Mom's Birthday Dinner

Pretty much every year we take Mom out for dinner for her birthday. This time we went to Olive Garden and it was Bunny and me taking her out. 

The dinner was fine although nothing to get excited about. The Olive Garden now has a small game console on the tables and you can play a variety of games for free. It's a feature I would expect to see on the tables in the bar area and not the restaurant, but it was fun to give it a try while we waited for our food to arrive. 

Bunny brought Mom to the restaurant so it was my job to take her back home. The drive home turned out to be the highlight of the evening....and quite by accident. 

As we were driving to Broad Brook we saw an accident on one of the small Enfield roads. We passed it slowly; cops and lights everywhere; didn't look too serious but the cars involved were pretty banged up. After seeing that I saw a couple more cruisers in Enfield as I was making my way to Broad Brook. Seeing so many cops in a small span of time made me hyper aware of them and I happen to notice a cop car hiding along side of Revay's building but on the side where the tree line was....very difficult to see and a perfect spot to catch speeders. 

So I said out loud to Mom "I saw a cop hiding there next to Revay's", to which she replied "Really?? I've never seen one of those! Where did you see it?!??"  I'm instantly baffled by the overly excited response to my bland remark so I said "Right there next to Revay's."  And she says "Really? A cock fight next to Revays??!!" And I said "No, I said I saw a COP HIDING next to Revay's" and she says "Oh, I thought you said you saw COCK FIGHTING next to Revay's!!"

I still can't stop laughing..........

Carol's Wild Ride

This story is about a friend of mine that I met at work but who became a constant in my life for many years to come. She is no longer with us and I miss her dearly. I only wish I had written this long ago. She would have loved reading it. 

I don't remember meeting Carol although she's told me about how she first started at the bank. My first memory of Carol is her as a phone rep working on the customer service line with me. She was very good with people on the phone but she was always getting less than perfect reviews for not taking enough calls....and that happened because she liked to talk. She would always tell me that they can't have quantity if they want quality. When she said it it made sense but in reality most of the rest of us managed to walk the fine line and give the bank both. It was a stressful job and misery loves company. We became good friends. 

Within 6 months or so of being hired as a phone rep I became the Unit Head. I had no thought of moving up the ladder at the time...I was pretty much pushed into it by the Supervisor. And it was a slick move; not by me, by her. The department consisted of a phone unit ( that we were on) and a written research side that handled letters from customers. Each side had a supervisor and both those supervisors used me for weeks as their own personal bitch while they decided which of the three 'contestants' for Unit Head would be the best one. Every day they'd swing by my desk and toss their phone messages at me, expecting me to return all the calls from irate customers while I also continued as a phone rep taking calls. And for way too long I did it....until an older woman named Jeri clued me in. Jeri had started out trying for the job but had dropped out of the running (because she was smart enough to know when she was being used) with no explanation. She told me they were using me and that I should give them an ultimatum....tell them either pick me or I'm out. Well I needed this job way too much to cop an attitude with them like that but I thought about what she had said and more time passed. 

Finally one day I'd had enough. I had made noises to each of the supervisors in an attempt to let them know they were overloading me. Neither one took the hint so I told my immediate supervisor that I was no longer interested in the job. Not long after that I was called in to speak with the manager. She tried to convince me I was making a mistake. So I took Jeri's words and made them work for me. I told her what had been going on for weeks and weeks and that if they didn't know by now that they wanted me then there was no point in me continuing to try for the job. I was given the job shortly after that. Jeri was right. I was just too young and inexperienced to see it on my own. 

A little while later I discovered that new phone reps coming into the department were making more money than I was as the Unit Head. Are you shocked? I was...my blood was boiling. I found myself back in the managers office where I told her the problem. She did her best to make me wait for a raise and a crappy one it would have been no doubt. But I knew the game now and I told her I wanted more money now and how much. After much posturing and puffing and general bullshit she gave it to me. This was my introduction to banking life. But I digress....as this is supposed to be about Carol.  Please read on....

So Carol and I became best buddies at work. We took breaks together; had lunch together and had a lot of fun swapping stories of our lives. Upper management tried to discourage me from being so friendly with someone that reported to me, but I didn't fit with THEM and they weren't exactly trying to bring me into their fold either. So my friendship with Carol became more subtle but it remained strong. Carol was a real person....someone that didn't have any pretense about her...the only person I ever knew that really was exactly what she appeared to be. She became a part of my daily life. She helped make the daily grind of the phone unit bearable. And time passed. 

One day Carol came to work and said her back was bothering her. She was not one to have many physical complaints and I had already experienced a back injury and knew first hand what back pain was all about. She said it came and went and she had no idea what was causing it. It was a persistent pain but not so bad that she couldn't work so she stayed. At some point during the day Carol needed to speak to one of our co-workers in the Research Dept. about a customer's account. The next thing I knew there was a small crowd over in that area and I could hear Carol (she was always loud) saying something but I couldn't make out what she was saying. When I went over there to join the crowd that was forming, I found Carol bent in half over the desk of a co-worker, unable to move and in pain. That back pain had turned into a back spasm and she was unable to move. 
Well, being the great friend that I am, I started to laugh. And I'm not talking about a chuckle....no, I mean a gut busting laugh. She started to laugh too but cut it off short and begged all of us standing around her not to make her laugh. Laughing made it hurt more. We tried to help her stand up straight or turn and sit down but none of it was possible for her. That made us laugh even harder and she quickly became the center of every form of humorous remark that came to mind. 

Now, having said I had experience with back pain I also had a prescription for a muscle relaxer in my pocketbook. I offered to give her one but she was afraid to take it, having never used a muscle relaxer before and it not being prescribed to her. So I did the next best thing. I called the company nurse. (Yes, back in the mid 1980's the company had a nurse....unheard of now a days) I explained the whole situation to her and when she stopped laughing (Come on, it was funny!) she asked me how much Carol weighed and what muscle relaxer I had. She ended by saying that it would not hurt Carol but she could not tell me to give it to her and instead suggested I give Carol this information and put the pills on the desk but do not hand them to her. (Smart lady. That way it can't be sad that I gave it to her). 

Carol took the pill and in a little while she was a little more comfortable but still not able to straighten up. Someone had called her husband to come and get her. Carol didn't want an ambulance because she felt it would be too embarrassing....as if that were possible. She wanted her husband (Tom) to take her to the hospital. So now I had to figure out how to get her down two flights to the front door downstairs. She couldn't straighten up; she couldn't walk; she was basically frozen in a bent position. Sooooooo I did the next best thing. I got her to kneel facing backwards in an office chair with wheels. 

So here is Carol kneeling on an office chair; facing the wrong way; tightly clutching the back of the chair with both hands; fluctuating between laughing and gritting her teeth from laughing; while I slowly wheeled her through the department, through the other departments; the double glass doors and into the elevator. She felt every single bump along the way as even the slightest thing that jiggled the chair caused new pain in the muscle. But even though she was in pain she was able to appreciate the humor of it and her biggest problem was trying not to laugh as she got the grand tour to the elevator in style! Every employee we passed stopped to stare...some burst out laughing, others wondered what the hell we were doing and we had a small group that followed us all the way....supposedly in case we needed help but I suspect they were just enjoying the show. 

And in this fashion, with her entourage in tow and everyone looking on, I wheeled her out of the department; to the elevator; down two flights to the lobby. When Tom drove up to the front door I wheeled her to the passenger side of the car and carefully moved her in slow motion into the passenger seat....complaining but laughing the whole time. And she was off to the hospital where I'm told they gave her a shot that made her very pliable.  Ahhhh good times....good times. 

I miss Carol and the crazy fun we had at work. 

Shay's First Blueberry Picking

There comes a time in every child's life....if they are lucky, when they will go berry picking for the first time. When I was a child my friends and I found blackberries to pick. We thought they were growing wild but later thought perhaps they may have been planted because as was the case more often than not when I was a child, I was trespassing during my berry picking. It's not that we deliberately trespassed (well, not ALL the time) to get our berries. It was more like we had no idea that just because you can't see the house doesn't mean its not someone's property. And so we trespassed and gorged ourselves on delicious blackberries and sometimes blueberries. However with the blueberries we knew darn well we were trespassing and did it anyway. Yes, we were rotten kids sometimes. 

Obviously as a child I had a lot of freedom...perhaps too much. That was back in the days when you knew your neighbors and they'd tell your parents on you if they saw you doing something wrong. So it took a bit more stealth and a little ingenuity to do some of the stuff we did. But we got good at it. 

My kids did not have that freedom. It was a different world than mine was and I am still fully aware of the stuff I was doing wrong, and wasn't about to give them the same opportunities. I took my kids berry picking at an actual berry farm...mainly strawberry picking. We'd take pictures of how stained with berry juice the kids were when they came out of the berry patch and laugh with the owners about how they should weigh the kids before they go in and weigh them when they come out. Not one of the kids came out with any berries in their containers but they'd all claim they didn't eat them too. I guess they were a little bit rotten kids in their own way, eh?

Well times have changed again with my granddaughter and yet not completely changed. We took Shay with us to pick blueberries at a farm and this was her first experience. She's not quite a year old yet so of course she won't have any memory of it. But I can tell her she didn't hate the experience and was mostly content watching us pick from her stroller and making little noises that were probably her version of encouragement for us. She did enjoy a couple of crackers while watching us pick and even when she was obviously a little bored with the whole process she did not utter any form of complaint. Kasey (my daughter in law) and I picked 3 lbs each and got out before it became unbearably hot under the tent. The berries are exceptionally sweet this year which you would not be able to tell by the sourpuss face Shay made when Kasey gave her some to eat. 

So Shay, like my kids, will probably never experience the thrill of finding her own patch of wild growing berries but I will continue to take her to pick the blueberries at Easy Pickings as long as she is willing. I used to take Kaylee but she's 12 yrs old now and that kind of stuff is no longer fun at that age. So it's Shay's turn now and eventually she will remember the outings and hopefully enjoy the memories like I do. And for the times she doesn't remember there will be pictures like these.  :) 

Shay got a little rambunctious with the cover over the stroller and felt she needed to get her feet involved. She certainly knows how to entertain herself!

Assisted Living- Are We Really Assisting Anyone?

This semester I'm taking a class that directly relates to being a Recreational Therapist. That includes learning about the different type of therapies that are used; learning how to assess your client and determine what type of therapy would work best with them and then of course evaluate the results. As a part of our training the teacher (who definitely has hippie undertones) emailed us to show up at an assisted living facility in Glastonbury for our Monday night class. She also told those who were supposed to be presenting something to the class, to bring your presentation with you. I was one of those people so I brought my presentation. 

My presentation is a game (obstacle course really) I made up that would fall into the category of a physical activity. Others from the class were to present cognitive; artistic and other types of activities. I packed up my stuff and showed up at the facility. Luckily I did not unpack my car because there was no way I could have done my game with the residents of this place. 

We were brought to a special wing to work with the memory impaired folks. They broke us up into groups at tables with some of the residents at each table with us. We were introduced to them and they to us and explained the project we were going to do with them. That was the last part that actually made any sense to me. 

I was at a table with two young girls from my class. We had Yvonne to my left in a wheelchair; Connie to her left in a wheelchair; Kim to her left (from my class) then Pat to her left who could not understand what was going on; Bree to her left (from my class) and ending with another resident (can't remember her name) to her left (my right) who came with a walker and sat down. 
We engaged them as best we could with small talk trying to get to know them a bit. That was difficult. Yvonne was not willing or able to give more than yes or no answers; Connie wanted to sleep; as I mentioned Pat had no idea what was going on and the last one was silently judging us all. Eventually the teacher breezed by and gave us the 'activity' we were supposed to help them to do. We had sheets of paper with a decoration on it that we were going to use glitter pens to decorate. And that's exactly what we did for the next hour. The only thing is WE did all of it...they wanted nothing to do with the project; with the glitter; with our small talk; with us or with anything to do with being there. Yvonne refused to even try the activity or even to pick a color; Connie was sleeping no matter how often Kim tried to rouse her to participate; Pat just stared at the paper with a gel pen in her hand cringing away from anyone that tired to assist her and the other lady just said no to everything. 

We valiantly carried on decorating our hearts out; trying one form of conversation after another; simplifying the discussion to suit the client; sometimes trying to engage a memory....nothing worked. Then the teacher came back loudly praising our pictures and asking to hang them up on display. She didn't wait for an answer but took them away. I ever saw them again. 

Next we were to play a game with them using colored M&M's. You pick a colored M&M and you'd have to answer the question that corresponds to that color. This is intended to be used as a memory jogging game only once again it was failing miserably. Yvonne kept eating her candy and refusing to answer any questions; Connie was sleeping; Pat couldn't understand the questions being asked of her and cringed away from the M&M and then refused to give them up but wouldn't eat them either; the last one (who's name I still can't remember) simply got up and walked away....even left her walker in her haste to leave us. The attendant got it for her and took her back to her room or wherever it was that she wanted to go. Her parting words were something along the lines of I don't like M&M's and I don't want to be here. 

From there we were finally let off the hook and taken to meet a lovely lady named Betty. Betty has her shit together and she was going to teach us a game. Half the class went with Betty to learn the game and the other half of the class went with the teacher....I have no idea where. We did learn the game from Betty but I was far more interested in learning about Betty's life. She told us her and her husband (now dead from cancer) used to sell antiques and odds and ends at large tag sales, traveling around the state to do it. They made pretty good money at it. He was also a carpenter and loved to do finishing work....they'd sell that too. She had 4 children, one of which died as a teenager. None of the other 3 were able to take her in or so she says. I think that is a horrible thing and probably an excuse. She is far more able bodied than my own mother who lives alone and her mind is very quick and sound. She is unhappy at this place because there is no one to play the games she likes....she says they all want to sit in a chair and sleep....they don't want to use their minds. When we left she said we were 'lovely girls' (I haven't been referred to as a girl in a very long time) and we were welcome to come back and visit her anytime. 

I felt guilty for days after meeting her ...because I probably won't go back to visit her and she clearly needs someone to do just that. I really liked her very much. 

The following Monday we had class again and the teacher asked us how we liked the visit to the assisted living place. She looked at me and said didn't you just love it? I said it was educational. She asked what I meant and I said now know I don't want to work with the memory impaired, but I really like Betty. 

My overall impression was that it was a waste of time for us to be there. They didn't want to participate in what we were bringing them; didn't want to talk to us about themselves; and in at least one case didn't even want to be in our company. It could have been too late in the day for them (clearly it was for Connie at least) or maybe the activities weren't something they cared about or maybe we just had a group that was a bit too far gone to care about us at all. I don't know. All I know is that the teacher came over and made a huge fuss over pictures that her students made as if the  residents had done them and I came away feeling like I'd accomplished nothing at all. She has told us in class that working with the memory impaired is her favorite group. I can't help but wonder why. 

I am way too physical for that group of clients and that type of activity. All the demonstration/presentations I have done are based in the physical realm of therapy and that's where my interests lie. I may not be cut out for working with the elderly at all. I don't know at this point. I do know that I don't want to see another old man slumped over in his hospital bed starring out the door at people walking by his room. I saw one man like that as we were walking in and I immediately had to hold back tears. He reminded me of my Dad and the years he spent in a hospital bed in our living room. I feel for the old man and I'd like to help him but I can't work with someone like that and leave it to go home at night. It follows me everywhere and affects my life. I can't do it. 

So I'm left searching for a different avenue to direct myself. I have time, I have several more classes to take and an internship to do as well. I may do better with kids or young adults...and I have an interest in working with veterans too. I hope to experience a better variety so I can make a better judgment in the long run. 

My Year in Review 2015

Jan. 1^st -      Justin and Kasey took me to Olive Garden for soup; salad and bread sticks to thank me for driving them home on New Year’s eve.

Jan. 26^th      Blizzard of 2015

My neighbor to the left (only have a nodding acquaintance with them) used his snow blower to clear the end of the sidewalk where the town had plowed it in. I waved to him in thanks.

Some random guy with a plow on his truck saw me shoveling and plowed my driveway for free. I’m going to hire him going forward. Good strategy on his part.

Jan. 31^st      I learned how to scan old photo’s into my laptop today. Sent pics of Tracy and Paul Conklin to Darlene Duffy (their sister). Tracy has been dead now for some time so the new pictures were a welcome surprise.

Feb. 27^th      Went to an Island Party at the CT Science Museum with Anne; Lynsey; Beth-Ann and Leslie (Anne’s friend). Fun!

Mar. 2^nd      I took an online typing test today. I can type 55 wpm! Not bad for not having typed anything consistently since high school.

                   I did excellent on my first two quizzes and two papers I did in my Psychology class!

Mar. 6^th       While going thru a stack of paperwork that has been in a pile for years…I came across the ‘Glamour Shots’ that I had taken with Carol Krewalk when I was 40 yrs old. I look great and it was nice to find them. I’m thankful Carol made me do it. Wish she was still here so I could tell her that.

Mar. 17^th     Talked to Sonia from work today. It was great catching p with her! (Today is Amata’s birthday. She’s 5 yrs old. Such a sweet little girl)

Apr. 19^th     Anniversary of Carol’s death – 1 yr. Took a 2 ½ hr hike at McClean’s. I took pictures of turtles on a log sticking out of the pond. It was a beautiful sunny day. Posted pictures on Carol’s Face Book page that night. I miss her so much.

Apr. 25^th     I went hiking with Justin and Don at Onion Mountain. Found a tick in my head that night. I managed to get the whole tick out in one piece. I saved the body in case I get any symptoms of Lyme showing.

Apr. 26^th     I jammed up my paper shredder. Opened it and fixed it myself! First time doing that!

May 4^th       I stayed after class tonight to talk to Prof. Percy. I never thought he’d be as open as he was tonight, both in class and after. I really like him – wish I knew him as a friend.

May 8^th       I finally have a state job I can apply to! Clerk Typist….probably won’t get it but I’m going for it anyway!

May 8^th       Prof. Percy told me I have an ‘A’ in his class. We talked for about an hour after class. I like him very much – he’s extremely intelligent but messed up too. (Extreme introvert and highly intelligent) He made me think really hard; raised the bar. I may not need to take the finals in his class – probably won’t. I’m going to miss him. Wish he could continue to assign me work. I’m afraid I will sink back into being stupid and stressed.

May 12^th     JD called me and we got to talk for quite a while. He was laid off from BOA too. (Along with Ted Maniatis and Don Sheehan) I never would have thought they’d let JD go but I do recall him and Phyllis telling me he wasn’t being assigned enough loans….and that was back before I was laid off.

May 13^th     Volunteered at Dakin. I got to play with puppies!! There were 3 different litters of pups that were all different age groups. I picked the middle-aged ones….more lively and fun to play with. Playing with the pups helps them become socialized with people and sets them on the path to becoming better pets later on.

May 22^nd     Went hiking with Bunny and Kaylee at Blackledge Falls in Glastonbury. I had been there previously with Justin; Kasey; Jess; Matt and I believe Carlos too. That day Matt carried a banana throughout the entire hike but never ate it. Of course we teased him that he has to bring a safety banana on all hikes going forward. Blackledge Falls were very pretty and we climbed up over the top of the falls to check it out too. The stream that feeds the falls (when we were there) was only a tiny little thing that was easily stepped over.

May 23^rd     Volunteered to play with puppies again. Anne couldn’t make it. Had to clean and feed 5 pups and their mother. Tough getting them all back in the pen at the same time! Cute puppies!

May 30^th     Volunteered with Anne at Dakin. We took care of the 5 puppies and their mom (who has now been diagnosed with kennel cough). They were wall to wall shit! We worked our asses off! Luckily we always have extra gear on to cover our clothes because that was a hell of a dirty job. Afterward we went to Denny’s and Anne bought me breakfast. She’s having a little cookout at her house tonight too.

Jun. 3^rd        Attended the “First” program in Hartford today. It’s a free program put on by the state of CT to assist unemployed people in getting another job. Had fun in the class. I had lunch with Tony (one of the instructor’s). Unfortunately I was sick with a roaring headache the next day so I didn’t finish the 3 day class. But Tony said he’d help me finish class on his Thursdays at CTWorks. Yeah!

Jun 9^th         Had a wonderful day at Hammond Castle with Justin and Kasey! Crossed the castle off my bucket list and got to climb across huge rocks at the edge of the shoreline there with my son. Gloucester, Ma. was an awesome town…..very close to Rockport too.

Jun 14^th, 15^th & 16^th      

                   Jean is visiting from Alaska. Got to see a lot of her and laugh our asses off I haven’t seen her in about 4 yrs. so this was a real treat. She seems to have the same sense of humor I do so it’s very easy to have fun with her.

Jun. 13^th      I stopped at the Broad Brook house (which will always be Dotty’s house in my head) to help Jean with her tag sale. I met her friend Nina; Anne Pitney Harrington (sister to Jeanne Pitney) and her husband, Kenny Harrington. We all ended up laughing our asses off. I needed that!

Jun 14^th       Pool party at Jean’s house in Woodstock. I brought Mom. Patty and her boyfriend Mike were there too. Jean and I laughed our asses off again of course. Gary (Jean’s husband) made an effort to be social – pretty good job for him but he’s really difficult to be friendly to most of the time. He enjoyed talking to Mom I think. Anne and Kenny Harrington were there too. The pool was awesome. Good times!

                   Making beef stew in the crock pot for the dogs. I hate beef stew….they love it. I’m a good mommy.

Jun 15^th       Worked with Jean and Gary at the Broad Brook house for hours cleaning out stuff to donate and throw away. Gary bought lunch (dinner really) after….that was the deal he threw out there for me to help them. I discovered Gary is a tightwad for sure….trying to make sure I didn’t spend too much of his money. So I teased him that I was going to ask the waitress if I could order lobster but I’d settle for a good steak. I ended up having a salad as I always intended but it was fun to get him going…so easy to do. I had been calling him dumb-ass most of the day and he thought that was funny. He really is a dumb-ass actually. Lol

Jun 20^th       Got a call from Dr. Allen. The tumors that have been growing on Bell’s ear are not cancerous!

Jun 22^nd      Took both dogs to hike the green trail in Granby. Saw and photographed a young doe in the field. The dogs (and me too) played in the water. I need to do this more often. Screw the job hunting, my life is passing me by.

Jun 27^th       Visited the Lockwood-Mathews Mansion in Norwalk with Bunny today. Only got a mini tour. Art show outside but it was raining and cold. A very long ride to only get a mini tour and go home. Somewhat disappointing day. Rained all night after I got home.

July 3^rd; 4^th & 5^th

                   Had Kaylee 3 days with me. We went to see the movie Inside Out and had lunch at Lulu’s together. Then I bought her a pain set and paper to make artwork.

July 3^rd        Had a great time with Justin and Kaylee. We brought Zack; Maggie and Bell to Powder Hollow to play in the water. Kaylee actually went swimming too. Fun times!

July 21^st      For two days I’ve been trimming the huge (grown out of control) bush in the front yard. The beast is looking better now!

July 22^nd     Made a tree and a screaming face with water color paints today. It made me happy. I put it in Kaylee’s keepsake box. She’ll have it when I’m gone someday. J

                   Painted most of the front stairs today. They look pretty good. Neighbors behind me moved out. They sold their house pretty fast and for a lot more than I would have paid for it.

July 27^th      Had a nice interview with “Ashley” at Reliable Temps today. Sure hope they get me a job. They are in Agawam. I’m going to go check out more companies in that area too. (As it turned out I never heard a word from them again. I wonder how the temp companies stay in business if they never follow up with people).

Aug 5^th        Had an interview at Pratt & Whitney today. Thought it was going to be too corporate for me but I liked it. I liked Dan Kunec who would be my boss. Now I want this job! Probably pays better than the other places too.

Aug 6^th        Had a phone interview for Volunteer Coordinator position @ Dakin. The interview was with Leslie (the director) and Laurie (don’t know her position there but she generally pretends to be in charge). I liked them; they liked me. Leslie wanted to hire me but the job doesn’t pay enough for me to live on so I had to decline.

Aug 7^th        Picked up Kaylee early from day camp and went to the lake. We got there around 4 pm; ate and went swimming. Had a really ice time with her. She swims like a fish and actually I caught a little fish in my hands too! She is such a sweet little girl! I am so very glad she is in my life. She makes me forget all about stuff going wrong in my life and helps me live for the moment. J

Aug 13^th      Just had an awesome interview at Carrington Mortgage Services in Windsor.

Aug 22^nd     Took Kasey to the hospital because she was leaking. I’m pretty sure she was going into labor but I didn’t want to scare her. She is 3 weeks early.

Aug 24^th      Monday, Aug, 24^th at 6:23 am Shaylynn was born via C-section at Johnson Memorial Hospital. She weighed 5 lbs 13 oz. and is 19 inches long.  I am a grandmother again!!

Sept 2^nd       Went to the lake with Kaylee today. It was a lovely hot day for it. There was a loose dog there called Lucas – a Dalmatian (but w/brown spots). He was bothering other dogs a bit and looking for food from everyone he saw. He belonged to nice older gay men that were wandering around trying to get him to come back to them. Funny!

Sept 12^th     Had lunch at Lulu’s with Anne. She brought her Aunt Betty with her who is 85 yrs old. Nice lady – very slow without her walker but very nice! LOL

Sept 16^th     Hiked at Laughing Brook Wildlife Sanctuary in Hampden, Ma. today. It’s a nice place but they don’t allow pets and its isolated enough for me to want one of those dogs with me. I met a creepy guy that was coming out when I was coming in….he asked me questions after he had gone past me. I did not like that or him one bit. I had my hand on my bear spray the whole time.

Sept 23^rd     Had Shay most of the day today. She is so sweet! I miss her as soon as she goes home!

Oct 2^nd        Took my first drug test for my new job at Carrington today. Turned out to be a urine test and I was expecting a blood test. Who knew??!

Oct. 6^th        Went to Nevers Road Park in South Windsor with Kasey and Shay. Shay slept through the walk but woke up enough to try to poop on me when I was changing her diaper. She did manage to pee all over my hand. J

Oct 7^th         Had Kaylee overnight and took her to school in the morning. I wish I had more time with her. She told she shaved her legs for the first time. I think it’s too soon for that crap –she’s only 12 yrs. old. But I doubt she’ll keep it up. It’s a lot of work. Kids grow up too fast these days.

Oct 18^th       Had Kaylee overnight last night. She sat with me in the chair for a while and She read to Me before she went to bed. (Where the Sidewalk Ends). This morning we painted our papier mache birds but they aren’t done yet. They need a few more coats of paint I think. First day of work for me tomorrow. Kaylee wrote on the board for me: “You’re #1 Grandma remember you’ll do great!!” Love that little girl!!

Oct 19^th       Finally started my new job at Carrington Mortgage Services!

Nov 6^th        Got my 1^st paycheck from Carrington. I may not be crazy about the job but it sure feels good to have some money coming in again!

Nov 8^th        Went hiking with Tin; Kasey; Zack and Shay at Whitaker Woods Trail (the white trail) in Somers today. This was the babies 1^st hike and she slept thru the whole thing. We had 3 giant dogs come running at us to meet us. Justin thought the 2 black ones were bears. Hysterical watching him trying to grab bear spray from a knapsack on his back!! LOL

Nov 11^th      Got Bunny an interview with Jarrod at work. They are going to hire her! We haven’t worked together since we were teenagers and worked at Gunver in Manchester.

Nov 25^th      Job has been tough going with my trainer. Michelle is such a nitpicker about the smallest detail of the job….I can’t do anything good enough for her. Jarrod started training me on the fees today. We had a conversation about how I was doing good and started back-sliding because of losing confidence with my trainer picking out every tiny error. He’s much better at training!

Nov 28^th      Hiked Peaked Mountain in Monson, Ma. with Justin and Zack in the rain. First time hiking in the rain for me. The view at the top was Fantastic!!

Dec 10^th      Taking care of Shay on Thursday nights is the best part of my week!

Dec 18^th      Today I was moved across from Jarrod’s desk. I disclosed my first loan today! It’s about time too. If the training was better and consistent it would have happened sooner.

Dec. 31^st      Spent New Year’s eve with Shay. Such a cutie!