remind me sometime to tell you about the summer of the iguanas. Notice how so many of my pieces are titled with old movies, I am sure that Freud would have something interesting to say about that. I shudder to think!