Monday Update

This weekend went very fast. Yesterday was fun though. We celebrated Deb and Matt's birthdays. Deb brought her sister Katie and her sister's new baby, Levi, along. Hunter also showed up again. I guess he likes the food and conversation. The riblets were excellent and so was all the other food. After eating and talking for a while we went outside and had a fire in the pit.

This will be a short work week due to the 4th on Friday. With the strange weather and the recent flooding, it just doesn't seem like it should be the 4th already. This week and part of next, I will be in charge of picking up the mail for my company. That means an extended lunch for me. I have to drive from Mt Mercy to the Hy Vee Drug on Mt Vernon Rd. I had to ask Doug to make a business card for me to use when picking up the mail. He did a very nice job on it and I think it looks better than the one my supervisor has.

That's all I have for now. Have a good week everyone.

Sunday Update

The internet is working just fine for me know. Yeah!!

I slept in this morning until almost 8. Guess I was tired from all the OT last week and then going out with Mark & Wanda last night. The food at Hamburger Mary's is very good and you get a lot for the money. Who knew you would get such a big plate of Chili Cheese Fries for $2.99. And they said Mary's Handbag was just a little sampler. Sorry, that was a meal for two. Fried Twinkies are not my favorite, but the raspberry sauce was very good. It was fun watching Gayla perform on stage.

Today we celebrate Matt's 18th birthday. That means I need to get going. I am making the birthday cake and potato salad. I am just glad the weather will be cool for the next few days. With the air conditioner broken, it may have gotten rather hot in here with the oven on.

Friday Update

It figures, my only way into College is having my work relocated to one. I like the room we are in, however, the Internet phone is not ideal. It is hard to hear most callers and sometimes they have trouble hearing me. Most people are understanding that we are not running 100%. Others don't care if we were flooded and get very verbal about it. So, it is business as usual.

The cable man came to fix our connection problems to the internet yesterday. He gave us a new modem and it was working faster than ever. Just my luck I connected just long enough to login to hotmail and my blog and then the connection failed. It says connected, but pages won't load and it keeps saying connection was reset. I'm not as impressed as Doug was yesterday. Aaargh.

Trash from Theater Cedar Rapids.
Trash piled up along First Ave. NW.
Trash near the Asian Market on First Ave. NW.
Time Check Park.

Displaced garage.

A&W during the flood of 2008.
A&W during clean-up after the flood of 2008.
A&W during clean-up after the flood of 2008.

House at 319 5th Street NW where the kids and I used to live.
Notice the water line is even with the porch railing. This house had the yellow notice.
House at 330 G Ave. NW where I lived for 13 years, 7 of which I had kids.
The 2nd story which was not touched by the flood was unlivable
when we lived there. This one has the pink notice.
I don't remember the house number for this one. It is on 5th Street NW 1 block from Timecheck. It was given the yellow notice. We lived here for about 1 year before moving to the other house on 5th Street.

Friday Update

It has been strange working from home these last few days. I never thought I would see the day. It will be coming to and end after today though. They have found a temporary work place for us until we can go back to the Armstrong building. Starting Monday, I will be working at Mt. Mercy College. At least I did not have to answers the phones while I was working from home. I would have been nice to have a laptop at home, instead I will be using one in the new work place instead. The city of Cedar Rapids just reeks right now. Every now and then you get a whiff of the smell. I guess it is pretty nasty smell over at Johnny's house and I can't imagine what it smell like downtown.

Mao can't understand why I am at home all of the, but ignore him through most of the day. Several times he has jumped onto the dining room table and knocked over the flowers Cathy Thomas gave me. That is all I have for now. It is time for me to shower and get ready to set down at the computer to work for the day.

Green Porno by Isabella Rossellini

(Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)

The Paramount Theatre's front doors, seen Monday, were blown in when floodwaters overcame the historic venue Thursday, leaving its Wurlitzer organ under water. Most of the furniture had been moved.

Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette

Muck and debris litters the floor at Zins on Monday, June 16, 2008, in southeast Cedar Rapids.

Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette

Appliances lay on the sidewalk after flood water smashed in windows at Smulekoff's Furniture along First St. SE on Monday, June 16, 2008, in southeast Cedar Rapids.

Enter to win a lifetime of Maytag kitchen appliances!!

o

Thursday Update

Wow, a lot has happened since my last update. We had a wonderful birthday party for Doug on Sunday. The kids showed up. Chloe had been telling us all along she would not be able to make it due to work and then when Thomas and Diedre pulled up, Chloe popped up from the back seat. What a surprise. Ross even showed up!

Work has been very busy and after work I have been making preparations for the grad party on Saturday. The rain and water just won't quit. Yesterday at 12:30 they evacuated downtown Cedar Rapids which included the building I work in. I do not know how long it will be before we can go back to work. They are calling it the "500 year" flood. And of course it is raining pretty good right now.

Free Ayn Rand classroom books. For teachers only.

Friday Update

Last night Doug and I went to the city council meeting. We accomplished what we went for. After the meeting we went to Red Robin to celebrate Doug's 46th birthday. We got stuffed and came home around 9:30. I got sucked in watching the new Green channel and didn't go to bed until about 10:30. I'm a little tired this morning, but Mao decided to be very vocal this morning and I couldn't sleep a little later than usual. Chloe is coming home for a visit today, I hope she can stay late enough so I can see her. I suppose it will rain again today and I will never get a chance to mow this grass field of a yard we have going. Have a wonderful Friday everyone.

Happy Birthday Honey!!!!

Thursday Update

I finally got the rest of my garden in last night. Now I wish the rain would let up for a few weeks. I can't wait for this weekend. We can finish painting and shiska stuff on Sunday!

Monday Update

Saturday morning I slept in until 7. I must have been very tired! After breakfast, I started to plant the garden. I only got a few plants in as I decided I needed to get more topsoil and some compost. I cleaned up and went to the bank, Walmart and Hy Vee Drug. When I got home Doug helped me unload the topsoil and compost from the van. By this time it was time to go to Amber's graduation party. We meet Mark's grandfather, father and stepmother. His grandfather told an interesting story about a tornado in Mt Vernon a long time ago. He had seen it coming and drove his tractor back to the barn. He sat on his tractor in the barn through the whole thing. He is lucky the storm did not take the barn. It did take the roof off of his house though. After we left Amber's party we went to Sears to buy the birthday/father's day gift Thomas and Chloe picked out for Doug. It is a Kenmore Stainless Steel gas grill. In looking at the reviews, the only thing most people complained about was the assembly because there are no clear instructions and the fact that the food sticks if you do not spray the grill.

Sunday was another busy day. Once again I worked in the garden. First I mixed the topsoil and compost. After it was mixed I put some in planters and the rest I distributed through the garden. In the planters I put the Big Boy, German Queen and purple tomato. I also put a Big Bertha green pepper and zucchinis in planters. I got about half the garden planted before the sun came over the garden area and it got to hot. I still have 15 tomato plants to put in and green beans to plant. After planting I had lunch and then went to Menards to buy paint for the bedroom walls and a new fan. We put the fan together when I got home and then took a break for a while. Around 3 we started painting in Chloe's room. We have the ceiling completed. Mark and Wanda stopped by just as we were finishing up. They stayed for a little while. We did not eat supper until around 9. Needless to say I was tired. And I never even got around to mowing the yard. I will have to do it after work one of these nights. I will also have to fit in the rest of the garden.

The Mole starts tonight, so I will have to make time to watch it. Yeah!!