Life's Laundry

Over Twelve Thousand Dollars...

That's how much my portfolio dropped today.

Why anyone would vote to continue the current administration and their failed economic, trickle down policies with deregulation is beyond me.

On a more positive note, my parents are here for a few days.  MusicMan will be home tomorrow evening after a 4 day trip to South Carolina.  My huge account that I won last month begins it's first appointments on Wednesday and my commission check for the month of September is going to be huge.  It will be fun to watch how much it grows on the last day of the month.

I think it's pretty darn amazing that I can pay off one credit card balance in one fell swoop with a month's income with my business. It will almost balance off what I lost today when investors panicked. I wish that other people who are having financial challenges would open their eyes to the income opportunity that this business holds.  The worse the economic outlook, the better my business gets.  New consultants are earning $200 and $300 a night for a few hours worth of work....right out of the starting gate. They're working it along with their day time J-O-Bs. Partner that with working 7 or 8 evenings a month and do the math...all for about  4 hours a week.

Tomorrow's a busy day. I'll go and see how my plants were judged in the fair.  I won't have any food to feed my guest without a trip to the grocery store.  People around here are in a panic about food and other resources, but mostly gas.  I haven't had to drive around at all looking for gas but many people around here have. I waited 22 minutes this morning to fill my tank and it took that long for the tank to fill once I did get up to the pump.

Still - I'm a bit predisposed to worry about what will happen if we lose the value of the investments that are being managed for our retirement.  Twelve thousand is a lot to lose in a day.

Time's Up

About 8 weeks ago, I began to "ready" my African Violet plants for show in our local fair.  Having never done anything like this before, I am not experienced in entering plants in the horticulture area of the fair.  Heck, I swore that I wasn't going to grow for show when I began this hobby.  I changed my mind and considered growing AVs for show in the fair.  I knew I had a lot to learn. When I was in Jr. High School I entered 4-H exhibits and that is the extent of my experience with fair entries.

A fellow AV lover talked me into growing for show.  I wasn't sure I could make it work at such a late date.

Every single day, sometimes more than once a day, I have been tending to several of my better specimens of plants.  I learned too late about a bloom booster which should have been introduced about 10-12 weeks before the event.  Mine were introduced to the preperation schedeule only 7 weeks before the event.  I didn't know so I couldn't do.  For the past nine days, I've been watching multiple clusters of bloom pods beginning to peek out from under the crown leaves on my AV plants.  I increased the light exposure to over 13 hours a day in order to quicken the maturation of the blooms.  I've been talking to them and tending to them in hopes to coax them along more quickly....realizing every day that I was running out of time.  Last night I took another look at the nearly 40 bloom pods on 7 of my plants and I knew for sure that I wasn't going to make it.

The entry for flowers was today from 1-4 PM.  None of my AVs are judge ready.  Not the first one.

I have 9 different plants who are 3-4 days away from being at full bloom but they are not ready today.

Time's up.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

I was; however, able to enter my Angel Wing Begonia which grew this year like an angel flies - with wings spread wide to the heavens.  The spread of my sweetheart is over 42 inches and has only 3 stalks in the pot.  Her foliage is just breathtaking.  Here's a picture of how she looked a few months ago on July 4th. I don't have a current picture of her.  If she wins a ribbon, I'll take a picture of her to share.

 

She's bigger and more beautiful now.  While I was very dissapointed that none of my violets where show worthy at this time, I was so proud of this plant.  It was difficult to get my ego back into the car upon leaving after several of the Garden Club members made such a fuss about how beautiful the begonia is/was.

Here's the kicker - I purchased the plant as a 2 leaf small 4 inch pot in the spring from one of the local plant sales here.  I put it in a pot and stuck the pot over by our frame for the hot tub.  That particular spot got a lot of morning sun and then was shaded for the remainder of the day.  The plant loved that spot and all anyone ever did was water her a few times a week and watch her grow.  What pleasure she has given me along with numerous visitors who've visited our porch this past summer.

Below is a bloom on one of my Butterfly Bush which keeps blooming over and over and over.  Because the Butterfly Bush isn't in a container - it's not qualified to be entered in the fair.  I could have done a cutting but why do that and rob myself of watching the butterflies all over the plant?  Enjoy.

 

The good thing?  Next week, I'm going to awaken to plants full of blooms and they will be for my very pleasure to enjoy and share here in pictures.  Next year, I'll be prepared and on time. 

Not The Decisive Win I Was Hoping For

Although I do not plan to vote for McCain, nor do I believe that he is the most qualified to lead our country in the direction that I want it to go, I did have an expectation that the debate last night was John McCain's opportunity to really showcase his experience in Foreign Affairs.  I don't think he did. I give him a C+. How many countries did he name off that he had visited? Do the American people really think that other world leaders will be open to working with him in an ongoing basis?  Does he think that he can just continue the Iraq war indefinitely?  He seemed to beclinging to a few key points that his puppetry people required him to make. One couldn't have passed a needle through those puppet people's rectum last night - hoping and praying that their man didn't say something stupid or come up with an idea that hadn't been passed through them.  McCain was so focused on the points of his advisers, that a few times, he couldn't/wouldn't answer the question that Jim posed to him.  Isn't the main point of a debate to answer the question? That's rhetorical, don't answer.  Clearly, McCain isn't his own thinker and leader. He doesn't have a plan.  His buddies higher than him have a plan - to continue to pad their pockets while the rest of us foot the bill with our tax dollars and to restore God to Government and lead us into the final phase. @@ I think he looked and sounded a bit desperate when he kept trying to hypnotize the viewers with his pitiful one liner that Obama doesn't understand.  This is a classic example of the way the Republicans try to convince people with one liners and some take it as the gospel truth.  I can just hear them this morning - "Obama Doesn't Understand".....I half expected our republican based county newspaper to have that as the headline this morning but they didn't.

One of our Watch-Party participants said it best - "He's right; Obama doesn't understand and neither do I...how can people continue to believe that horse crap that the republicans keep putting out?  No one understands how someone would want to continue with the horrible hand that they've been dealt during the past 8 years.  THAT'Swhat Obama doesn't' understand."

Obama was able to show himself as someone who is in the game and Obama was able to one liner over McCain with the "18 billion is a lot but $300 billion is a lot more" comeback. I valued that he had 4 points for the bailout solution but his points where qualifications of a plan and not necessarily a plan itself.  At least he answered the questions that were posed to him. His best one liner was the comment about the difference between a hatchet and a scalpel. To me, that points out the difference between an empty promise maker/loose cannon who wants to satisfy others with just doing something for the sake of doing something.........and someone with wisdom that would/could take a serious look at what needs to be done for improvement.

I wished that the camera could have stayed to the back right of McCain a bit more because a couple of times I saw him clinching his fist and shifting his body weight. I would have liked for McCain to have been pressed more so that the American people would have an opportunity to see him have to think on his feet under an emergency pressure situation when publicly backed into a corner.  He can't do it.  He doesn't have the ability to represent our country in public under pressure without a script.  I want his inability to be exposed. I know that he had been warned about his temper and about running off at the mouth and making himself look like a fool.  I can't even begin to guess about how much grooming he has had about that.

Obama was calm and clear.  I thought that perhaps I might be a bit irritated at his "Let's Be Clear" opener used as often as it was..... but I wasn't.  He hasn't changed his tune on anything that he had in his original plan. 

My desire for the debate was that Obama would come out so much more clear and so much more as the obvious leader and winner that I believe him to be so that all those Americans who are still undecided wouldn't have any ambiguity with using the evidence to decide.  As it stands....they got a little taste but nothing really grand.  I think it's a good beginning.  Let's see what next Thursday brings.

Are You Watching The Debate?

I had 2 drinks beforehand to quiet my " voice" so I wouldn't be so argumentative to the TV screen.

Are you watching?  What are you saying to the screen?

First Time

Tonight I hosted an Obama campaign event at my house.  We conducted phone calls to see where people were leaning in the campaign. It was part of the Women of America Week Event.  There were a few women here to participate.

We talked with 100 people.  The results were better than what I expected. 46 for Obama. 20 Undecided. 40 for McCain.

Each of us that were polling were only verbally attacked twice each.  The ignorance and hatred is really amazing.  Many comments were amusing; all of them were fascinating. One man actually said he was voting for Palin because she was a MILF.  The woman making the calls didn't know what a MILF is/was.  I had to explain it to her. She wasn't amused at all.  I asked her what she had said to the man and she said, "I told him that I didn't think that being a MILF was a good reason to vote for someone cause it has probably has nothing to do with running a country."

Only one person hung up in my face.  Two people referred to the color of Obama's skin as a reason to vote forMcCain. That's a real shame, that people would use that as a reason to vote a certain way. I guess MLK's dream continues.

Anyhow - Friday evening, I am hosting a debate watch party here and planning on packing the house with Obama supporters.  Hopefully McCain will decide to show up.

I never considered myself a political activist.  I guess with my recent activity and the effort that I'm putting forth in this presidential election, I could consider myself a baby who'se learning to crawl.  There's a first time for everything.

I know I'm having fun....and I'm learning a LOT.

Too Frustrated To Post

Yesterday, I spent a little while authoring a post of rememberence of three years ago when we purchased and remodeled the house that we now call home.  I also wanted to share the work that I've done in the past few days.  It was not only a delicious post but made me feel good to have accomplished it.

TypePad froze on me....and I lost the entire friggin post.

A few hours later, thinking that I shouldn't let such trivial things control me, I came back and spent another hour trying to not only recreate my earlier post but enhance it a bit.

When I went to hit save, TypePad froze on me again and I lost the post again.

Screw it.

I'm back today to share just pictures....

Here's what I had when I started on Tuesday morning:

 

And here's what I had by Tuesday evening after a few breaks and a bit of help from MusicMan:

 

I took out not only all of the weeds and overgrown brush but also a Holly tree (was originally in the far left of the flowerbed to the front).  We are having someone remove the two remaining ones next week.  The black bucket is filled with over 100 bulbs that came up and once the hollies are gone, I'll replant those in the bed.  I moved the rock border back and hopefully the grass will fill in up to the border.

Now...I wonder if TypePad is going to screw with me again?

QOTD 9/23/08: What's the Funkiest You've Ever Had.....

Your toes done?

I go regularly for manicures and pedicures.  I am usually a little on the conservative side and will go for a modest design of flowers or something if not just plain color.

This time; however, I decided to walk on the wild side.

 

My youngest children think it's wonderful.....

What's the funkiest that you've ever had done? 

QOTD 9/22/08: What's On Your Desk Today?

Here's whats on mine, to the right on my laptop.....my very favorite things.

Picture of my youngest daughter.  This is by far my favorite picture of her in black and white.  I love the shadings and her expression.  It is exactly her personality.
Picture of my husband on the first morning of our honeymoon.
My adding machine. John Maxwell's book, Becoming a Person of Influence.
The plaque on the wall that I got from Biggest Sister for Christmas.
That's the laser printed over in the far right corner and of course, the usb hub to the left and my keypad for data entry and my red-balled mouse.  The orange paper is children's activities from church for the coming week and I think that may be a Children's Place coupon under the Maxwell book.

And here's the view to the left of the laptop:

hmm....there's my date book in the middle bottom and a deposit ready to go to the bank at the 3 o'clock position.  My Robert's Rules of Order book and another John Maxwell "Make Today Count", stapler and tape dispenser, some store coupons for Wednesday's grocery shopping trip, and some  spiral notebooks that I was going over to bring people's contact information forward.

There's my phone, some pictures, and on the wall is my dream board, some quotes that I like to review on an hourly basis and a few pictures.  To the far left is my standing file so that I don't lose another speeding ticket (or any important piece of paper) in error.  In the middle is the open case of CDs from the workshops that I attended at our National Convention in Dallas, TX back in August.

So, what's on your desk today?  Take a picture.  Post your picture on your blog and then post a comment here linking us back to your blog so we can see what is on your desk today.  If you don't' have a blog, just explain to us here in the comments what is on your desk.

Children Picture Update

We were playing with the camera Sunday afternoon and I was able to capture these memories.  Every day that passes reminds me that my children are no longer babies and growing every day.  I want to make the stillness last forever.

Here's Big Brother:

 

In case you missed it....LOL....he wanted me to take a picture of his "loose tooth."  According to the dentist - his teeth are HORRIBLE with a double capitol H and we've got extensive work to be done to his mouth.  I am looking for another dentist because I dislike hate the staff at the one where we have been going and it keeps getting worse and worse with each passing visit.  Anyway - this is Big Brother at six and a half.

And this is Little Sister.

 

Yes, her eyes are like blue jewels.  She loves this shirt because it says "Girls Make Magic Happen."
Here is the picture she wanted me to take of her "jumping up and down"....

 

Her hair was flying everywhere....but she was having so much fun.  I wish I could capture grins and giggles equally.  She has had such a grand day.  It's 5:20 on Sunday afternoon and the kids and MusicMan are in the hot tub.  I think I'll go sneak a picture of them and share that too.

Ok, that only took a minute....here they are:

 

In case you're wondering, that is a white shade hanging behind the hot tub.  We put that up to provide privacy from our neighbors :)

Somedays I Have It Together - Part 2

Upon discovering the unpaid speeding citation on my desk amidst the pile of papers and learning that the court date was that date and I had less than 6 hours to figure out what I was going to do rattled my cage............

Panicked is an understatement for the way I felt right then.  I usually consider myself pretty good under stress and able to think clearly but that was not the case at this minute.  MusicMan suggested that I call the sherriff's office of that county and ask if there was any way they could help me get in touch with someone from that small town.  The woman on the phone was very nice to me and apologized for not being able to offer me an alternative.  She suggested that dealing with this town was a tricky situation and I probably wouldn't want to risk it.  She informed me that she had seen extremes happen in relation to small speeding tickets and her suggestion would be to get in my car and head that way. She didn't know that I was more than four hours away on the other side of the state.

I googled the small town again and printed out driving directions.  Google said 4.25 hours.  Good, I could make it there by 5:15 PM and court was a 6 PM.  There was plenty of time if I didn't run into Atlanta traffic and if everything went ok.

In a matter of 40 minutes, I had rescheduled my spa appointment, notified my assistant to not come Friday morning, packed an overnight bag, filled up my gas tank, and withdrawn $300 cash from the ATM.  I was thinking to myself, "Surely the ticket won't be over $200 something and I'll have a bit extra as a cushion."  I set out towards this small town with a nervous stomach.  I would only be about 90 minutes from my parent's house and I could just go there after court and drive home on Friday morning.

I was more mad at myself than anything for dropping the ball on this.  Now, who knew what my fate would be with this situation? What would the cost be to me after all the dust settled?

I drove as fast as legally possible towards Atlanta and then took I-20 East towards Augusta.  I got off the interstate at Thomson where I filled up with gas at the BP station.  Seventy eight frigging dollars to fill up my car.  The directions had not suggested to take this route from Thomson but it was the route that Biggest Sister and I had traveled.  I figured that I could probably remember the way that we went and I did remember there being plenty of "road signs" that listed cities between point A and point B.  I decided to not use the directions on Google from then on out partly based on my memory but mostly based on the conversation that two Department of Transportation officials were having at the pump about how bad the wait time for construction was just two miles up the road and how it would take hours to get around Augusta.  So, I had what I felt like was a new, solid plan to still get me there.

At 4:05 PM, I called the number.  It was busy.  It continued to stay busy every single time I called.  Where there that many people calling or had they pulled the phone off the hook just to piss people off on the day of court?  Who knew?  Not me.  I continued to hit the redial button on my cell phone and marveled at the thought of what we did before we had them?  Finally, at 4:55, I reached a live person on the other end.

"Hello, I'm calling to find out about my speeding ticket fine," I said.  I gave her my name and how fast the citation said I was going.

"Oh," she paused, "That's going to be $345."  I nearly swallowed my tongue and managed to squeak out, "You're kidding right?"  She assured me that she wasn't and so I said to her, "The officer that gave me the citation said that if I were to appear before the judge and had I not gotten a ticket in the previous six months, that I could ask for it to be dismissed.  Is that true? I asked.

"Ye, Ma'm, that's true," she replied.

"How likely is it that he will do it?" I asked.

"It's about 50/50, depending on his mood at the time....but one thing's for sure, if you don't ask, you won't know will you?"  She wasn't sarcastic at all.

"Ok, here's my deal," I began. I'm driving all the way from Rome, GA.  I've already left my house and am over half way there now.  I should be there before court starts and I'm going to take your recommendation and ask for dismissal.  See you in a couple of hours."

I continued on down the road and admittedly was fretful about what the judge would do.  I went over the events surrounding the citation in my head and prepared what I was going to say/ask for and began formulating a "Plan B" in case I had to spend the night in jail.  MusicMan had already convinced me that I was notorious for "smarting off" and that I had better be careful of that or I'd spend the night in jail.  I later asked him if he was serious or just trying to mess with me and he said that he wasn't trying to mess with me.

I drove for what seemed like hours and still couldn't see road signs for this small town.  At 5:45PM, I reached the height of my stress level and the realization started to set in that I was in a serious crunch.  I phoned the town number again.  The same nice lady answered.

I identified myself and asked, "How far is XXXXX from your town?"

I heard her ask someone standing nearby and I was sure that I had misheard them when they said forty five minutes.  Then when she repeated it back to me, I knew that I had heard it correctly.

"oh....no...." I yelped.

"I don't think you are going to make it in time," she said calmly.

I could feel the tears welling up in my eyes and the lump in my throat growing to the size of a golf ball.  I reminded myself to breath right there in the middle of nowhere and in the middle of a huge pause of silence on the phone.

"You know I left my house at 1:15 today and I've been driving this entire time and Google Map said four and a half hours and I've been on the road for over 5 now," I was spurting words through my tears as fast as they would come out of my mouth.

"I know.  I remember" she said.  Then she continued, "I'll be honest with you, it's not going to work in your favor that you are appearing in court late before the judge but I'll see what I can do to help you out. ok? Just get here as soon and as safely as you can."

I didn't know where I was.  I knew that I was 45 minutes away from hell and hell was actually where I needed to be.  I drove for another 25 minutes or so and I remember thinking that this whole event had been a comedy of errors and I dropped the ball and now who knew what was going to happen.  I realized that I was lost. I didn't recognize anything around me and there were no road signs. 

Up ahead on the left was an old feed/seed store and an old man standing out front beside his pickup truck.  I pulled across the median and into the dirt parking lot up beside his truck.  He must have been shocked to not only see that red Mustang whip into the lot but also my tear stained face to match the color of my car.

"Little Lady, is something wrong?" he asked.

"I'm lost and I'm in a hurry.  I have been trying to find XXXX for over an hour and I'm late AND I'm lost and in a few more minutes I'm going to be dead meat too," I stammered out in one breath.

"On your way to court, huh?" he laughed.  I didn't think it was funny at all and he sensed it quickly.

"Go right up here and take the very next right and that'll take you where you want to go, just follow the signs."

I thanked him, put the car in drive and pulled out of that parking lot slinging gravel and dust for who knows how far. 

The next right didn't come and it didn't come and I started to cry harder.  My cell phone had no coverage and I was approaching a full blown meltdown.  I remember saying out loud, "Lord, I need a sign that this is going to be ok.  Please send me one."  And as quickly as the words left my lips, there to the right of the road was a road sign that named the city I was trying to find. The arrow pointed to the right.

"Thank You Lord" and I turned onto that road.  I didn't know where that road went to and I had no idea how far it was to the small town.

At 6:25 PM, I pulled up to the city hall building which also was the library for the town as well as the meeting hall for the town.  There were at least 40 cars parked up and down the street and a few people standing outside on the porch.  It reminded me of the one room school house that I had helped to raise money to restore about 12 years ago in south Georgia where Biggest/Big Sisters went to elementary school. We used that small one room schoolhouse as a museum.

Walking towards the building I realized that I didn't have enough cash to pay the fine.  My stomach lurched and I actually thought I was going to vomit right there on the lawn of that building.  I walked up on the porch and turned the knob.

It was locked. 

I tried it again and an elderly black man standing nearby said, "It's locked.  Just gently tap on the door and someone will open it."

So I did.

There stood the officer that had written me the citation.  I recognized him immediately.

"Court has already started and no admittance now!" he barked.

"I've spoken to XXX three times today and driven over 5 hours to get here.  Please let me in." I said back to him. I don't know if he recognized me or not and I really didn't care at that point.

He stepped back and I walked through the narrow door and he directed me to sit on the back row.

There was a window air conditioning unit that was blowing directly towards where I was sitting and I would see the thermostat set on 60.  I already was nervous and shaking and this made it so much more exaggerated.  I felt sick to my stomach; I was freezing. I had not eaten anything since the crackers after giving blood earlier that morning.  I glanced at the wrap around my right arm and noticed a red spot about the size of a quarter.  Where  in the hell had that come from?  From clenching the steering wheel?  I didn't know.  Was I going to bleed out right there in court.  My mind was swirling faster than a tornado. I sat there for 20 minutes while person after person got fined screwed good fashioned. If there was any leniency in that judge, I didn't see it.  He was dishing out high fines and Community Service like a soup kitchen would dish out soup.  I began to have a sinking feeling that all of this effort and drama had been such a waste of time and now I was next.

I continued to wait for him to call my name and it was always someone else's name he called. The courtroom slowly emptied and there were only about ten people left.  I couldn't hear and began to get concerned and other people were moving around and so I took a chance and moved to the next to front row.  The temperature was so much better there and I could finally hear him calling out the names.  I looked over at the clerk and she motioned for me to come to her.

I walked over towards her table and she stood up.  She asked if I was XXXX and I answered yes.  She instructed me to sit on the front row.  She sat down beside me with her legal pad and pen.  I will never forget the words that she whispered into my hair.

"There was no way I could get back in touch with you after you called the last time.  I knew you were so upset and really were trying to get here.  When I hung up from your last call, the Police Chief and the Judge were standing right there wanting to know what was going on. I explained your situation and they decided together right then to change your citation to a verbal warning."

I swear to you all that I felt the blood drain out of my upper body into my legs and I thought I was going to faint.  This was certainly too much drama for me.  Talk about having your chains jerked back and forth. 

She read the expression on my face and said, "I'm sorry that you had to drive all the way here to learn that ....." and I interrupted her with, "That doesn't matter now."

She said that she would be sending me an email on Monday with the legal notification that it had been changed and that was all.  I asked if I had to stick around and she said, "No, you are free to go.  She got up and walked back to her table and looked at me and smiled.  I sat there while the blood came back to the rest of my body.

I stood up, gathered my purse with the $300 cash and walked towards the door.  The police officer may have or may have not recognized me but as I walked by and caught eye contact, he winked at me as he opened the door.  I looked away immediately wondering if I had read that wrong or if he had just done what I thought he did.

I almost ran to the car about 30 feet way and got in and cranked it and drove away.  I stopped two blocks away in an empty church parking lot and just cried with relief.  It was 7:25 PM.

Emotionally, I was exhausted.  Physically, I was wired for sound.  I had the bright idea that I could get back to Atlanta and perhaps spend the night with one of my Consultant friends in the business.  I waited until I had cell service and recounted the entire dramatic unfolding to MusicMan.  He spent the second half of the call calming me down and emotionally stroking me to serenity so I could drive.  I phoned my friend who lives in NW Atlanta and begged for a place to sleep.  She knew where I was.  I had called her as I was leaving my house earlier that day.  She said she would wait up for me and to call her when I was 30 minutes away.

I pulled into her driveway at 10:40 PM.  She was true to her word of waiting up.  She suggested that we talk more in the morning and I washed my face, brushed my teeth and fell directly into that wonderful feeling bed.  I don't remember my head hitting the pillows. What a day.

This was a great lesson for me in several ways.  Everything turned out well even in spite of all the drama and my emotional meltdowns.  If I ever am required to travel that way again between Athens and Savannah, I'll be more careful to watch my speed. Prayer works.  Mere seconds passed after me asking God for help before that road sign appeared.  Had I not looked up, I would have missed it.  Had I taken care of this before hand, who knows if I would have had the same outcome?  I know that not having to pay $345 for the ticket made that money available for Biggest Sister's rent.

What did it cost me?  The time to go there and back.  The money to fill up my gas tank.  The self loathing of dropping the ball.

Tomorrow, I'll laugh about it.  Years from now I will tell the story of the day I dropped the ball and how I scrambled to recover it and how it just kept slipping from my hands and then how, suddenly, it rolled over the goal line and I scored.

Everyday, I will remember that I'm only one minute away from the edge and how precious it is and how I need to be more careful and pay attention so I don't get too close.