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May 1, 2009

IT'S FRIDAY, MY FAVORITE DAY!!

I am finally getting settled back into my old routine.

Last week, the flu virus that Dave had had finally caught up with me and I have been hacking away all week. Everyone is standing back but I have assured them that it is not the Swine Flu that is going around because I haven't started oinking yet! I have felt lousy with no appetite, no energy, and not getting any sleep at night because of this cough that seems to hang on. Dave is feeling better but he still has his cough so I know I will have that for a few more days. I think we should take out stock in cough drops as we sure are going through them! It makes me mad that we both got our flu shots last fall, and yet this is some strain that wasn't in their plans!

We were planning on spending last Friday night in Silverton with Leslie and Jason and delivering an extra trailer that we had so they could haul their pigs around. But we just didn't want to expose everyone to our crud. We finally felt halfway decent on Sunday, so we hitched up the trailer and spent the afternoon with them. I helped Leslie around the yard and we planted some sweet peas. The granddaughters had to show off their livestock, with Ashtin's two pigs that she is raising for 4-H and Paige with her six chickens. We took the camera just so we could get pics of the girls with their critters, and then forgot to take any! Next time - I promise! While we were there, Jason got a phone call that confirmed that he had been officially promoted to Captain in the Woodburn police department. We have known for a couple of weeks that it was probably coming, but no one wanted to celebrate until he got the call. There was a nice article in the paper earlier this week. We are so proud of his accomplishments.

I didn't feel like going to my water aerobics on Monday, but did manage to spend an hour with the 4th grade reading class. Most of the students can read pretty well, but a few of them are still have to struggle. They mostly look forward to the one-on-one they get from us.

Tuesday was the Nehalem Bay Garden Club meeting and, as secretary of the club, I had to be sure and attend. We had a guest speaker who was very informative and gave a slide show on hydrangeas. I have wanted to plant a few around here, but didn't know much about them. We are also preparing for our annual Plant Sale in a couple of weeks and are trying to get everything accomplished before the big day. I spent a couple of hours washing and lining baskets to get ready to fill with potted plants on Monday. It takes a lot of preparation and volunteers to pull the sale off and after it is all over, we are very proud that we are able to raise enough money to give to the local charities around town. The big day is May 9th.

Dave made a trip to town on Tuesday for the Blazer broadcast. The series was 3-1 in favor of Houston and so it was do or die for the Blazers. Good news and bad news there...they won that game, so they were able to go back to Houston for game six. But they just ran out of gas and were eliminated from the playoffs last night. So that's the end of the season for us...at least we got an extra three games by being in the playoffs for the first time in six years. For us, that means getting paid for three extra games...extra income is always welcome!

I mustered up enough energy to mow the lawn again this week. We have had off again on again weather which is typical for this time of year. I am getting real anxious to put in some bedding plants and vegetables but it is way to early yet. What I have gotten I am keeping in the greenhouse for a while. My birds have all come back so I am enjoying their visits to the feeders. Even my little squirrel, Julio found his way home.

Thursday, we were informed that our electricity would be turned off for most of the day as the PUD wanted to replace one of the telephone poles on our street that was damaged during our big storm a couple of years ago. That was a major undertaking and since we were without power for most of the day, we decided to take a drive to Cannon Beach for a couple of hours. We browsed around some of the stores, bought some cards and gifts and some saltwater taffy and then headed back home. It was a beautiful day for a drive along the coast and we enjoyed the trip. They were supposed to have the project all done by 3:00 p.m. but it was more like 4:30 p.m. before the lights came back on. Needless to say, we ordered pizza for dinner.

We're getting our annual windshield replacement on the Jeep today. With all the miles we drive across the coast range each year, it's almost inevitable that we're going to pick up a rock from all the gravel they put down for traction. This year was no exception. I got in the car the other day and there was this big crack right in front of me, so we'll get the new glass this morning.

I have to help with the town cleanup on Saturday, as I am a member of the park committee. We will be collecting stuff around town to help spruce the place up. I will be stationed at the dumpsters to make sure the right stuff gets in the right bins. There is also a town hall meeting this Sunday, so this weekend is already filled.