Greetings!!
Busy week. Lots of pictures...also a few of Leah's from the last two weeks, too. Let's jump right in.
Monday
That folding table that arrived actually felt hot when the driver handed it to me. We were in the 90s till Wednesday or Thursday--can't remember now. Then in the 70's till Saturday. A precious few days of cooler weather. Ahhh!
I put up another shower curtain! The wildest one I ordered, I think. Although, I have several that are pretty wild and colorful. ;) Think Jackson Pollock swiping with a paintbrush...
...without the splattering and dripping--lol!
I liked it so much I kept it up till Sunday. ;)
Allie seems to enjoy the switching of the shower curtains, too.
Tuesday
Two ladies from the office showed up knocking on my door again! Another form to sign! I did tell the one in charge (new office manager, I think) that this is getting to be just so weird. Asked her if my recertification was July 1st--yes. I said I have never had to have forms notarized before in the eight years I have lived here. Yes, you have, she says. No, I have never had to sign in front of a notary before. Yes, you have. No, I haven't. She told me that the manager used to be a notary, but that she isn't. I dropped it, but I know I looked upset. She told me she would send copies of my recertification paperwork. Okay. And then I signed something else.
I gathered trash for when Keanna got here and unboxed the folding table so she could take that box out, too. All set.
Leah texted me--she and the boys wanted to stop over to ask me something. Okay? The boys wanted to know if they could borrow one of the folding tables...to make a lemonade stand! How fortuitous! I had just unboxed a brand new table! Hadn't even opened it up yet. So they checked that it worked and off they went.
Then Keanna arrived and cleaned the bathroom and floors. Always so nice to have that done. But when she went to move the one rolly cart...the wheel fell off. So we propped it against the wall in the hallway.
When I first got these back 7-8 years ago a wheel fell off within the first year I had them. Leah fixed it with some kind of liquid-y stuff that affixes metal to metal...and it has held up all these years. Now we have to see if that magical stuff will work again. Not sure if this is the same wheel that fell off or not till we empty it and turn it over.
Keanna hadn't been here for a month because she was sick two weeks ago. It must have changed more than I realize because she stopped as she walked in and said that it just keeps getting emptier and emptier. Good! That means we are making more headway than I think. :)
Right before Kenna left the new office helper girl knocked on my door with a big manilla envelope. Last three years of forms...and on the envelope it said if I wanted any more years to let her know.
What I suspected! They have been having me sign papers and they were notarizing them later. They never did any of their signing in front of me, even when I used to go to the office years ago to sign the forms. For years I have just found the forms hanging from the clip in a big envelope outside my door. I would go through and sign them where it was highlighted and then just slip them under the office door.
Example...this notary...
...wasn't even the manager that year.
Is that even legally notarized?
And as you can see--the forms differ in number from year to year.
Only gave me one per year--but Leah also thinks she remembers me filling all this out last January. Anyways, this is why we have to go to a notary now, I guess. Not that we knew they were ever notarizing them later on--lol! Funny, she gave me these copies to prove to me I had always had to have some of the forms notarized, but she gave me the proof that they have always been cheating--LOL!
Wednesday
Leah came over early evening and we worked on the kitchen till midnight! Finished! Purged! Donations, some items went to Leah's, some to Leah's sister, and some tossed (like almost all my spices--many were a tad bit expired, anyways--lol!).
We got done and just left everything everywhere. Allie had to check it all out, of course, after Leah left.
She hid most of the time because we were too noisy--lol!
Second folding table arrived early, too--just in time for the kitchen P&P.
All on this side of the counter needed to be washed--by hand or dishwasher.
Boxes ready...
...to go to the garage for donations.
Wow! Every one of these cupboards...
...and drawers had been packed full.
My utensil pottery crock was so full I could barely get things in and out of it.
Bought it at a local pottery shop in Anoka while shopping with my friend, Lynnette, so many years ago I can't remember. Around 50 years ago! I can't part with it. Leah suggested I get a pretty artificial plant to put inside. Yes! That would look great sitting on top of a dresser, I think. Maybe with a big fake fern or something. :)
Thursday
Woke up with a sore throat and sore body-lol! Leah and the boys came over after the last day of the summer programs.
Leah's finally off Mama taxi job for all of that for now.
Not that they don't do a lot of other things--lol!
And what is summer without a trip to the Dairy Queen!
The cow and the dilly bar statues are new to me--lol! But it has been many years since I have been to this DQ in Moorhead.
Lovely to eat outside...
...and have dessert!
But the best part for the kids is being right next to the train tracks!
They made the zoo again.
Anyways, I digress.
The boys were hungry. I just happened to have something I hadn't eaten in a decade or two...only because I watched some travel vloggers who were at Austin, Minnesota's Spam Museum! Yes--had Leah pick me up some regular and some bacon Spam. I have never had anything but the original. Always liked it fried crispy with cheese on top.
Well, Leah fried all of us some Spam slices and we could choose cheese and/or a fried egg to put on them. Never had it with a fried egg and cheese! Was delicious actually. The boys liked it, too. They've never had Spam.
After lunch the boys helped Mama and they brought all the donations to the garage and then the stuff to go to Leah's and to her sister's out to their car. Looks decent in here again. Feels different--even if you can't see how empty the cupboards are...I can feel it. :)
And then--this was still on Thursday--they went home and the boys put together their lemonade stand at the end of their driveway. It was hot enough!
They had been working on making the signs with the boy next door...the one who has the cool trampoline in his back yard.
They were very serious about their lemonade stand.
I love these signs!!
Colorful lettering and cut-outs!
They were only out there a couple of hours.
Was a great experience!
They had people pay more than the dollar several times!
Not that they made much money, of course, but it was good learning about buying the cups, making the signs, asking Gramma to borrow the table, preparing the lemonade and putting together the stand. Nice!
Friday
The cabinet maker was coming to take measurements so they can draw up the plans...so Leah and I did some final decision making beforehand.
Now that I can actually see how much less is left in the kitchen than I even thought, I know I have room for a full-sized dishwasher (which is less expensive than one of the half size drawer ones). We tried to work out the drawers in the kitchen and bathroom, too. What I would like vs how much room is available. Will just be a matter of what fits. The kitchen ones will fit because the counters will be the same height as in Leah's kitchen. The bathroom ones--not positive. My counter is going to be a little lower. Anyways, they will have the plans for us in a week or two.
Fargo traffic you expect to see.
(Canadian geese crossing the freeway, Tori.)
Something on the road you don't usually see, though.
What a beautiful old car!
I know nothing when it comes to cars so I can't tell you what it is.
Does anybody know?
Well, I put up another shower curtain Sunday. Be a really good one for spring!
I am going to miss Kay's. Leah got a good picture of the front of the store.
It was the best store for papercrafts in town.
I think she might be open till the end of August or maybe longer. This bright, cheery store will be missed.
Sunday
Trent was over to the house. They worked on the electric wiring, so it looks pretty much the same, Leah said, even though they got a lot done. :)
Dagan told me that they're not expecting the apartment to be finished till probably spring. Pretty much assumed that. Just too much else going on. When I finish with the P&P, I will be here this winter playing in the studio a bit. That will be nice actually. Having some recovery and down time. Time to play--work on cards, get the art journals out, experiment with paint...yes. I need to make sets of Christmas and birthday cards first on the priority list.
Once Leah helps me with the pantry in a week or two (she needs some down time, too), I can do the rest of the P&P myself. Got plenty to do in the meantime before we get to the pantry.
Anyways, Leah and the boys are coming over this afternoon. The boys have friends' birthdays to attend these days and Leah wants to peruse the dies and stamps for the making of some gift tags and maybe gift card holders. :) :)
I had ordered a couple cans of hickory-flavored Spam from Amazon (not many flavors locally or even on Amazon) and they came early on Sunday...so I suggested another Spam lunch--lol! Leah said good idea. The boys liked the new food--so did I (new but old food for me)--lol! I can't believe I never knew that Spam came in different flavors until I watch a couple at the Spam Museum in Austin on YouTube! So funny!
Well, Allie says bye bye for now.
Till next week, my friends! :) :)
