Want it?

Going cheap this desk would be perfect for your basement or family room. It's 8 feet long (can be cut to make it smaller) and both the countertop and the filing cabinets are in perfect condition. Not even scratched. I have the little metal name tag holders for the filing cabinets and keys for the locks - just don't use them. Family and friends can have it for free if you come haul it away. Comes with a perfectly awful looking but comfortable computer chair in cracked black leather. Just email or call me. You know the number.

Perks

There's that joke about the three main reasons teachers love their jobs - June, July, and August. I enjoy my job immensely though I often wish for a more flexible schedule. Right now I'm able to visit my daughter as often as horrific gas prices will allow. We went last Thursday to see where she works. Oh my, I am envious. Her office looks plain enough:








Then you look out the window and see this:









And this:









And when she gets bored she hangs out here:










Or with this guy:







And imagine sitting back to sip your break coffee here - twenty steps from her door:



Even though I know her job is tough and it stresses her out sometimes, the perks are amazing. She deserves it, too. She worked so hard to get to the point where she could have a job she loves doing something she believes in. Besides, I'm hoping she'll let me come visit every now and then. Too bad it will have to be in June, July, and August.

Hiding a Pretty BIG Secret

About three weeks ago Marianne and I were out shopping with our mom. We took her to a cute little bead shop where she sat in a chair while Marianne spent way too much time looking for beads to make a necklace for her stepdaughter's wedding. When I went to check on Mom she wasn't looking good. We ended up at the emergency room where she had a bunch of tests and went home with a heart monitor. Last week I took her for a follow-up with my heart doctor and on Monday she was in the hospital getting one of these:

Now we have matching pacemaker/defibrillators. Well, not really. Mom's is made by a different company. Well, at least now we know where my heart defect came from. The other side of the family can rest easy. Mom's doing well after staying overnight in the hospital. She's a little the worse for wear, but if my experience is anything to go by, she should be back to her old self very quickly. I'm glad they found the problem when they did. She is very healthy otherwise and I wouldn't want to see her go before her time.

School's OUT - WooHoo

My last obligation was yesterday. I had a final class to attend to complete 6 hours of university credit. I had already completed the assignment we were supposed to be working on so I got to basically mess around while others worked. I just can't work in that class. They tell us to start something and then turn around and talk and talk. Drives me crazy.

Now I have six whole weeks with nothing much to do. Mike took today off and we went to Ruth's Diner for breakfast. We spent the evening out on the back patio eating birthday cake (Kimmi's birthday) and being silly. We have a little - really little - fire bowl so even though it's been awfully cold lately, we stayed warm using old fence slats for fuel. Ah, summer!