Life in Weyers Cave

  I guess Faraday was hiding from me after what she did to the bed.

I went down to the Red House to clean out the rest of the things and the new couple was there. They had decorations up and furniture in and were doing very well. She helped me get my stuff and had me out in two hours. Amazing. They are SO HAPPY there.

I have had this keyboard for a while and never really checked out all the buttons on it. So tonight I just started pushing them randomly. I have one that flips windows, one that brings up my pictures folder, one that turns the volume up and down and one that makes the print larger and smaller on my screen. Fun! Maybe I should have read the instructions on this thing. David doesn't like it because the hand angle is off from "normal" a bit. I went to recorder and we played all music written by Gail tonight and all her favorite people were there (even Brent, kids). I felt like she was there. We have a new lady named Mary, but she sews so I won't be making her costume. Today I had twelve children in church and they were all really, really good. I sure look forward to having kids for an hour on Sundays. I miss being a mom. But I had several workers missing today so had to fill in and do their jobs as well as mine. During the service, the piano player has three little ones,...

Somebody was interviewing people with political questions and asked "Do you believe Congress should continue to fund National Public Radio?" "Of course," was the answer. "If not, the taxpayers would get stuck with it." (Some people really shouldn't be voting...)

I am living such a quiet life with David gone. The cat made sure I got to wash all the linens on the bed last night but that was my greatest excitement. I went to a picnic last night at the Butlers on the north side of Harrisonburg, f-a-r north, and saw many old friends I hadn't seen in a long, long time. I saw the Copeland kids and only Matthew said he remembered me. They weren't smiling from ear to ear the way they used to. I guess they are growing up. I had a consulting job with Brenda and two more with her this coming week. She is so excited that I found a free Sudoku for her computer and taught her to use a Ghantt chart. She was going to get the five hundred dollar Microsoft package but I just downloaded a free one that we were making sing and dance by the time I left. I had a job all day on Friday with a company my boss signed on. Ten computers and they are totally eaten up with viruses and spyware. They had a virus checker on them. But the boss loved to download lost of ...

One thing about my job, it is never boring. I never know what I will be doing or who I will meet. This morning I had a motherboard bright and early to replace. But the techies had misdiagnosed it and the problem remained. The problem was that the cable modem had been hit with a surge of lightning. This happens a LOT. Then I had a doctor's appointment and the doctor was an hour and a half late, which put me late. I had another motherboard after that, this one sixty miles from the first one. No problem putting it in. But again, the computer still didn't work. I go the motherboard replaced in half an hour, but didn't leave until over three hours later. The house was the most beautiful I have seen, seriously. I almost took pictures, probably should have. Built in 1928, it is made of stonework and brick and huge old oaks and a perfectly landscaped and manicured lawn and gardens. The topiary was "bubbles" like I have never seen. They spend hours and hours on it and it i...

  Of course there can be no more appropriate present for me than Belgian chocolate bees, thank you TAT. The bees said there were babies inside so I did a C-Section on one and found five little baby bees. lol

Josh and I planted the St Joseph statue in the front yard of the Red House and I posted the house on the Craigs List and ran off to Fort Lauderdale. St Joseph is supposed to make the house sell quickly to the people you want at the price you want. But we had decided to rent it after the last contract fell through. While I was gone, I got an email and made an appointment to show the house last night at 5:30 to a sweet family with two two-year-olds and a baby on the way. Sunday evening I got an email from someone who had seen it on Craigs List and immediately gone to check it out. They were in love with it and practically ready to rent it sight unseen. I made an appointment to show it at 4:30 last night to them. I got there at 3:30 and someone pulled up beside me in her truck and got out and asked if she could see it. She had seen it on Craigs List and really wanted it for her son and his best friend and the friend's wife. She said they had loved the house for years and were thrille...

Today I went to the German House at the Museum and they were making some soup from spelt grain and mixed vegetables. Good, but not great. Afterwards, I said I would help with the dishes. Never tell a 15 year old and a 17 year old you will "help" with the dishes. I ended up doing them all in the hot sun. LOTS of dishes. I let the back of the pans touch my clothes and I was absolutely covered in black. Note to self: do not let anything touch parts of pan directly in contact with the fire. We had to load two big buckets with hot and cool water and I washed them with lye soap and a homemade linen hankie. Nothing to scrub with. I have to remember, it was easier than the life of those living on the farm.

I got home at 11:15 last night from Florida. It was so good to see David. I got up and left for church. He stayed home to pack and leave during church for ten days or so in Colorado. No recorder tonight. I watched an episode of Murder She Wrote. My mother and Dianna called. Martha stopped by. Happy Birthday to me. This is a stuffed animal with so much personality I got him myself (okay, five dollars at Food Lion) but he is really soft and cuddly and I know can make a great lesson in Primary. Any idea what he is or what I should name him? Martha says he is part cow. Also flowers from David and my board decorated by Martha. Jeff is always the best at picking out gifts. The bee wind sock is from Martha but the beautiful beehive watering can is from Jeff and Mom. I love it. I didn't want to say anything last week, but if you know me, you will know that this is the first time in my adult life that my dresser top has been clean! I was hoping David would be floored, but he didn't comm...

I'm at Fort Lauderdale in Florida and would have posted a lot with pictures, but internet access and time are extremely limited. First of all, as awesome as Elise is, there are at this point no plans for wedding bells. I think the word "Phew" comes to mind. Bryan is just as adept at playing the mind games as ever, but insists the assumption of his impending betrothal was on our part, not his. What am I supposed to think when he insists I come immediately to meet his girlfriend???? We went in an airboat across the sawgrass swamp yesterday and saw ten alligators. Wonderful. Had lunch at a wonderful Irish pub, and then saw an IMAX movie. We have met Elise and her family and had dinner there last night. Today David leaes to drive home, but I fly home on Saturday. That's it for now. More later.

I have declared today Pet Peeve Day. Come on, this isn't complaining. It is just being honest about stupid little things that bother you. I want everyone who reads this to post three. So here are three of mine: (um, yes, I do have more) 1) Those hard plastic shell cases when you buy something that are so hard to open. 2) People who wear clothing that exposes their bra straps or underwear. 3) Drivers who follow too closely, especially if they are in a bad mood and "trying to teach you a lesson"

Tonight is one of the nights of the Weyers Cave Lawn party. I got to dip chicken for frying for three hours. I am now covered in corn meal. But I love the people I hang out with to do it and we had fun. One of the firemen came and poured some more cornmeal on me, since he said I had enough that a little more wouldn't hurt. Good times, good times. I love working with the Ruritans. Such a great group of guys.

When I was at the bank two days ago with Josh, they said they were having a drawing. I told them if I entered I would win. I got the phone call today and now have to go down and pick out my prize. Why can't I be that lucky with selling the house?

I got an email tonight. The Red House contract is resurrected. Go figure.

I have been tagged by Karen! How to play this game of Tag: Post these rules on your blog. List: 3 joys, 3 fears, 3 current obsessions/collections, 3 random surprising facts about yourself. Tag 5 people at the end of your post by leaving their names. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog! Three Joys: 1) Sleeping beside my husband at night - even if he is snoring (although I do roll him over) and waking up beside him each morning 2) Listening to my wonderful children sing together with Cathryn banging at the piano 3) Teaching the children at church Three Fears: 1) Being yelled at/barked at/told I'm stupid or a failure 2) That my kids will make mistakes that bite them 3) That I will let others down Three Obsessions/Collections: 1) Digital cameras 2) Really good chocolate 3) Collections for church kids: silly hats, puppets, beanies, stuffed animals Three Random/Surprising Facts? 1) I have a forty year old collection of Lifesaver wrappers. 2) One of my first j...

I got an email at 6 this morning from someone wanting to see the house first thing. But his wife didn't like the nearby plant or the railroad tracks. I had a chiropractic appointment first thing this morning. The chiropractor is Catholic and promised that he has a personal relationship with St Joseph and would send special good vibes my way. That should certainly make the house sell!

I had Josh Hebdon help me at the Red House today. He mowed the lawn, I cleaned the carpets, it was hot. We buried St Joseph upside down with his face pointing to the street. We asked for the house to sell. (We didn't pray, that would be TOO creepy.) But I did say please. Think of it as an expensive four leaf clover. It gave me five dollars worth of hope. That hope was dashed this afternoon when the lender (who has been a stinker) wrote and said that the house (which two days ago she admitted was not in the flood plain). well, she has now decided IS in the flood plain. No reason. The survey proves it's not, but she decided it is in the flood plain anyway. So I talked to the buyer, who remains sweet, and we realized the lender was not acting in good faith and she wouldn't get the loan. We both have felt that she is curt and rude and really not working for the buyer. I have notified previous buyers who said they had to wait a few months, and put it back on Craig's List. An...

 

Everyone except Dianna , that is.

  During the last few years of my daddy's life, he was pretty much always in his chair in the family room with Wrenn, his faithful cat, on his lap and the television zapper in his hand. Well, David doesn't watch television, but he has the chair and the cat down pat and spends all of his free time in this position. I don't think this is a precursor to anything.

After my last post, I got ANOTHER job. Seems the first one from yesterday opened up again AND they wanted me to do the store next door to them (same owners) because of a lightning strike. I had to install two computers in Charlottesville this morning at a third store, (planned several days ago), then run over to these stores, install a backup system in one and pick up the the backup system there to take to the other store. These are big stores with two backup systems each, and one was down at each location. Tough night. I didn't get home from concessions until 10, was in pain from being on my feet so long, and dead tired. Faraday woke me up for good at 5 am. Grr. Stupid cat! I finished the two computer installs, then went to the first store. I got there right at 1:00, when I had said I would be there. They had even called me at the other job to reconfirm the arrival time! But I "just missed" the guy who came in, put BOTH backups in the first store, and took the old units ...

"You need to hightail it over to Charlottesville immediately to fix a system that has taken the store down. Easy fix, we know you can do it." "Okay, I'll be ready in an hour. Is that okay?" (Realizing that because of last night's storm I have to call 50 people to find some to work in the concessions stands tonight for a makeup game) "Yes" (Ring, ring) "Yes, I'm from the store. We are SO THANKFUL for your help. These are the details...." *quick shower* (Ring, ring) "Um, the manager decided to do it himself. Enjoy your day!) *sigh* So now back to calling everyone to find some people to work in the concession hut tonight, which will probably be rained out, and calling to get people to sell chicken at the lawn party next week. And back to making the Madrigal costumes for our performance on Friday. Actually, I really, really like making the costumes, so this is not a complaint. I have the hat, robe, and shirt done. If I can tie David ...

I get a free web address from Microsoft, so am trying to come up with the name. BeeBox.com is taken, but I could get DebbietheGeek.com or theBeeTech.com. I know there is a way to come up with a memorable address, I have the words Debbie, Bee, BeeBox, Tech and Geek to deal with, although I suppose there are more. Could even go with Dubby I suppose. As far as Allen, he is now assigned to the Fourth POG, Sixth Battalion of Psychological Operations. Usually you hear things like 182nd Airborne, but he is in SOCOM (Special Operation Command) so he doesn't get a normal division name. I don't understand all of this. He is assigned to Europe and Africa. It looks like he will NOT deploy to Iraq! In general, though, he will have less warning on his deployments and they will be shorter for specific jobs. I think it will change a lot and be good for him and HE is happy. He says it is one of the safest units in the Army. There is a wall of those who have died and there are only eight on the...

I worked at the German farm today. We had 214 second graders on tour in groups of 26. Fun. I still don't have a costume, but I DO have an official shirt and a nametag now. And I got to pick up a chicken! ***** In answer to the second comment: The Silver Spangled Spitzhauben chicken also known as Appenzeller Spitzhauben, originated in Switzerland is their national bird. This chicken is very rare to the United States and not yet admitted to the American Standard of Perfection. Noted characteristics are cavernous nostrils, horn type comb and mid size head crest.