with a sense of humor you don't get

I laugh at myself every time I see the pic and the comment I made up for that pic at the top of my blog. I crack myself up.

In 2000 i was working in the arch office of a homebuilder cause my cooperating teacher made sure I knew I was not ready to teach, but I could work with people from all walks of life and legal status' to make a few bucks.
A tid bit from out in the field came across my sick way.

A man was in love with his girl and wanted to make her his wife for eternity. And so this poor soul with little money and long on imagination  proposed to her at work. Bent on one knee he said those words. and she said worse "yes, but". On went the tool that he used daily {a wood chipper} and pulled them both in.

She, being shorter, managed to get away. He? not good
 I picture only shoes left.

I sickly laughed at the story every time I thought about it. Just shoes.. Really, it wasn't that bad. depended upon your definition of bad, I guess.

Fast forward years..
I was telling this story, making sure I didn't laugh- I had gotten over it. and was using it as an object example story of bad critical thinking skills and something else. I connected it to Romeo's bad decisions and how mankind doesn't change or get smarter.

I had a student whose dad was working at the landscaping yard as it happened. It was his first day and he was up in a tree. He saw the ambulances and fire trucks and the aftermath of destruction.

I  was amazed. Here is the story if you don't believe me.

Woodchipper ends romance
Associated Press

PHOENIX - Police say a man attempted a murder-suicide with his girlfriend by pulling her into a woodchipper.

He died in the machine.

Police said Rafael Rodriguez asked Lucia Lopez, 28, to marry him. She accepted, but then he said he wanted to show her something.

They went to the landscaping business where Rodriguez worked, and Lopez said Rodriquez told her to close her eyes and to lie on the conveyor belt of a woodchipper. She said he started the machine and jumped on the conveyor belt with her.

"She is a little bit startled, and he says, 'Don't worry about it. Just lay down and close your eyes,'" said police Lt. Mark Zingg.

"He lays down next to her and she says the next thing she knows is he is through the machine, apparently grabbing her wrists to bring her into the machine too."

The woodchipper automatically stopped. Rodriguez, who suffered head injuries, died at the scene.

Dancing in the dark with some skeletons

Precious moment figurines- HELL

owl, apple, fish, pig, cutesy pie items- NO!

Snow globes.... passed to my daughter,

I don't do junk and collectibles. ugghh.

 I hate things that clutter.

Trails and hording-- inspire me to clean in case I am mistaken for those on TV.

 You wouldn't know it by looking in our house I think, but I have taken things to the thrift store. I have a bin that I fill and deliver with too small or unloved or items that irritate me. That seems like a no brainier to do rather that throw things away.

I muck the office twice a year, making sure papers and hunting equipment go to its rightful place. ( why one man {and admittedly me} makes such a mess or doesn't clean is beyond me. I am told it is my fault that it can't be organized. I would change it if I knew what to do differently.)

 I can tell when it is time to clean  organize because the dinner table feeds paper and grows dust, and not kids so much. The pinewood derby crap stayed on my table until the end of May. I had hoped that hubby would put it away. But that hope died like the bathroom separation of 2000- I moved into the guest bathroom for a long long time to prove a point early on in our marriage, only to come slinking back, realizing that some battles can't be won in the war and clean it cause harmony was better than being right. I cleaned the pinewood stuff too for harmony.

It was really really bad during baseball season when we would eat at home and obedient to the don't- eat-in-the-living room kids ate sitting on the floor, for that was the only room. ( its sort of true, I stopped them before they finished their food and found places to sit)
That was a LOW point at the scarbrough house.


 I make the kids declutter -- picture tears and rakes involved + much "What are you really doing in there!???!!!" screeching threats

and I usually clean the garage (see hubby notation from above but insert tools for hunting equipment)

and front room in the summer too- the local dumping ground for lazy kids, dogs, and me.

 Our credit?

Never thought about it.

Or. more truthfully, I didn't want to look at the skeletons in the closet.

It seems really scary and hard to do. It probably was a few years ago. Today, I made it my goal to do something about it. And it wasn't too bad. I could even do it for someone else for a small bigger than I thought at first fee. I changed names, addresses, and made disputes. I inquired about credit and how to improve it. I fixed and updated and got more limits on existing credit cards.
I applied for better loan terms on the small stuff.

Now is the waiting game for 30 or so days.

then we will recheck our credit scores. If they are better enough we will be on to applying for a refy.
Yea.
lower rates here we come.

Why I didn't do this years ago is beyond me.

I guess those skeletons were too much at the time. I can cha-cha now.

when A's are approaching

I have always not worried about Ken's grades. Get As or Cs as long as she tries. I understand the Jr high system of grades.For better or worse I say.

 She once had a D and with a 10 problem assignment turned it into a B+ at the end of a quarter. See I understand that 10 problems was worth 25 % of her grade Who couldn't see that?

Or the time that at 5 weeks into a quarter she only needed 2 spelling tests for her grade, and having missed both of them due to rodeo-ing, she had an F.

Makes perfect sense that no one will send graded assignments home so that I can redo and reteach the concepts with her.

Well we got AIMS scores back. And I teach so I know standardized tests are a joke of sorts but it is the only measure I have that she knows what she knows Even if it is a snapshot or one day in 180.

SO I called the school. They could get her into summer school,  but sounded unenthusiastic to get her in.

They don't have a plan in place for kids who fail aims to get help to get back on track. I felt like this minor problem was just getting pushed along the system until it was a major one later for HS or someone else to deal with.  On line school wanted to get her into 6th grade and give her a 1/2 credit. 4 hours a day for the rest of the summer.

NO.

Thank.

you.

SO Mom school has officially begun. ***Sigh
Groan.
Grhh.
Thank you Kim Dugdale for the help I couldn't have figured out all the Google resources myself. I don't want to reteach myself 5th grade math too.

Not I said the cat, Not I sad the dog, I will said the little red hen

The other night I thought How hard could it be?as I offered to finish the electric fencing for hubby. He has been out there for about an hour; he said he had about an hour left. Easy peasy. So I will said the little red hen. I got the kids up and out there about 930 more like 10. No one wanted to go and the girls didn't want to crawl through the fence as I drove down there.  Heck I thought it was such an easy job with so little to do that I didnt need to drive down there. As I look down in the distance I don't see all the plastic stays I envisioned;

 there were... 5. Ok, first clue that it would take longer.

  So I asked Wes what to do, he was there last night. He looked confused. WHat ? Wes was supposed to be the knowledge keeper

. *Sigh*.
 I asked him what line we should use and how to connect it. Nope didn't know that either. Tuned out the monologue.

Asked Kennedy to get my phone that I left in the house. Remember it would only take about an hour?, didn't need the stinking  phone.
 Ha
She walked so slowly that I jumped the fence, got into the truck and raced in anger back to the house. Passed Kennedy on the way back not even to the ditch yet.
 uggh,
 lazy.
 slow.

 Called Scott- call # 1.  A double overhanded knot.  And no real description where to put it.
 Back burner-ed the electric string hanging and got out the stays. That was a helpful phone call...

 Scott said it would be easy, just step on the brace and push them into the ground; Nope... hard. Had to push twist and wiggle them in. Dirt was hard. Kids couldn't muscle it, got bored and tried to leave. Hour about 2, got into some elms and tried to decide how to run the stays, the line can not touch anything or it will ground out.

Asked kennedy to find the hedge clippers. So slow and couldn't find them. Scott was no help on call # 2. Claimed he didn't use them but wes said he was cutting a tree with them earlier in the year. Sent Kelsey to get more stays, she "couldn't" crawl through the fence so I got them myself.

Sent wes to get a saw, a maul a hatchet. Sent Kelsey for water, she said it was too far . AT 1130 I found them all still searching for the saw in the house, had warm water and the hatchet was dull.  Got my own water, got the saw, wes brought the maul and the hatchet.

got mad threw some tools. Got scratched, got madder.

At 12 call number 3 to scott. All the stays were in, but didn't know how to tie off at the top of the pasture. Not clear info.  I do not do well with verbal instructions. He should have texted them to me.

Ran the electric wire, looked for the dog and asked Ken for a sandwich at 1215. Got a mustard drippy gross looking one. The dog got the sandwich. tied the line, retied the line took 10 pics and sent them to scott.

Call #4 described the tie job at the bottom and had to retie it. Found the black connector at the bottom of the pasture that Wes suddenly remembered AFTER I tied the knot. Walked the pasture for dips and ground outs. 3 times.

Tried to saw the elms, tried to crush the elms, tried to maul the elms- twice.
 I hate elms.
By this time I was getting light headed and hot I think it was about 130 or 2. Was not going to make the "meeting" for softball. Texted her coach and had to PROMISE that we were going to the game.  IF I wasn't, I would have just ditched with no phone call. I don't screw with people like that

. Back to the fence.

 after tying up the dog and fixing a spot for him, that later he broke loose and wanted back in the trailer, I worked on the elms more. and threw tools more. And yelled more.

 Kennedy couldn't find her uniform, so had to go to my moms where she thought it was. tied and clamped the wire call 5-to scott. and he tells me that 1 clamp doesn't work on 2 strings. Sent wes down to fix it while I got into the shower.

300. checked the wire, retied it the way he told me to and re=clamped. Wes' solution wasn't right.

Didn't remember to tell Scott that I had no time to sort cows, but he should have figured that out because my last set of pics was at 315. Drove to the game with a heat/no water headache was tired and not clear headed.

Got 2 texts from her coach asking where we were. They should try doing what I did.I felt like they didn't believe me and that softball was the mighty king. I am really getting tired of their little barbed remarks veiled as a joke. We are NOT playing all-stars. I need a break from 19 games.

11 PM was told that I should have called to say cows were not turned out and that yes, it was about an hour job.  And where were the hunting applications that should have been turned into  Show low? Yea, like I drug out that job all day cause I wanted a sunburn and dirty house.

Will sort cows today, get hay, get to UPS with a money order, get hunter applications turned in and I guess not clean house and make dinner.

I would rather work than stay at home. The Lord knows what I need more than I do.

BTW i think i made up for the fridge trip. Paid. In. Full. working on OT today.

Going,going, gone.

My fridge has been dying for about a year. Slowly, I can tell it wasn't the same. First it was too cold. Milk frozen
 things just not right.

Then, it didn't seem cold enough. I pretended not to notice cause I am cheap and think all things should last for 20 years. This one has made it 15, I am ok.

So when the situation got to Scott, he looked up a fridge on the internet. The turtle in me said "Wait, we can find something else". But you can't wait with a fridge. You shouldn't.

I bullied my hubby into letting me go with him to Phoenix. I wanted away from the fighting and screaming and   yelling that has become over tired summer kids. (they are doing this right now and my irritation level is about to explode and go Postal on them)

Remember I did take a shooting class yesterday.

The new fridge is great, I love my hubby for sacrificing his time and his money to get one. It makes my attitude yesterday sad, cause I should be more grateful for a few more days. It seems like I am the kid who got what she wanted at Christmas and then acts like a jerk the next day.

Got to work on that. Hubs is very patient and a good man. He even went to work after a double header softball game that lasted til midnight. I am here typing and avoiding my kids arguments. I should get up and prove how grateful I am.

In a minute. Got to check facebook first.

A shot in the dark-attitude

I am not an adventurous person.






YOu can sometimes get me to do stuff that after I have had time to decompress, I have liked. But these activities are never my idea. I am content to have a boring life with a clean house and time to workout and eat well.

 That is good enough for me. I would call myself a spectator/recorder of life

not a player or entertainer.

For some reason that really bothers my hubs.  He tries to get me to do stuff all the time that I sometimes agree to.

This time was my sister- the adventurous one. She lives to have fun times. Fun Time Nikki. So about a month or so ago she wanted to take a shooting class. I said yes I would do it with her. I often say yes to things like that cause I think I can get out of them later. So I ignore the situation. I dont' pay attention to conflicts, needs like sitters or money. 

I opened the confirmation email the night before the "big day" it was going to cost 110 i probably was told at one time what it would cost, but I didn't pay attention to it because I was going to bail on it

. I think the class was rescheduled once. I could have spent the money on something else, like a family pass to the pool. But I was committed. The cost amped up my irritation to level 1.

Kennedy needing to go to baseball practice at 9 which I finally paid attention to at 8 cause I thought she had practice at 8 amped it up to 2. My hormones  and general irritation over my weight to a 3. The road to the persons house and other little things a 4. 

The class was good. I learned stuff that hubs and I could never get to because he and I are both oldest children- fire and gas on learning new things... The instructor good and all that.  I have nothing bad to say about it all, every woman should do it, but I am cheap. THe kids were jerks to each other now a 6

I get home and our cows are out now I am at a 8= qiuping rudely about things and scott is irritated that I didn't get more done with our new fridge and set it outside like a hill billy so I have an attitude that he didn't like. I couldn't even express what was wrong. Hormones times cows and hillbilly. I don't think if I could expressed it to make him see what was going on.

I am glad that our disagreements have turned into silence and crabbing back and forth at each other while we still hang out.  Cause I am a better shot today than yesterday. He might like to know that.

I am still not liking the 110 gone. 

When a clean house is all that you have

I keep up off and on with certain blogs. I think I do it to torture myself and to laugh at waht they do. Seriously? do they not ever yell at their kids mess and then post it? Is every day a craft day? Are their familes riding in the car singing like the family off step brothers?

Not us.
 Cause a clean house is all that I am capable of most days,  and if you asked the other 1/2, I don't even have that.

So I guess I got nothing.
 Zilch.
But my self worth, and that my friend is really all I need. I wish I could go back in time and give it to the 20 year old me. She really didn't have any. I think many decisions would be different if she had had some. But the fight for life I have had, we all have to do, has given me the kind of self-worth not even rude students or a insensitive spouse can take away.