Updates and…

the countdown till spring which stands now at 21 days.  It is cloudy and 0 degrees this morning to reach 12 degrees by afternoon.  It is 10 days till DST begins on March 9th.

Marc was released from the hospital on Monday with no definite diagnosis.  Thank you for all kind thoughts and prayers.

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Work is still being done at the apartment complex down the street from me that was damaged during the tornado,  I think the roof is pretty well done now and they are working inside.

The date of the tornado 17 November 2013.

Catty corner across the street from me.  They have cleaned up the mess and patched up the roof but no major repair done yet  They are living in the house,

and next door to the house catty corner across the street from me.  The mess has been cleaned up.  This is the house that had the lit Christmas tree in the yard the months of November and December.  Around the corner from these houses are several houses that were damaged like this.  Our winter has been so bitter cold and snowy that no repair work has been done to these houses. 

Definition of catty corner: 

cat·er-cor·nered (kăt′ər-kôr′nərd, kăt′ē-) also cat·er-cor·ner (-nər) or cat·ty-cor·nered or cat·ty-cor·ner (kăt′ē-) or kit·ty-cor·nered or kit·ty-cor·ner (kĭt′ē-)

adj.

Diagonal.

adv.

In a diagonal position.

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I have been a bit depressed now and I have recalled these sights to help me remember just how very fortunate I am.  Thank you God!!

I am off to a doctor visit this afternoon.  I hope you all have a good day.  Stay safe and be happy!!

Beth

 

And the days…

are dwindling down and it is only 64 days till Spring!!

It is not very spring like out this morning.  It is 14 degrees and the wind chill is 3 degrees.  The big snow didn’t happen here yesterday although it hit with a vengeance in Wisconsin.  I am sorry for my blogging friends and family in Wisconsin but I am very happy for little ole me here in central Illinois.  I can look out at an almost bare ground this morning.

Work has begun on the big apartment building  2 doors down from me that lost its roof during the tornado,  I have continued to see action even on the coldest days of work being done on the 2 houses around the corner from me.  Across the street from me lives an older lady.  She had a big tree on top of her house which extensively damaged her roof.  I can look out my front window and see the big orange X painted on her garage door.  Her roof has been patched but not fixed.  Whenever Spring finally comes there will be constant activity of rebuilding. 

Of course I still don’t have my kitchen window in yet and I intend to make mention of that when I pay my rent this month.  I pay enough to be making a house payment each month.  I had considered buying a house when I moved here but I decided against that.  My rent is due to be raised April 1st and I don’t feel inclined to pay that increase until my window is fixed.

This is Wednesday and I have had a nice little rant to celebrate.  Just because I am wanting to see daylight in my kitchen again doesn’t mean that I don’t relish each new day that I am given because I do!!

Have a bright sunshiny day.  OOPS!!  I just looked out the window and it is snowing like crazy!!  That is what I get for lording it over my Wisconsin friends!  I have learned my lesson!

Stay safe and be happy!!

Beth

Beautiful but sad…

As I look out my front window I can see the second house from the corner as you turn left off my street.  The house lost its complete top half in the tornado on November 17th.  There is a lovely perfectly shaped pine tree that sits in the corner of the front yard.  The neighbors across the street have decorated the tree beautifully with lights and ornaments,  As I travel down the street I run across the heavy duty extension cord from across the street which is keeping the tree lit up.   It is so beautiful that it brings tears to my eyes.  I think of myself being upset over the fact that my kitchen window is still boarded up and then I think about the people who were displaced by the tornado that lost their homes and prized possessions.  I remind myself with tears in my eyes that God has been good to me this year.  He has held my hand through so many trials this year and I am so very thankful!  I am thankful for my family and my friends who held my hand tightly too and held me up to keep me from giving up and falling down.

 

I am off this afternoon for an appointment with the ENT surgeon and my oncologist.  Have a blessed weekend.  Stay safe and be happy!!

 

I love you all!

 

Beth

Just an update…

I am back in my home, my window is boarded up until the insurance adjuster has been here.

Across the street from me.

Next door to  my fourplex.

I am back in my home with my window boarded up.  More later as I am still cleaning up glass shards.  Some were even in my recliner in the living room.

Thanks for all prayers.

Beth

What a week this has been..

First the deadly tornadoes that cut a swatch through many of our southern states and then the wedding of the century.



The death toll from the tornadoes is expected to reach over 400.  This brought back memories for me of the year that my daughter was in the first grade.  I was at home with my son  who at that time was 3 years old.  It was 12:30 and As the World Turns was on TV.  The program was interrupted to give a tornado warning for my little town.  I foolishly stood at my back door watching the tornado coming.  It went down a street on the east side of town and leveled the houses on the right side of the block.  Nothing to compare with the devastation of this week’s tornadoes but it has remained fresh in my mind all these many years.  I was talking to my daughter and she remembered this.  The tornado struck just a few blocks from her grade school.  She remembers the teacher having them get under their desks  as it was storming.  My thoughts and prayers are with all of those who lost loved ones and property.

I watched bits and pieces of the wedding.  It was lovely.   I thought how very much William looks like his mother and how much I didn’t like looking at Camilla and Charles.  I loved the image of the little girl with her face all scrunched up and holding her hands over her ears.  That was priceless.  I hope this is a forever, till death do us part marriage.  They have had a few years practice so they should be able to make it.  I pray that they do.

I think I am going out to check out Bergner’s this morning and see what they have on sale.  I am needing some new summer tops.  I looked in Kohl’s the other day.  I couldn’t believe how ugly the summer tops are.  I think I will stick to t’s. 

I hope you are all having a good weekend.  Stay safe and be happy!

  Beth

The day after the day after not winning the lotto…

and yesterday was a very nice day.  It was very warm and windy reaching 82 degrees in the afternoon.  We were under a tornado watch all night but it has been lifted now.  My sis wanted me to take some blankets and a pillow and bed down in the hallway for over night.  I was so tired I went to bed at a little after 9 in my bed.  We didn’t even get a thunderstorm which was OK by me.

My son’s visit was very nice.  My daughter and son in law came over to eat with us.  There were lots of leftovers for everyone to take home with them.  I kept enough for lunch for today as my niece is coming for lunch.

The cleaning craze has struck me and tomorrow I am going to start in on curtains and walls I think.  I am thinking about buying a carpet cleaner but I don’t know where I would put it if I did.  Maybe I will just see about renting one.

This is just a short update.  I hope you all have a good week.  Stay safe and be happy!!

  Beth

Records broke yesterday..

The high here yesterday reached 73 degrees and broke a record of 70 degrees set in 1908.  A tornado toppled a school bus yesterday in Northern Illinois.  Here we had thunderstorms and a heavy downpour.  The temp fell from 73 down into the 20s overnight.  Right now it is 27 degrees.  This means I will have to dig out my winter coat again before I run errands this morning.

I received a Christmas present from my brother yesterday.  A Nook, a violet t-shirt that says ‘Am I good sister or the evil sister,’ Rae got the same thing) and a Christmas tote bag.  Now I have to figure out how to use the Nook.  I see I have to have a wireless network or a 3-G network.  I have neither one so I have the dreaded cable company coming to hook me up a router.  I had a wireless network at home but when I moved here I gave my laptop and router to my SIL.  Any suggestions anyone? 

I really have to keep this short as I have to go to the bank this morning and run a couple of other errands.  Stay safe and be happy!!

  Beth