JustaKrusen/ Mrsjustakrusen

Spring time turning to summer. Life feels like it is renewed each Spring. Times for changes, for some a time for new love, time to plant things and watch them grow. Spring is always a time where I feel like a victor.  I have made it through the winter, I have kept warm and free of fractures though the icy blustery days of darkness,  I feel fresh.

I truly love to walk, and am not comfortable walking outside when there is ice on the pavement- so the gm is a nice place to go instead. I see so much when I walk, things I miss riding in a car. Wild flowers, butterflies, ferns, flowers, birds. It is neat to watch things change. The garden is among the signs that Spring has turned to summer and we are heading towards fall.

We are on a second envelope of radish seeds, the tomatoes plants in the front left corner have a lot of blossoms but no tomatoes yet, the zucchini in the back right is really getting ready to reward us with it’s gifts. The back left- those are our sunflowers. They are reaching up to the sun . Front right is summer squash- not quite as excited about growing as its sister plants the zucchinis, but they too have blossoms. As they reach and stretch and grow, the thought of fresh veggies  (and putting some in the freezer to stretch out the summer veggie months) is also a reminder of days to come, when coats and gloves are needed, and we are reminded of our breathing because we see it in front of our faces with each exhale, and reminded that we have nose hairs- as they freeze.

Yes, this is my favorite time of the year. Spring to summer, and summer to fall. Winter I tolerate, I dread at times, and it makes me appreciate Spring. Living where there is no winter- well Spring would not have the same meaning, it would be taken for granted.

Enjoy the weather, treasure the colorful gifts that we get for no cost at all, the birds the sunsets, the incredible skies, rainbows, loved ones, children, LIFE>> Love Cindy

Vacation. What does it mean to you? Is it a time a packing fervently and heading off to who knows where in a car, a plane, a train or a boat. And sometimes needing the car to get to the plane to get to the boat. Dependant on others to make sure they do their part, so you can get to your final destination for your vacation.

Or is it a time to know you have a job , and you have been benefited time off with pay, to take some “Me Time”. A very long weekend rest?

There is a reason why God made vacations ( and park benches…). Can ya guess which I lean towards? ( The park bench is a hint) And free things all around.

As I age I am getting less in the mood for crowds, strangers breathing on my neck as we stand in cattle herding appearing lines, waiting for some over paid , attitude strong, impatient person behind a counter take control of my life. Have you ever done that ( Oh I am sure you have) – like at a ticket counter, or at a boarding pass counter. Where the person behind the counter is taking their sweet time, hauls your baggage, smacking their gum , as dragging their pan slowly over forms that need to be checked, or slowly punching in keys on the key board- unaffected by the amount of time they are taking or the length of the line.

The people in the line bitching about how long it is taking, or what each person perceives to be the most important reason why they should not be held up, the people are so close they are rubbing against you, you can smell their cologne or their sweat… ahhh – yeah—the park bench is mighty inviting for my vacation this week.

I have some sewing  to do, and have 2 great books to read. One is “ Still Alice” – I am already 70 pages into it, and unfortunately had to go to sleep last night. This is a read and do not do anything else book for me.  It is frightening, interesting, and more frequent in our lives then we care to admit. Alice is a professor, she knows psychology and its intricacies, at at 50 years old is  trying to convince herself that her quick lapses in memory, forgetting what she was saying in the middle of a lecture, and all of the sudden having no idea where she was during a jog- that these are related to menopause. Only to find she is suffering from early onset Alzheimer’s Disease. The book is amazing in my mind. One of my friends who just read it warned me— she sees herself being more aware of how often she is forgetting things .  So this will be on my list of things to do.

Mark and I will be spending time together for the next 9 days, there is a family reunion at the end of the week we will go to, and Indi, well we gotta get a dog park jaunt in or two. I will plan on hitting the gym and walking Germandale Drive. And relaxing.. no alarm clocks for the next 9 days. I am off to make breakfast- go to church and then come home and mow the yard. Then read, cook, plan for the reunion, garden tend,  see Brandon Jeff and Amanda and enjoy my time with my husband. I love work, but I also ,love vacations. I will pop in and update this thru Thursday— but then off to see my family for a few days. Photos of my days to follow. Love to all, enjoy the free stuff… Cindy..alias Mrs Justa

Mark and I were reminiscing the other day as we were talking  about our John Deere and the way it makes every other pass look like a slightly different height, and even through it does that , the acre still looks good. We work hard on it. Being we are the first lot on corner of the road to our development and we have the sign for the development in our front yard, we really want to make it comfortable for people to enter the street.

Mark is just about unable to walk after sitting on the rider for 1 hr. He is ready for a major rest. So I do the pushing and weed whacking. It takes me an hr to do my stuff, and often we go out together, finish together, go back and ooh and ahh at the garden ( which has yet to produce any veggies except some yummy spicy radishes… but it is neat to watch it grow. )

So as I was saying we were reminiscing about days gone by. Long gone by, like I am talking about 45 years ago.  At the age of 10, as I have written before, (  and will add more bits and pieces as the subject matter applies) my dad died at the  young age of 57. We were financially strapped and my mom, bless her heart, never really told us how broke we were, but there were times is was very apparent.

Here is an example… she went to WT Grants and bought us one of these. A shiny orange manual mower for the yard. This is the same color but way more fancy then the one we had. ( These handles are covered with cushy grips and the wheels look fancier)The problem we had was it did not like to cut grass. I remember her bringing it home and we ( at 11 and 10 years old) were in charge of mowing the yard. My sister Pam and I would have to take a running start and hope we grabbed the handle just right to get the sucker to cut maybe 3 feet. Then we would have to do it again.  Our yard was fortunately not an acre, the front maybe 20 by 40 and the back maybe 40X40. We had trees too, 2 Maples in the front, a couple poplar on the side, 3 willows in the back another few poplars, , Russian olive trees and a maple. I say this because in that 3 foot jaunt from the running start, should there be a stick the mower would jam. Upon a jam it would stop abruptly and that handle would end up jammed into our stomachs. Depending on how fast a running start we had, depended on if the handle would make us suddenly gasp out of pain, and we would be trying to suck in the air that was  just released from our bodies.

Now the older man next store, he had a nicer manual mower, it must have cost him a whole lot of money, I think he could have mowed with just one finger on the handle as he read a book and drank a beer. Like this dude, ( I found him on google images) he looks like he is taking his mower for a stroll. This is how our neighbor looked lightly mowing his yard. You could hear the whish on each blade gently surrendering to his mower.He would glance over at us, smirk at times, as beads of sweat were watering the lawn, as we yanked branches out of the reel and massaged our sore abs, deep breathing trying to refill our lungs that had been majorly depleted of oxygen with each jam in the ribs and gut.

Our neighbor could have gone back inside , taken a shower, watched a ball game, ate lunch , even taken a nap and we would  still  be out there fighting the battle of the yard . And let me tell ya, when school had not yet quite finished and the yard needed attention 2 times a week, well that is all we did. By the time we finished the last 3 foot swipe in the back , it was time to go back and start all over again. .. To top off this memorable experience , the suburban track we lived in was built on a swamp- so the mosquitoes were pros, but, loves sucking the blood out of us. We could not swat them, because you did not dare let go of the handle once you were on the 3 foot venture.

My advice to all of you thinking about reverting back to these mowers- I saw an ad about a town going more green with their mowers, pay the extra bucks, get the one that wisps thru the yard.

Look at the mower here, it almost makes the non motor

mower option look cool, fashionable, like this mower rules.

Leave the cheap ones right were you first saw them .

Your abs will thank you… or your kids abs will.

Love to all, happy mowing, Mrs Justa.

What the heck is this, some may think. Well it is a symbol of me STRETCHING out of a shell. Tonight was the Chase Corporate Challenge. This was my racing number that was pinned to MY shirt. It is an event that I believe stretches beyond Syracuse NY, but I will have tunnel vision for Syracuse. It was held on the lake parkway- which as it sounds runs next to the lake. It was 80 degrees out, a soft breeze, a beautiful night really.

I think there were 6200 or 6400 people registered to do it from various corporations in the area, and some areas far away. My employer participates in it every year, but me… not so much. This year I bit the bullet and signed up- that in itself is a huge step for me. I have never considered myself a jock. I have been walking at lunch, or at the gym or on the street we live, but this past week, well between the antibiotics, the possible tick bite and strept throat, I knew I would have trouble finishing the 3.5 mile trek. But I went, and I walked about 2 miles on the shoulder next to the course, and to and from the shuttle, and back around the many tents. I did not do the actual race- for it was a no turning back situation, and I knew I would not be able to do it. If you got caught crossing to the return side and not walking the full 3.5 you could jeopardize your company’s ability to participate in the future and disqualify them for tonight’s event. I did not want the owner or my co workers remembering me for THAT!

I stood on the side lines too and cheered my co workers as they came in. It was a nice time. I feel good , I tried hard, and I stepped out of the comfort zone, worked all day and then joined 88 of my co workers for this event at 6:00 this evening, I left around 8:15. I will sign up again next year, and hopefully stay healthy for it, and hopefully be in great shape to do it.  I may be 55, overweight, but I tried, and no one can take that away.

Stephany if you are out there, thanks for your inspiration. Love to all, Mrs Justa 

Welcome to my challenge, to my huffing , to by will to make me a better me. When you drive in and out of our driveway  this incline seems minimal- BUT when you take a walk, a walk with determination to get to the end of the road and turn around and come back, well the first what feels like zillions of feet are a killer. Oh I am sure once I am in better shape it will be a mole hill, but folks right now this incline is a Mount Everest. It is about 2.2 miles when I add the for sale lots I zig zag in, and there are some dogs that are sometimes out, so I carefully zig across the street and back, never make eye contact though.. (The Dog Whisperer taught me that )

It is nice though because we live on a dead end street, so no thru traffic., no one really speeding or being annoying. Others walk up and down the road too. It is refreshing, it is tough at the inclines- and there are a few, –I think 4- but this first one from our house up it the worse. Let me just say.. I am glad it is at the beginning of my walk and not at the end. It is the rewarding part at the end of the journey! A gift from God.

Tomorrow is the Chase Corporate Challenge, I did sign up for it, fortunately it is not up hills or mountains such as this, but it is for 3.5 miles and I am unsure I will go for it, just cuz I am getting over strept throat, and am not feeling 100% on top of my game. I would hate to make the news by being the old lady who sat down 2/3rds of the way thru cuz she didn’t feel good. I am going to it, just unsure what tomorrow will bring. So for all you procrastinators about taking the first step.. do it… it feels GREAT, and if I can drag my ol ass up this mountain, (soon to be a mole hill) well so can you. Love to all, Cindy

Father’s Day.. it has come and gone. I hope that yours has gone well.  It is one day a year where we are honoring our dads, or fathers, or other men in our lives who acted like our fathers. Dads have a tough job, they try to hold everything in , all the troubles, and try to be  the person for everyone. They have a wife or significant other who has their own idiosyncrasies, and tough jobs of trying to support the kids while disciplining them .

My dad never let us know that he was having problems health wise or workwise. He was a traveling salesman and sometimes had a hard time selling the product, as he was an honest salesman. He had a tendency to have sales jobs that had large regions so he would be gone during the week, sometimes returning on Thursday, then going back out and home for most of the weekend.

I remember him packing, and I remember his coming home. I really do not think that he ever earned a lot of money. But money did not lessen his attention or love he had for all of his kids. He died after having 3 heart attacks in his past that he never mentioned or received care for them, he never had chest pain, he had flu symptoms, so he was treated for the flu. After his last heart attack, it showed on the EKG that it was his fourth one, not his first one. To this day I wonder if he had ever felt chest pain at different times and did not do anything about it. Happy Father’s Day Dad. You have been gone for 45 years, but I still feel your presence.

Today we went over to our friend Shawn and Pats house and tried to do what we could do to help him with a porch project he is doing. Mark helped, then sat and rested his leg and back, then helped and again rested. Pat and I carried 8,10,12, and 14 foot joists to the area, and stood around asking annoying questions at times, but we had fun.

Then Jeff and Amanda had a dinner  and invited us over for Fathers Day. Brandon

had grandpa moments , as seen here.

Brandon continues to change every time we see him. He is more vocal,  making all sorts of noises, and he has this new look where when he is concentrating he sticks his tongue out.

We took him outside for a little while and let him sit on the railing of the deck ( tightly held by Grandma OF COURSE) and we looked at all the flowers, plants and decorations. Then he sat in the grass and seemed to love the wind blowing in his hair.

Brandon also had daddy moments

Daddy was teaching him how to do the ring stacker toy that he just got today.They are being supervised by Badger, the gentle giant.

Brandon likes the toy, but in his mind today… the rings are neat to take off and chomp on.

The stacking part is not part of his process yet.

  Notice the thinkers tongue starting to creep out.

Oh my goodness, he is such a joy for us. Amanda mentioned some days in the end of July when she is looking for 4 days for Brandon to be watched. I am going to check the work calendar, and if at all possible take them off. I will find out tomorrow.

Just as I am finishing this Mark’s daughter, Adrianne , called to wish him a Happy Fathers Day. She worked all day,I feel for her, as she is pregnant and is doing 12 hr shifts at a hospital in the town she lives in. She and Her hubby are expecting a baby this year too, So Josh had a Father’s Day for dads to be. It sounds like they are doing fine . Life is a blessing, God has given us so many gifts in life, just look around you and feel good about what you have and do not focus on what you do not have.

SO for all the dads, soon to be dads, grandfathers and families- Happy Fathers Day. Love to all, Cindy

Well, it was not so bad a day for the cars and our check book. Phew.

This is our 1997 Dodge Intrepid- it has 138,000 miles on it and we were majorly dooming and glooming over what this incredible annoying squeaking noise was from under the hood. The dealer had warned Mark the last time he took it in there, that if there was a worsening noise it was probably whatever part the pulley is attached to, and they would have to take many parts off the engine, it would take many hours and cost mega bucks. Sooooo  we took it over to the mechanics at Cole Muffler in Fulton. They are an incredible shop ! They are quick and NEVER have done work that was not needed. We told them we had a squeal, we had no idea what it was, and could they check and give us an estimate, ( nervous teeth chattering as we spoke) plus we needed an oil change and the annual NY State inspection . ( More nervous chattering of teeth as we ask for a 12 year old car to be inspected …chatter chatter) ( each inspection at the dealers for the  past 3 years has cost us $600.00 or more) So we left the car, and I called back 1 1/2 hrs later to see what the damage was going to be on our checking account- it was 49.00 dollars! The squeal was a belt that needed adjusting, the inspection went fine, and oil change – no problem. They did not charge for the belt adjustment.

Mark was figuring 1200.00 dollars, and all kinds of pondering ( yes I said pondering from you Mark !) about if it is worth it to keep the car, and what will we do if we have just one car. Well, we are keeping it, and we remain with 2 cars for today at least.

My car –

we needed to get the front brakes checked, and the fiasco at the dealers last weekend was still making me cringe, and I could not stomach another prediction of 500+ dollars to repair them. The front brakes  are not symptomatic at all. We decided to instead go to  Cole this morning before taking the Intrepid over there. The service writer told us they could get it in in about 20 minutes and take a look. I am thinking another 200 to 300 dollars for front brakes if the rotors are bad, or best case scenario the 79.00 special to have the pads changed.

In 10 minutes the service guy was showing us the pad, and told us they were maybe 1/2 way worn, not in need of any service, and to just bring it back in before the snow season hits, and they will check them again.  Charge a BIG FAT ZERO! SO our possible 1500.00 dollar car day turned out to be less then 50 bucks.

Now my question is WHY DID MY BACK BRAKES GO????????????????? It is a front wheel drive car. The front brakes have more work to do then the back. And the back pads were worn to the rivets and damaged the rotors beyond repair. And they were not symptomatic till the night before we brought it in for repair. Something is fishy about the whole thing. But it is money under the bridge, and we have 2 cars with seals of approval. So we are happy about that.  So as I go off to clean and do laundry and work on some sewing projects, I smile – it is a good day. Love to all Mrs. Justa.

Pondering the whys again tonight. Like how does the car know if you have a little extra in a savings account? How does it know? We are far from wealthy but have been trying to save anything we can, and it takes a really long time to get 100.00 saved.

Mark went to take off in his car today, and it is squealing, like the sounds of a belt squealing. So off we go tomorrow morning to have it looked at. And my car, we gotta go have the front brakes probably done. I am not in a job that gives an opportunity for overtime, so if I needed to earn more money , it would be with another employer. AS I have stated in the past, I would not mind a per diem clinical job, but the hospital in this town was closed because the State felt it was not needed in this area. ( Now if someone from the state who made that decision has a heart attack in Fulton NY, I wonder if they will regret that decision??)

Another question- how can a simpleton like me question the stimulus package issues, and these experts who are giving O’BlahBlah guidance advise bailing out sucky businesses, whose practice issues are why they are where they are?  So we give these sucky businesses billions of dollars, so they can go under a few months later. So now the businesses are still failing, but they are not alone, now the country is failing with them. Maybe the intent is so they do not get lonely at the bottom of the barrel.

I have another question… how could a genius such as O’Blahblah have been hidden under a rock all these years. How many people do you know who feel they can run the financial spectrum, the automobile manufacturing spectrum,  the health care in the country, the amount people get paid. This guy is incredible ! LOL  As he is handing out trillions of buck-a roonies—I head Rush say that  O’blahblah’s wife is telling a group of people that we need not look to the government for solutions of financial problems, we need to look within ourselves, ..volunteer, work it out amongst yourselves. Maybe she was taking a nap when her hubby was explaining how the government is reaching into all of our homes, promising us a great future yet sucking us dry. 

Pondering… yes I am pondering. But WAIT>>>>>>Maybe O blahblah can pay for the car repairs, the repairs will keep the technician working, which means more payroll, the mechanic will need parts, so the parts people win ….and while we are at it… to help the economy, maybe he will pay for a garage to be built for us- that would put some people to work, they would pay income taxes, so it can be a win win. Maybe he is not so bad after all, where do I sign up?  Night night all, Love Mrs justa.

Life is fascinating. It is so neat to have a bird feeder in the yard.

We have these blue birds – I believe they are the “BlueBird” which is New York’s State state bird. I showed Jeff the photos last time he and his family were over, but he has not yet admitted to the fact that it is a Bluebird. Since then I saw it again singing on the top of our pine tree, and on the sign for the development we live in. I am going to get a better picture of it.

The feeder will sometimes get emptied quickly and it could be a day or so before I get to refill it. I am amazed how quickly the birds pass the word around that the trough has been filled. We now have a red squirrel, a few crows, a Baltimore Oriole , ( which Jeff doubts too .. but just wait I will get a photo of him too) Cardinals, blue jays, chick-a-dees, sparrows, robins, red winged black birds, even a chipmunk. The crow is too big for the feeder, so he plops his big feet on the edge and throws food on the ground by whacking it with his bill real quick. Than

he drops to the ground and chows away.

It just totally blows my mind, how in this huge world, we have a 12” bird feeder that is known to many.  I do find peace in watching them, and wonder, and I realize how unique life is for us. Look at all the living things that this world has living on it. These birds all have different personalities. If you really watch them, so are down to business, others happy-go-lucky. Some are scared, some are bold. Some even have the dreaded “entitlement syndrome”. Some share, some are greedy. Huh… much like the people in the world.

Have a great day. I will write again soon. love to all. and as always… remember.. the best things in life are free. Love Mrs Justa.

Humor, a good belly laugh, finding the funny side of anything. it is a fun game to play. But you have to watch when you do the internal belly laugh and when you let one rip.( from google images)

Example- in boot camp, your drill Sergeant is yelling in your face, and if you bit your teeth  together you could probably prick out one of his whiskers or eyebrows… not a good time for a belly laugh.  Now that would be very hard for me. Yep, cuz in fear and in fright, I laugh. So I would be ground meat in boot camp.

When your teacher is reprimanding you in the classroom, in front of the entire class,  not a good time to let a deep rumble laugh out… me in that situation, I would have a really hard time and an ear to ear smirk would pop onto my face, like someone plastered it there suddenly, and well that earned a trip to the principals office. A place  I frequented more then I care to admit. Then I would have a hard time when the principal was talking to me. I personally am surprised I made it thru graduation!

A traffic stop, another not so good time to let out a laugh. Again, I have a problem with fear, fright and being sternly looked at, it makes me laugh, and yep you guessed it, I get a ticket. I can not help it, I get scared or nervous and I am history.

How about your family member is really stressed out, pissed, and you happen to be the person he or she can vent to. Well if I am the chosen one, I try my darndest to hold in the laugh, I feel like I am going to split a seam in my side, it feels like my throat is going to pop from the compressed air I am holding inside from capturing that laugh, and once it leaks out, well then they get mad at me cuz they think I am laughing at them.

It really sucks having this problem, because I laugh at times I should be serious. I remember times my mom would get upset, she was like a volcano, screaming out names half backwards, babbling half words, going through all the kids names and not getting to mine, she would spit a little when she got angry, and you guessed it- I would laugh. And when I started I could not stop. Like a contagious laugh .

I had a boss once, she was a very large breast, short stocky woman with a drill sergeant face , she would cross her arms across her chest- well kinda across her chest and she would get the glare- just before she would shout out an order… as soon as I caught a glimpse of the glare and saw the arms struggling to clasp over her chest.. I was history, I would look to the floor, try to think of a painful time in my life, a toothache, anything to get me off this roar that was held up inside of me. Sometimes it worked, sometimes not. On year she gave me a PENNY raise , she said it was because I smiled too much. Ya know what I did… I laughed.

Humor, it is a fun stress relief, it is supposedly how we stay younger then we are in real age, but it does get us in trouble. Still I laugh, I find so many things funny and then tie that in with it being my stress relief mechanism. crap I should still look 18! Have you ever tried to wipe  a smile off your face, each wipe makes it bigger. Holding a laugh until it bursts out,  when it leaks out it is an explosion.

As a parent I was always catching myself looking at Jeff or Adrianne and being firm but having to do a stage left quickly because I was laughing. I am positive Jeff remembers times when I would yell then start laughing, and saying “It isn’t funny” then laughing some more. Sometimes I would yell, and then have to find a pillow to laugh into.

Yep I am weird, I am strange, but HA HA… it is a fun way to be. Have a good ol belly laugh for me, won’t cha? Love Mrs Justa.

YA know people are out to screw ya! Ya have to always be on the lookout, Always try to fight for your rights. The car saga- this was fun.

I have the Extended Warranty through our car insurance company. It was written up as a very good warranty and the cost is really minimal. So the auto insurance has the warranty as part of the policy.

It clearly stated it did not cover brake pads, but then it did state it covers brakes. So off we went to the dealer, the one we always take the car to, to find out what this new noise is. Regardless of what they cover, the car needed help.

So the estimate is done, the car has 40,000 miles on it and the rear brake pads have grooved into the rotors. Now 5,000 miles ago the wheels were of a brake inspection was done, and there was no mention of worn pads or to have brakes done.

The agent  stated that “due to mechanical neglect” they were not going to pay for the rotors. Well this frosted my ass, I was pissed! I have the car in the dealers for any squeak, squawk , rattle or problem, plus all the routine maintenance has been done.

So I called the warranty person back, asked to speak with her manager, and asked her if she was insinuating that the pads wore down in 5,000 miles? Her response was no. So then I asked her, if I had the brakes actually looked at 5000 miles ago, and now the rotors are grooved beyond repair, and the noise just started last night… how can they tell me this is neglect? Was she stating I was to take the wheels off before I drive each time ? She said  no- that would not be practical.

We told the dealer to just fix it, and I told the warranty place I would go to the attorney general and complain about their business practices, for they were not standing by their product, by the warranty. Oh I was mad as heck!

In the end, a man with a rather strong accent, ( maybe Spanish or Mexican accent) called my cell and informed me that they were going to pay for labor and for the rotors.

So we got a 150.00 break on the bill, which was much appreciated, but they would have gladly just left me in the dust of “neglect” and “you do not maintain your car”

Be careful out there, watch your backs, know what your policy offers, and stand up for your rights! Mrs Justa

How are you going to spend your Saturday morning??? Grrrr, we are going to take the car to the dealers. Bah hum bug ! I was driving home, feeling good, the weekend is here, as I pulled up to the house Mark was sitting on our bench and Courtney walking Indi in the front yard- as I pulled in, I am waving to them and Mark is signaling to me to roll my window down, back the car up, pull it forward, grrr, the back left of my car is growling. Sounds like maybe a brake or bearing issue.

So we get to try out our Geico Mechanical Breakdown part of our auto policy. It was offered on new cars ( less the 15 000 miles) it is much less then the cost of a dealer warranty- so we will see how it goes.

We will get there

around 9:30 or 10 and wait, and wait some more. They have to do an estimate then call Geico, then fix it.  We have a soft ball game we have to get Courtney to by 4:00 in the afternoon, we are figuring we will be done by then.More to follow on our upcoming wonderful adventure!

Courtney and I played 4 or 5 rounds of Jenga- it is a fun game where you have pieces of wood stacked in 3 wide 13 tall, you pull out a piece of wood and then put it ontop of the stack. The goal is to get to 36 layers. We got as high as 32.  What you need to do is carefully pull out individual pieces with out having the tower fall. It is a major act of concentration, firm hand and a non shaking table.

We did get the stack to look like this one each time.

It was neat to try, and we will achieve 36 layers high at some point in our lives… not tonight through.

I hope each of you have an exciting weekend, it will be tough to meet our excitement of sitting in the lounge at the dealers, but hey- you can’t all win all the time. It sounds in the north east at least the weather will be good, campers enjoy, sun bathers, rejoice, and autodealers- do not be too greedy! Love to all, Cindy

Thinking “out of the box” That seems to be the key right now to many things. In this scary financial time I think more and more people are going to need to become resourceful. We are going to need to soul search our inner strengths our talents, our abilities. We may end up being more in a society from the days a bartering then the days of ignoring what we have and wanting more.

For those fortunate to truly own their homes and not be living in a home that is actually owned by the bank- well at least you have a home. Then there are those- like us, that have a roof over our heads and our names on the deed, but if there were  a few months of non payment, the roof would be gone.  So we need to think out of the box. Like Brandon did. Oh he could have scootched around the recliner and gotten to the center of the living room, but why not do it smart- right thru the end table.

Employers love the thinking out side of the box theory, if it will help to get the job done and increase productivity.  Some employers forgot an important part of the thinking outside of the box… they may have found a way to save money making their product- but they have sacrificed quality and the sanctity of the American workers in the process. That has started to pay us back- lead in children’s toys, contaminants in peanuts , salmonella on vegetables, mad cow disease, shabby wall board, tainted baby food.

Carefully we need to focus closer to home, to do the jobs better, to not be greedy and not lose our pride. We need to look outside the box, outside the routines and see what is on the outside.  We need to rally together and take advantage of the wise business people, listen to the successful ones, and do not get sucked in by the slimy ones. Listen to the  Bill Gates of the world, and not the “Car czars.” We need to lose the thought process of “that is how we have always done it” and start the process of how can we get a great result more efficiently.

I do wonder what can I do if I was to no longer have the job I love so much? And how can I make enough to pay for the cost of living?

What can you do? What things , what service can you provide as an individual to make some cash, but fulfill a need. It is a HUGE world, with opportunities, I hope I fulfill each day to my fullest potential.

Love to all, Cindy

In a couple of weeks we will be celebrating Father’s Day. I would like to take a moment and a day to reflect on Father’s Day, and how special fathers are. 

There is nothing warmer, more secure feeling then being held in your dads arms. Being cared for by your father. Being anticipating when dad will come home.  Dad’s arms can be strong and protect, and they can be gentle and comfort. They hold onto mom, they help in whatever way they can to make life better.

I watch Jeff, and love to see the love he has for his wife and his son. He is a good dad. He tries his hardest to provide a safe and comfortable life for them. He and Amanda work as a team and that compliments the parenting of both. Brandon is a lucky little boy.

My dad, he was a traveling salesman. His territory kept him away from home for all but one night during the week, and he would be home on weekends. Sometimes he would have to go on a call on a Saturday, but if at all possible one of us would get to go along. I remember longing for him to come home, getting a hug when he got in the door, sitting on his lap, his hugs, even his spanking, ( he would say “ This hurts me more then it hurts you “.. and not till I was a parent myself did I understand that comment !) he cared for us.

My dad was not in the best of shape, he traveled, smoked, and ate stuff not too good for him and at the young age of 57 he died of a heart attack. I was 10 then, I was broken hearted.  For many years, many many years, the loss has been  there, like a lump in my throat. I still miss the dad I knew for those first 10 years of my life. I love you dad!

I learned then that you have to treasure every single breath, every single day, every single moment, for one second a person is there and the next they can be gone. All the time I was raising Jeff, I always tried to have every moment be a warm moment. Sometimes I know I failed, but most times I think had I died, he would have had fond memories of me.

So for all you dads out there, I honor you. Always remember to treasure the moments you have with your children, treasure each moment you have with your wife.  Enjoy life one step at a time and do not get wrapped up in working endless hours for a future too far away. If you only see them once a week, make that once a week a time for memories. Someone once said to me that dads are the on earth to keep an eye on God’s children.

Sit down with that special child and read them a story. It takes a few minutes out of your life for a foundation of memories, for a feeling of security, of trust. They love to hear about anything you have to talk about. Give them a hug goodnight, tuck them .

For a kid, doing ANYTHING with dad is great!. I loved watching him do his paper work, I would watch him shave in the morning, ( he would do contortions with his face as he passed the razor over the shaving cream, and me- elbows on the sink would be stretching my mouth right along with him ) I can still smell the Old Spice. He would pack his suitcase to leave each week, I would sometimes stand next to him and hand him little stuff. I can still see him take tissues and fold them neatly , in a certain way, and  then stack them to fit in his pocket. I would watch him smoke his pipe. I remember talking walks and having my little hand enveloped in  his big hand. I remember riding in the car with him, and how he held the steering wheel. Are you guys listening, these things I remember cost NOTHING, but these memories I have are more then 45 years old.

I remember when I had met Mark- – he and I were both the unfortunate 1/2 of a marriage where the other person gave up. Both with a child. Both trying to make the best out of a tumbled up life. He longed for the days he would have Adrianne, and he made the best out of every minute he had with her. We did not have extra money, so we did things at the park, or at the lake. We played board games at home. Frisbee, catch, sat and watched life pass by. It did not matter about money, the kids mattered. So we would try to have Adrianne on the same weekend that Jeff was with me. As Jeff would see his dad every other weekend. I used to watch Adrianne , Jeff and Mark, and it would remind me of how special my dad treated me and my siblings. It was not how much money we could spend on them, it was how much time we spent with them at our side. So as the time comes for another year to honor the dads , I say..

Happy Fathers Day to all the guys out there. Love always, Mrs Justa.

If you see a dog with a collar that looks like this, the hope is you see him from afar- in his own yard.

Now if he is in your yard and he has a collar like this, and he is not your dog, then something with his invisible  fence is not working.

The Invisible Fence  is a theory that is good, you have an electrical wire underground around the area you want the dog to stay in, then you put this big ass collar on the dog, and every time they come within a certain footage they start to get shocked- lightly at first, stronger the closer they get. IN THEORY your dog can go out, be free, but within a parameter.

Now if there is a power outage- well, not so much !. And their collars are run on batteries- and the batteries need to be changed before they run low or out.

We have 4 dogs across the street from us  and another 2 dogs to the right of our house, across a busy road. Both have the invisible fence.

The 2 to the right of us, they are black labs. One of them must either have gotten really used to getting zapped by the invisible  fence, or his batteries in his collar are weak. One of them has a tendency to be in our‘s or the neighbor’s yard. It sucks when they go in the neighbors, cuz their dogs go to chase them and get zapped and bounce back from the shock.

These 2 black labs are not stupid dogs. When their owner comes home they stay in their yard acting like the electricity is keeping them in their own place, but when the owner is gone, they wander.

Yesterday, the owner was gone and we had just pulled up in front of our house. We had Courtney with us. We were watching a small animal of some sort walking up our yard, when out of the clear blue, one of the black labs crossed county route 8 and grabbed this animal in his mouth, dropped it, picked it up again, dropped it and went back to his yard. We did not know if it had been a rabbit or a possum- but whatever it was, it was now humped over in our yard. Mark, Courtney and I were all looking at this animal 120 feet away from us and wondering now what. Not really believing what we just saw and wondering why the dog did not take it back with him after he killed it.

Courtney got the shovel and headed down towards it, it was a brave thing for her to do, but she never got closer then 15 or 20 feet to it. I watched her as she tried to mosey on down there. She would almost tip toe down, and try to peer at it, then head back up to the house, she did it about 4 times. Mark went down with her on her fifth trip, and the report was it was a possum, it was still breathing, eyes open. Ugly or not we were bummed it happened. There was nothing we could do, it all happened so quickly!

So now, after 55 years of my life, I understand the words of my mother when I would tell her I was too sick to go to school. She would say, “I think you are playing possum.”

I found this on google images- this little bugger was probably “playing possum “ too. And the folks stuck the bottle between its legs.

The animal laid still, not moving a muscle for over an hour, looking dead. I bet we could have propped anything there too!.

About 30 minutes or so passed and I heard the 2 black labs barking and the possum had gotten up and left.

We personally are real thankful he lived and left, for what would we have done with a dead animal? Ya can’t leave it there, it would have stunk up the whole area, can’t embalm it-we don’t have the equipment or the training  ; can’t bury it- Our ground is full of rocks-;- I was thinking we could  move it closer to the road and the town might pick it up. It was weird, it was funny now that he is not dead in our yard, and it is a warning to everyone, that invisible fences are not always that dependable!  Oh yeah, and Possums like to play dead ! ( They are ugly suckers too, and LOTS of teeth!) Hope you have an adventurous weekend! Love to all, Cindy

Welcome to my obsessive pondering and wonder. Here is my latest pondering.

See every July we have a family reunion, I do look forward to it because I get to see many of my family that I do not see all year round.  Life has a way of getting away from us and before we know it we are no longer able to get around. So the family reunion is a time of kinship.

Well, this year we decided to go try a different way to lodge. On Monday I asked Mark if he could check on a hotel room in a town near the campsite area where the reunion is. So at  first he had found and reserved a hotel room about 20 minutes from the State Park we all meet at, but then …………………….

I mentioned to Mark that I thought there were cabins available.

( this is not the cabin we are renting.. there are no pictures on line of the cabin are we are renting it from ) I had read a nice little brochure on the cabins in the State Park, it said it came with a small fridge, electricity, bedding, 6 beds- so in the back of my mind I was thinking this would be closer to the family and maybe a compromise between a campsite and a hotel room, and if Jeff and Amanda were just popping down quickly, we would have room for them, if the  camper was not okay to bring.

Mark could not believe it- the cabins usually have to be rented for a week- but there just happened to have been a reservation error and someone had rented a cabin , in the park area we needed, for Sun thru Weds- and this is for July 4th weekend. This is totally amazing, since most folks make reservations 11 months in advance. We just happened to only need it Thurs thru Sat night- so this error was exactly what we needed, and we save about 300.00 by renting the cabin instead of the hotel. So mark then called and canceled the hotel.

Jeff and Amanda have our popup from before, we gave it to them a couple of years back, as it was hard for Mark to help to set it up with his knee injury, so some day, we talk of buying a hard shell- but that day has not yet come. Jeff and Amanda have offered we share the camper with them, but we both think they would have a much nicer time if we were not there 24/7. Now if they do get down there, I bet Mark might use the camper for a nap. SO we have a cabin… I asked Mark to call and ask what we need to bring..such as ..Is there a fire pit, we love to sit around the camp fire, toast a couple marshmallows and talk.

What about the bed situations?

wellll the girl at the park said .. “Well it is very RUSTIC” … so we have no idea what we need to bring. So we are taking a road trip to check it out. I am a list person and want to make sure I have listed everything.  So we will see what this weekend ends up showing us. What is “Rustic” meaning? It is a state park cabin, I would think Rustic would be all, but since she specifically called this one rustic, I am wanting to be sure we are prepared.

More to follow, I am off to pay bills and get ready for the Friday before the full moon. Take care all, and I hope weird things stay away from you !. Cindy

Wouldn’t you love this tee shirt? I found it on Google images when I was searching for a question mark. I think a comforter would be cool with this on it. A license plate.

I am in a pondering mood tonight, a why mood, an  inquisitive mood.

Such questions are running thru my brain like…

Why do dogs sniff butts?

Why do cats feel they can walk wherever they darn well please?

Why do we get crusty stuff in our noses? Why do we have to have money? Why don’t birds where glasses?

Why can people figure out how to send a man to the moon but we can’t make a car run on less gas?

Why could the government not see that investing millions into things that don’t work will only prolong their demise? Why when you walk into a restaurant does the waiter ask you if you are there for dinner?

Why do we have to have cell phones? Why does the chocolate coating around a malt ball not have any seams on it ?

Why is obesity a major issue? Why do we always have to be zero for 6 on the lottery?

Why are some people wealthy and others poorer then poor? Why won’t kids listen to their parents?

Why do little kids clothes have to be more expensive then adult clothing?

Why is the gas prices going up and the cost of a barrel of oil not? Why do we have to pay so darn much in taxes?

Why are people nasty?

Why when you are checking out, it is obvious you have emptied your cart, why does the person say …is that all?

Why do people ask you how you are , when they really do not give a darn about you?

Why are funerals so expensive? ( The guest of honor is dead… cabutz… paid their way thru life already..)

Why are wedding receptions in the 10s of thousands? It does not cost that much to go out for dinner… 

Why do they call what you wear on your feet a shoe?

Why is there mosquitoes? Why are there rats?

Wouldn’t you love to wear this tee shirt? I think a flag of the question mark would be good. It says it all in one symbol. I am off to ponder some more. Love , CIndy.. Mrs Justa

Being half way there- feeling not totally all together, that is how this week is going so far. I have a list of things I need to do and I feel there are not enough hours in the day, not enough minutes of undisturbed time, just feel like I am 3/4 of myself.

My car needs to go for an oil change, I have to sweep the kitchen floor , I had to stay late today to get together the information for my staff meeting tomorrow, I have some things I need to make, some CDs I need to log, a check book to balance, Marks car needs an oil change, a carpet shampooer to use, and hedge trimmer to put to work. Just lots of stuff, and before I know it another day has passed, I am feeling like I went thru a spin cycle by 10:00 at night and before I know it the alarm is going off and another day is starting.

I walked at lunch cuz I could not get to the gym, just tired this morning. I have said before and will continue to say that I really love my job, love to go to the gym in the morning, love lots of stuff in my life, at work I am responsible for work flow, so  I am always trying to work on how we can speed up the review process a little, for the work volume in unbelievable, this is constantly flying around in my mind.

  I went out to the garden tonight, it is looking okay, we have about 12 summer squash and zucchini, 3 blossoms on one tomato plant, I saw 2 blossoms on a pepper plant, 12 sunflower plants sprouting, only 2 green bean plants have shown their faces so far, I think we have 3 hubbard squash, and maybe one butternut squash. I put moth balls around the outside cuz I saw a bunny in the back. It is so neat how the earth provides. Watching these plants grow is exciting and I did not want the bunny to think this was his buffet.  A garden of farmers field is planted because of Faith. Trust. Belief.

Just a busy time , a fun time, but it feels like I am on a treadmill that does not stop.

I did sing on Sunday in church, a song titled “Shepard of My Heart”. I really like the song, the lyrics are about trusting God to lead the way, and admitting that I may not always be on the right path, but I know the “Shepard of My heart” will be there to guide my in the right direction. The pastor did a sermon on “The Practical Atheist” which was kinda hard to listen to at times, as he was talking from the heart to the heart, about how we have a tendency to conveniently be Christians instead or wholly being Christians.

The song did fit the sermon, I thought, because it admitted that there are many times when we ( I) go astray. I know I am far from perfect, I find comfort and assurance in church.

I am off to work on a task. I am feeling a little tired and have a big staff meeting tomorrow, so who knows when bed and I will meet. I hope all of you are doing well, take care and I will be back tomorrow. Love, Mrs Justa