Friday Frustrations!

1. So on Tuesday, I played bridge. It has become my job to collect money for Christmas gifts for the people who make our monthly game possible and enjoyable. 

I got an envelope and let everyone know what was expected. There were 20 people there and this is all I collected.

Considering I need to collect about $1200, this is pitiful! I collected $235. Two of us gave more. Everyone else gave exactly $25. and someone only gave $20. I'm hoping most people just didn't have any cash on them. But only 7 people contributed? Come on. We only have one more month to come up with the money. We'll see. So frustrating!

2. We have always had a problem with the squirrels and chipmunks getting to the bird feeders.

Butch came up with a brilliant solution. He sprayed a coke bottle and put it on the pole so the critters couldn't crawl up the pole. That worked for a couple years. All of a sudden, it stopped working. Turns out that they realized they could just jump over to the plant and up and over. So frustrating!

3. A couple weeks ago, when I was on my road trip through Missouri and Butch was in Montana, he came home to this.

Another double storm window "fell" off the house. That makes 3 times. We've determined that when the housepainters took them down, they did not properly affix them when they finished painting. So frustrating!

4. This was the disaster I discovered when I got home from my trip. I cannot imagine what made these marks on the carpet. I was going to use it as a Monday Mystery until Butch solved it.

Apparently while we were gone there was a big storm. The door in my office blew open. Butch discovered it when he got home--probably the same time he found the broken windows. Still, I do not know why caused this string of dirt spots. Butch said he's going to clean it, but I think he's forgotten. So frustrating!

5. I was not planning to decorate for Halloween this year. But, Butch has mentioned it. Now I feel pressured--especially since the whole family will be in town next weekend. So, I drug everything out only to discover this:

That is a lot of mouse droppings! This box was in the back hall closet--so in the house! Not in the attic or garage--the house. Inside! Yuk! It's so frustrating!

I just want to live my life--and do nothing but fun stuff. I don't want to work or clean stuff. I want to read, play games, watch tv, play on my computer, surf the net, scrapbook, a little gardening, visit with friends and go to lunch or just hang out, play bridge, have happy hours with Butch, spend time with family and just BE. No work, no grossness, nothing. It's so frustrating! (I know--wah, was! First world problems!)

Still, it's frustrating.

Ten Things Thursday

Okay, it's fall and time for some beautiful pictures!

What Butch Bought Wednesday!

So, while I was gone last week, Butch had a home repair to deal with. Our light over the sink has been a problem for several months. When you turn it on, it would flash on and off until it seemed to heat up. Finally, we were just leaving it on all the time. While I was in St. Louis and Butch was in Montana, Margarita came to clean. Apparently, she tuned the light off. There was no fixing it--all it did was flash all the time. 

Butch planned to fix it while I was gone. The least he could have done was to wait until I was actually gone!!

This really freaked me out. He said he was being safe--he put down 1x4's and made a platform to stand on. Doesn't look safe to me! He ended up having to replace the fixture. He said it took him about 2 hours in many awkward positions since the space is so narrow and high up! But, at least it's done!! He said he ached all over the next day from all of the twists and turns to get himself up in that little space!

Not exactly a fun purchase, but necessary. I must have a bright kitchen!! And I'm lucky enough to have a guy who can fix just about anything!

Travel Tuesday

Last weekend was our bi-annual scrapbook retreat at the Little Lake Village in Grand Rapids, Kentucky.

Everyone plans a meal and either a happy hour snack or dessert. We sit on the deck and enjoy the beautiful weather, scrapbook the day away, tell stories and laugh--a lot! We rent a 5 bedroom house with 4 bathrooms. Ironically, Pam, Karolyn and I share a room as there are 3 beds in it. There are 4 of us who share a bath while the other 3 girls have a private one. Susan has a room to herself, but shares our bath. Jeanne, Nancy and Janet each get their own room and bath. 

You might ask why we don't draw names. Well, Pam, Karolyn and I are very compatible roommates. Plus at least we do get our own beds. But it would be nice to have a room. There are 7 of us, but we don't always have 7 who can go. So there is a chance that we might get our own room now and then. It hasn't happened yet, so we'll see. 

We usually arrive around 11:30, but this time we were told the house wouldn't be ready until 2 p.m. So, we met for lunch at Patti's Settlement. It's an "old-timey" place with average food that's over-priced. There are other places nearby, but at this time of year, it's considered "off-season" so everything was closed.

We were able to get a photo.

When we go in the fall, we book for winter and the following fall. We're all set for 2026 and the owner always lets us have the same rate! $1400. Pretty good deal for such a nice place. And, it's only 2 hours from Nashville!

Until next time girls!!

Me on Monday AND Monday Mystery Update

You might recall a couple weeks ago about the mystery of the disappearance of this little beauty. It was a mystery as to where she came from in the first place and then, what happened to her--she disappeared.

Well, it turns out that Butch was going to use this little toy in a cache somewhere (as in geo-caching). Okay, so that mystery's been solved. I'm going to just keep her until next pool season and then put her back out at the pool where she belongs.

Now, on to "Me on Monday."

I got home from my scrapbook retreat yesterday--to this pretty arrangement. I couldn't imagine who would be sending me flowers. I have no special days coming up and I couldn't think of anyone who might be thanking me for something.

So, I read the card.

Isn't that so sweet? I promise I'm not going to make this about TS and all the good she does just by "being!" This is about how I love surprises like this. A beautiful arrangement for just "being!" 

Thanks Mindy! 

Something for Sunday

Here's my September report.

Movies Seen:

*****Downton Abbey—the Finale

Books Read—

   5 star books:

Many Lives Many Masters

The Briar Club

We Used to Live Here

Guess Again

Dave Barry: Class Clown

Podcasts—2

Lunch Out—7

Dinner Out:—1

Bridge—4

Pool Days—1

Documentaries/Movies/Series  

Hulu:

****Hollywood Demons (6 episodes)

***Alone the Challenge (2 episode)

****The Dry 

*****Captive Audience

*****Stalking Amanda (3 episodes)

Netflix :

***Love Con Revenge—(2 episodes)

*****Most Hated Man/Internet—(3 episodes)

****Volcano Rescue 

****Katrina: Come Hell or High Water (3 episodes)

*****AKA Charlie Sheen (3 episodes)

*****Inside Bill’s Brain (6 episodes)

****Life In Color (4 episodes)

*****Just One Look—(2 episodes)

*****Broken—doc—(4 episodes)

***Xanax—doc

*****Scoop

***Einstein

*****Buy Now

*****Black Rabbit (8 episodes)

Prime:

*****The Way We Were

*****August Rush

Scrapbook Pages Completed: 0 Busy planning for our retreat!

Trips & Events:

Hawaii Family Vacation

High Tea/Cheekwood

Road Trip: St. Louis, Springfield, Salem, Defiance

Rosary 55th class reunion (class of 1970)

Scrapbook Saturday

As you are reading this, I am on my fall scrapbook retreat with my friends and sisters. There are 7 of us--our AYM (A Year of Memories) group. We've been doing this for over 20 years---twice a year---fall and winter. We have good food, plenty of fun beverages (if you know what I mean) and endless hours of scrapbooking with a a Dateline marathon thrown in. Add in some Netflix and it comes out to nothing but fun!

I haven't done any scrapbooking in September. There has been so much going on including our family vacation to Hawaii and then my road trip through Missouri. So all I've done this month was get ready for the retreat--eeking out a little time here and there. I plan to have quite a few layouts to share with you next Saturday. Until then, I hope you are doing something fun!!