Minnesota Summer

It has been quite a week here. Monday and Tuesday the temps topped 100 degrees. Wednesday and Thursday were cold and rainy. Friday and today were beautiful. I had to work this morning, but when I got home I sure enjoyed the weather. We got the bandwagon out and washed it up since we have a parade next weekend. Then while Leon washed the vehicles, I cleaned house. Then it was time to sit on the patio and enjoy an adult beverage. Yummmm. Tomorrow it will be back outside to weed the gardens. I really don't mind weeding. I like having a reason to be outside. It is those little black gnats that are driving me crazy. They fly in your nose and eyes and even your mouth if it is open. They are really bad this year.

Randi and Travis have settled into there house. We have not been there for a couple of weeks, but the painting is done and most of the boxes were unpacked and things put away. They also had a good start on the deferred maintenance that needed to be done. There are still a few things that need some attention, but now they can take their time.

We haven't seen Denver and Danielle for a couple of weeks either. They have been busy with house warmings and weddings and things like that. Maybe they will come home next weekend for Father's Day. I hope so.

Well, back outside to enjoy some Minnesota Summer!!!!

A Quiet House

Well, after much hoopla, Randi and Travis were able to close on their house last Friday - the 29th. Saturday and Sunday we spent painting, stripping wallpaper and cleaning. Monday after work we went back over there and scrubbed the bathrooms. Tuesday the moving van came with all of their posessions, so after work we headed over there again to help them unpack the boxes. We found the things they needed to make the beds, take showers and eat meals. That was only the beginning so we headed over again after work on Wednesday to help unpack more boxes. Boy they have a lot of stuff. But then they have a very big house - 5 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, 2 full kitchens and lots of living space. It is huge!!!!! You know I really like my little house - well at least most of the time. But I can't help but be a little jealous of their house. Our whole house could fit in their basement. Oh well. . . . . .

Now for me I need to start cleaning. It was very hard to clean when we had all of their stuff packed in our house. We still have a lot of their stuff here, but they are gradually getting it out. As they bring things to their house, I clean. This house needs to be cleaned so badly!!!!!!! We also need to get the lawn mowed, the garden tilled and sticks picked up (we have had a few days of high winds that blew some branches down). So much to do, so little time!!!!

Spring Ha Sprung

Wow, what a beautiful day. The high was around 70 and the sun was out. the snow is completely gone and the grass is turning green. I did a "crop tour" when I got home from work today and it looks like the perennials are all popping. Work is the same. It is IRA season so I have been very busy opening IRA's. Between that and everyone taking days off, I still can't get caught up. I have to schedule my continuing education plus my proctor testing. It's always something!!! Randi and Travis are getting very close to closing on their house. The loan is at the underwriters right now so they should know in a day or so when they can close. Right now the tenative date for closing is April 29th. I know they are anxious to get into their own place. It has to be hard living here in this small house. We got Millies apartment pretty much cleaned out. Boy there was more stuff in that apartment than I thought. Anything that we thought should stay in the family is going to be stored until Kruse-a-palooza and everyone can check them out. We threw some stuff away and brought some food to the food shelf. Some of the furniture is being given to the college kids. I had the "pleasure" of cleaning the bathroom. EEEeeewwwww!!!!!!!! I don't even like cleaning my own bathroom let alone someone else's.

Wow, I can't believe it has been 3 weeks since I have blogged. Life sure is fast paced around here. Between getting kids to school and daycare, work, meals and laundry, every day is just a blurr. It is working well with Randi, Travis and the kids here though. At least I think so. The kids have run in to a glitch with the sale of the house in Michigan which could affect the purchase of the house here. Yipes, it's always something. For us it just means they could be staying with us until maybe the end of May. To add to that, we have been dealing with Millie and her stay at the nursing home. She has finally agreed that it is best for her to stay at the nursing home and not try to go back to her apartment. I totally understand that she would like to be in her own space, but it is just not good. Now the task is to empty and clean her apartment. I think if we all go down there we can get it done in a weekend.

Work is an all together different story. I am very frustrated right now. I kind of feel caught between different members of the management team. some of them have different ideas of how things should be done. It seems I can't please "both sides of the fence". I just feel this weight of so many demands on me and my time. Some days I think I am going to explode!!!!

Weather is good. The snow is melting and I can actually see some grass. The weatherman is talking about a little more snow tonight and perhaps Tuesday, but nothing major. I guess spring is on the way!

Busy, busy, busy

Things continue to go well with Randi (and sometimes Travis) and the kids living here. It is very busy around here, but everything is working. Not a lot of room for their stuff, but we make do. Lauren has started kindergarten connection and both kids go to ECFE. Randi has started work at the hospital in Marshall.

The issues with Mildred have made life interesting however. The physical therapist at the nursing home said she was able to go home, so last Friday they moved her back to apartment. It was not a good idea. On Saturday we checked onher and she couldn't even get herself up out of bed. Randi got her up and dressed and to the bathroom, then got her pills and breakfast and to her recliner. Later we brought her lunch. She was not able to get to a standing position even from her lift chair. So we got her up and to the table to eat. Later we went to check on her again. She was again not able to get up so I got her up and to the bathroom. what a mess! To make a long story short, we had to go over there 3 or 4 times a day to get up and fed and to the bathroom. she has relented and is going back to the nursing home today. I am so glad. Was so afraid she was going to fall or something and get hurt again.

Work is going fine. We got a new person hired to replace an employee who is retiring. I think the new person will be a great addition. I do need to get caught up on some projects though. Whew! Management has piled lots of projects on us at one time.

Well, keep an eye on the weather! Another storm front coming through next week. :(

Melting and More

Well, the weather has made a turn for the better. We have had several days of sunny warm weather so a lot of the snow has melted. Now, When I say a lot, I don't mean the snow is almost gone. I mean the snowbanks have gone from 6 feet tall to 5 feet tall. We have a long way to go. I really hope it doesn't melt too fast though. We could see a lot of flooding if it does. This weekend we are supposed to get more snow as well. This time they are predicting 6 inches of heavy wet snow that will start as rain. Hummmm!!! The bright sunny days have had another side affect. It is helping me with my depression. The more sun we have, the better I feel. I can tell that with my customers too. Everyone is just in a better mood. I sure hope we have an early spring.

We seem to have settled into a routine with the kids here. Lauren started Kindergarden Connection and both kids go to ECFE. Randi and Travis have done some house hunting. They can't do too much though until the house in Michigan get's sold. The realtor showed their house a couple of days ago but they haven't heard anything from that yet. Randi will start working at the hospital in a couple of weeks so that will be another adjustment for all of us. Getting kids to daycare and school before I go to work could be challenging. We will see how it goes.

Snow . . . . Snow . . . . . Snow . . . .

Okay, so enough snow already. We have had another 11 - 12 inches in the past 2 days. There is just no more room for it. The snowbanks are so big that it is hard to back out of the garage. You have to go very slowly because you cannot see any traffic coming from either direction. Now tonight we are suppose to have gusty winds and bitter cold. This will put all the snow right back where we just blew it out of. We are also expecting -40 wind chills tonight. Yuck! Today we worked with only the people who live in town, and I expect we will tomorrow too. I am always amazed though. No matter how bad the weather is, it seems like everyone wants to come to the bank. I am not going anywhere tonight in this weather though. I will stay home and get laundry done and clean the house. Then I need to start on our taxes. I want to be done with the taxes by the time Randi and the kids get here on Saturday. I will be busy enough after that. I hope I have everything I need to get started!