Thursday and two days to go

[Colliemom]

Morning all,

Yippee, just two more days after today and Sassy and I will be on the road. Chomping at the bit to get moving in case you can't tell Am kind of in a holding pattern here, things to do but last day before we leave stuff.

We are supposed to have rain today, so decided that I would go do my shopping for the trip today rather than tomorrow. One day isn't going to make a big difference. Originally forecast called for party sunny today and thought I would work in yard, but now that's changed, so will do that tomorrow. Can make up my spaghetti sauce later today and some more dinners for Sassy not that she's eating them anyway. She is not a lover of rice or veggies, but I can't give her just plain chicken all the time She fussy in her old age.

Wendy, glad to see you posting again. Hope you can get out with your rig this summer. Maybe come up to the KS GTG? Sarah, hope everything settles down for you. Carolb, sorry about the scratch on HarBor. That's what we get for trying to do things ourselves instead of having some help, but of course we are always trying to be "I'm women, I can do this" Been there done that. Ava, hope hip is getting better. Judi, am happy for you. Wish I were doing the same, but need to try it out for a few weeks tosee if it will fit me first.

Time to get headed to town here and spend some more green Y'all have a wonderful day out there and keep out of trouble!

[grammynmaggie]

Good morning sue and all.... you sure sound excited about your trip sue
Hope you have a great time..... I'm waiting on my son to get here.. he is going to hook up my
hot water tank... and I sure hope he can fix the one water leak I found yesterday...
I have to unload the Back Bay in the RV I know where to get my hot plate out so I can do some cooking... microwave eating is not the same as cooking...lol so I better get busy in between raindrops hope to get this done...
have a fun day and stay safe..

[dayspring39]

Good Morning everyone... counting the days with you Sue...
Unit 5 (Normal Schools) fired 50 bus drivers yesterday. They had announced they were going with First Student for bus services. That leaves all with no insurance and if they go with First Student their pay will be cut. Sure is a tough place for them to be in. I drove for Unit 5 for 5+ years. It is always about money.
When Kelsie was here yesterday cleaning we found my copper pan for the solar water fountain. Now need sun to get it going. We took another load to Good Will as well. Have so many things that I do not use. So someone else can have the benefit from them.
Judi your adventure is about to begin.
Coffee is gone but oatmeal is cooking...
Me and My Shadow

[avalen]

good morning
well, I have been out and thought just maybe I could put the deck together without an extra pair of hands, but...not, its
too heavy and my arm hurts too. (and of course my hip still hurts) Thinking I'm just not getting enough exercise in this
heat and of course I need to take my calcium/magnesium and other vitamins too. I'm going to work on that and if I can't
get the pain to go away, guess I'll think about paying the piper to tell me I'm getting old.
Anyway...son is coming over saturday morning to give me an extra pair of hands to help get the uprights in place. I made
the frame for one set of stairs yesterday, brought it all inside, laid out an old vinyl tablecloth and got to painting, drilling and screwing together. Will probably do the same today to make the other set of stairs.
Feel so bad for all the bus drivers that got fired in Normal,
we had First Vehicle for our maintenance dept for 4 years, cost
our district 3x the amount of money to keep up the buses. Did not renew their contract, and they also tried to lock in to
provide service for driving. That didn't work either. First Vehicle is a worldwide company and they also have a fleet of
non ambulance drivers and city bus and other fleets as well. They are too big for their britches, and I have nothing good
to say about them.
Got to get off the computer and go get my gas and do a few other errands, ya'll have a great day and be safe.

[BarbaraRose]

Good morning gals! I have the day off and have lots to do! My last day off before my trip so need to get things done today.
Will head over to my dads to set up my tent and waterproof it. Then do some shopping and move the rest of my stuff out of the old storage locker (mostly camping stuff), and then laundry, and try to unpack a few more boxes...whew! Am getting a late start here too. Slept in, but it was a busy day at work yesterday so I was really tired last night, so needed the extra sleep.

Have a good day!

[BirdbyBird]

I take loads to Goodwill because it is right around the corner but for an FYI Goodwill is a private corp and the CEO makes big bucks. Salvation Army on the other hand..... The money goes back directly to the people it is suppose to serve.

[mitch5252]

I take loads to Goodwill because it is right around the corner but for an FYI Goodwill is a private corp and the CEO makes big bucks. Salvation Army on the other hand..... The money goes back directly to the people it is suppose to serve.

..
Amen to that! Goodwill is practically pure profit.

A recent blip (2013) from watchdog dot org:

Editor’s Note: John Hrabe’s examination of Goodwill Industries, published in early May, recently got a second life. On June 21, NBC News’ Anna Schecter echoed Hrabe’s findings: top Goodwill execs pull in six-figure salaries while federal regulations allow them to pay their disabled employees a sub-minimum wage. We’re re-posting Hrabe’s story here, not because we believe the federal government ought to do anything about wage disparities at Goodwill; we believe consumers and donors — supported by reporting like Hrabe’s — will make the right decisions in a free market.

And a 2013 blip from Forbes (JULY 2013):

As for executives bringing home high salaries, Goodwill International CEO Jim Gibbons, earns a base salary of $434,252. Change.org claims that the salaries for top managers at 150 Goodwill locations across the country total more than $30 million. “If you can afford to pay six- and seven-figure salaries to your executives, you can afford to pay minimum wage to your employees,” says Autistic Self Advocacy Network president Ari Ne’eman in a statement.

[grammaann]

Good Morning!! Today started out damp with a very light drizzle, so now I don't have to water

Brought home my little bitty MH yesterday, helped grand daughter begin moving, bought groceries and did some more wall paper removal in kitches. Today I"M TIRED!!! Going to just rest - - - maybe!

OK, time for a snack and a little rest.

[avalen]

wow, who'da thought I'd be posting twice in one morning thread, but I got all my errands done, bought the boards for
the steps (two sets of steps) cut and brought all them inside so I can get them painted under ac. I must admit, the
fresh smell of cut wood is delightful Still trying to figure out getting the decking boards home as it will be just a bit
too much for my little car. The 6 I brought home for the steps were heavy enough and I could feel that extra weight in
the steering. Could ask my friend Larry to deliver since he works there part time, or I can ask to borrow childrens fathers
pick up. Its a toss up but I'll think on it for a couple days.
I did forget to mention earlier that kitty decided to come down off the shelf on her own during the night. I had gotten up
to p and turned around and there she was, all happy with herself and asking for attention. Seems somebody forgot to feed
the cat dinner So I visited with her for a bit, fed her and went back to bed. She decided she wasn't coming to bed
with me since Maggie was already in there, but she was back up on the shelf this morning. After the deck is finished I'll take
her out there so she can snoop around the yard and eventually I can get rid of the litter box.
Chugging down a bottle of water, cooling off and gonna get busy with the paint.

[grammaann]

Ava, You are one energetic woman. I can do a day such at that occasionally, but would need a couple to rest after.

[Acadianmom]

I think I have been to town every day this week. Since my DH got me some roses and a subway sandwich for Mother's day I wanted to get him something for Father's Day. Stein Mart had the wallets on sale so I picked up one for him. I got him a piece of Killed by Chocolate at one of the restaurants. It's chocolate cheesecake with a brownie crust and dark chocolate shavings. It really would kill me but he loves chocolate.

I read all that about Goodwill and will not donate to them anymore. There are some Ark resale shops in the area. I'm not real sure about them but their stuff is a lot cheaper than Goodwill. Used jeans at Goodwill are $10 and they are $2.50 at the Ark. I don't like the area that the Salvation Army store is in or I would go there.

Martha

[BayouLady]

So Miss Sassy is a picky eater? Really spark those taste buds with some sardines. Stronger smells increase the appetite and they are really good for them.

Ava, I hope you have a bottle of Pinot Grigio chilled for when you finish the deck, you definitely deserve it.

That's sad news about all the bus drivers being fired, hopefully everyone finds something better so it ends up being a blessing.

As for donations, we have a rescue group here that holds garage sales to raise funds for the animals, maybe one does that close to you. Just a thought instead of donating more to the goodwill millionaire.

Gotta get back to studies and let the puppies romp in their yard.

Safe travels to all on the road and happy packing to those getting ready!

[dpf]

Little past morning! Finally took a day of annual leave.....to go shopping for a new refrigerator. oh yippee. Well I got to go shopping after I clean out the refrigerator and hauled all the salvage able food out to the refrig in the 5er. Won't have a new one until next Wednesday. Problem is that they still make the almond/bisque appliances but not everyone carries them. I don't want white, black or stainless steel. I should run off a few pounds going back and forth to the camper for meal prep!

I don't donate to Goodwill anymore either. I quit then I found out it was privately owned and I was giving my stuff to a millionaire to resell to poor people. Screw that noise. There is a second hand shop in a near buy town run by volunteers and they will take good used items. They donate all the profit back into the county. Last month they gave 5,000 to our local volunteer fire dept. YMCA Advancement also comes to town about 4 times a year and we can set items out for them to pick up. But I prefer to give it to the local shop.

[BarbaraRose]

The GW's here used to be pretty run down but lately they have fixed them up and have opened several new big stores in the area. The only Salvation Army store I know of is in a really bad part of Minneapolis, so not an option to go there. I just stopped in to a brand new thrift/antique shop that opened last week just down the street from me. Bought a really cute sweatshirt for $3 and a nice stereo system with CD and cassette player for $14.

Busy day today! Put up my tent at my dad's and then realized I forgot the can of water repellant spray for it, so decided to buy another can rather than drive all the way back home. Went to two stores before I found some. Got the tent sprayed and headed back to the old apartment to clean out the storage unit there. Then ran a few errands before unloading the stuff in the new storage locker. The underground garage at the old place looks a lot worse than it did last week after all the rain and I can't believe it hasn't collapsed yet. It is deteriorating really quickly! So I stopped at the city hall and talked to them about it. The garage was condemned by the city a year ago and I was told that their building permit they got is about to run out for fixing it. I also told them the owners had been renting the garage out all winter and that there were still cars parked down there. I hope I made my point and they get over there to check it out again. I told the guy that I am really afraid someone is going to get hurt soon if something isn't done ASAP. I am just glad to be out of there!

Went back to my dad's tonight and packed my tent back up so that is all ready to go now. I am tired! Still lots to do to get ready for the camping trip. Have a few hours tomorrow night, then have a wedding out of town to go to after work on Saturday (a co-worker), will have time Sunday night to pack, etc, then Monday night after work I play on my golf league, and that leaves Tuesday night to finish up so I can leave on Wednesday morning! Whew! Will need a vacation after my vacation! (still need to finish cleaning the old place and unpack the new place after I get back! )

Oh, I got to see a loon family tonight on the lake at my new place, with their new little baby! So adorable with the baby riding on mom's back!

Have a good night!