PhotoShop7 - Please Help Heal My Wounds

It’s amazing how life can demand your attention enough that the world is totally unaware that your whole being exists in a state of struggling to keep from crumbling. I tend to find something else as overwhelming - a challenge - for redirecting my attention until I can manage to carry on. My help at this moment - I dove into my first project completed with PhotoShop Elements7. I’ve had the program for over a year now. The Dinosaur we had for a computer was too - tiny - for installing the program. It was the first to be installed into my new computer that Dwayne just bought me for my 50th birthday. The first thing I can say about this program is - “Thank God for YouTube.com.” Most likely - I’d still be sitting here screaming like a Bantam without all the helpful video classes I’ve found there - as well as a few other places. Anyway - here’s the first project. Kit - “ Gardening “ by Kimberly Stewart at www.scrapbook-elements.com Font - Garamound

Seasons Change - As Do Habits - Neither Come Easy

Yes - Autumn has arrived here in East Tennessee. The leaves are beginning to turn color - just slightly. Some are beginning to fall a little before their time. Not sure what to think of that. And the spring rains seem to be returning with unfinished business! Looks like we had quite a storm come through last night. I see remains of two small puddles on our back deck porch.

The mowing has slowed - when we get the chance! But the wild onions have returned - something I’m just never anxious to see. They taunt me. That dreaded winter weather is too close into the future - as far as I’m concerned. We’re told November will be the month to watch. The amount of frosts we have will determine how many snows we receive. I think the eeriest of all the mountain folklore has been the claims regarding all the premature falling leaves. Story has it that they forewarn of a very hard winter. I guess that remains to be seen this year. But never call me to be one for ignoring any wisdom of any kind that has lived before me - well, the older I became, anyway! Dwayne and I are working on that list and preparing for worst-case scenario - regardless! We have begun with our trips to Home Depot once each round of days off. This first trip included insulation for a few windows and some R-30 insulation for the basement. We’ll be picking up five rolls of that each trip. With the need for delegating time to other tasks on the list - we figured the time for installing five every round of days off would suffice. Should we finish up the remaining tasks beforehand - well, I guess we’ll just finish off with installing the R-30 insulation! My husband was not a very happy camper after coming through the cashier’s line at the grocery store this week. I thought I may have a problem on my hands at one point - right in the middle of shopping. Pretty bad when the prices can stir up his anger. And then I remembered - he stopped taking the Chantix - and hasn’t had a cigarette - still. Was it all anger? Or - could a bit of lunacy be dancing along with? LOL By the time we had made it home and we were started into putting groceries away - “I don’t care what you think - I’m going out here and having a cigarette!” Well - he went outside - onto the back deck porch - with a cigarette - a lighter - and the dog. After giving him a few minutes I opened the door and stuck my head outside - just to check on him. I wish I’d had my camera. He was standing at the far end of the porch with this beet-red face and slight grin - looking down toward the floor. You know - that look that just reels the words, “Okay - you caught me…” Now - Dwayne is standing almost directly in the very middle of the far end banister. But - the cigarette burns alone with itself - wedged within a space created through time by weatherization between the banister and the corner post. Approximately three feet of space is blanketed by the smoke coming from the cigarette - toward Dwayne. “Dwayne - what are you doing?” “I’m just looking at it.”

It took me twice as long to finish putting away groceries. I was laughing so much that I grabbed paper towels (closest thing to me) to save time by not making a few trips to the bathroom for tissue. The forever ‘thinking ahead’ - ‘doing the math’ - multi-tasking - wife and mother. It never ends.

Turning 50 Doesn't Feel That Bad!

Over the past few weeks Dwayne and I have been fairly busy. We gave time to preparing for a visit from his mother and step-father. They came to spend about a week with us and brought their new puppy - a 40lb. Golden Retriever they adopted from an animal Rescue. That visit fell in line with the last week of vacation time Dwayne took with hopes of finishing all the power washing and sealing of the house. Just as we feared - all but three days of the time off was slammed with rain. It really put a dent in the wishes for both opportunities. And we have conceded. The rest of the house will not be finished until next year - most likely. The folks brought wonderful gifts! They stopped off in Louisiana and picked up fresh bay shrimp and crawdads - something both, Dwayne and I miss about the south to no end! Wayne and Charlotte brought Austin up that Saturday - got to meet Dave and Sue before we all enjoyed a really nice meal! Come the very morning they were leaving to head toward Virginia for a visit with Dwayne’s sister and her husband - I intended to make my biscuits and gravy for everyone. While down in the basement searching for bacon in the freezer - I ended up dropping an entire frozen slab of pork ribs - sideways - across toes of my left foot. Broke my big toe and bruised the second toe fairly well. I’ve learned one thing from that incident. Don’t even bother asking questions or talking to a person after they’ve just experienced that shocking level of pain. Just get them to a safe spot to get rested and get them an ice bag - possibly a really stiff drink. I wanted to leave my body. I wanted somebody to cut off my foot. And I wanted to beat the hell out of my loving husband when he got in my face with questions and sawed-off remarks! Even the person who loves you most is capable of such things when they are experiencing a pain that can make them feel they’d rather be going through delivery of a 12lb. baby with no meds at that very moment! Anyways - I’m finally getting to where I can motivate around the house quite a bit now. I’ve only found one pair of shoes comfortable enough to wear. Dwayne and I celebrated our 8th Wedding Anniversary on September 11th of this year! We had a wonderful dinner at Angelo’s in Lenoir City. Very rarely do we ever get a chance to actually go out for any fun. What some would consider a “Girls Night Out” at the clubs is far from my lucky ventures to the grocery store and post office twice a month - Home Depot every once in a while. But that’s as close as I get to the same feeling of excitement. LOL This dinner out with my husband was like a real date! That’s something we both haven’t felt in such a long time - much too long. I just reached my 50th Birthday. Of course - Dwayne had to work. It came and went fairly quietly - with the exception of so many Birthday wishes I received from friends and loved ones at FaceBook! However - Hubby came through like a Knight! He took me to BestBuy for a new computer - a monster of a computer - one that can handle all my digital scrap booking and my gaming at FaceBook! I can even watch movies! But the one chosen wasn’t in stock. So - it was ordered for us and delivered to the house. My new toy arrived yesterday! Naturally - the UPS guy shows up just as Dwayne’s pulling out the driveway to head toward the hangar. But I opened the box to make sure all the parts were there. Got to looking at the Quick Guide. All I needed to do was plug everything in and turn it on! No inner-components to install! Yayyy! I had it up and running by around 8:30pm after all the initial uploading and installing that the system had to handle. I’ve already installed my PhotoShop Elements program for my digital scrap booking. Spent some time watching a couple of the tutorial videos. And I’m looking forward to learning how to use this program for all the many, many new things I wanna learn how to do in graphics for my layouts! For now - I’m spending time becoming more familiar with this computer. Not much else I can do for the moment. Dwayne is sleeping. And the morning arrived with - more rain.