SPECIAL DAY

Merry Christmas and remember the reason for this day.

REPLY TO LYNNE #2

Thank you again for your comment. In a letter from the School Corporation my daughter has been assured by the Superintendent that this person will never work in this school district again. This person have been teaching for 22 or 23 years, I'm surprised that she would even think of doing such a thing. I know children are trying at times but in that profession you have to learn to control yourself.

NEW YEARS IN TEXAS

Since I haven't spent a holiday with my daughter Lorri in Texas for five years I think it's about time I did. Oh yes I did spend Easter and the Fourth of July with her and her family but I haven't spent the big one, the daddy of all holidays, that being New Years Eve to bring in a happier and better year. So to do this I am leaving the day after Christmas with Lorri's daughter, Angelica and Lorri's niece Delaney. In case you haven't figured it out, Angelica and Delaney are my granddaughters. 1234 miles with a 6 and 10 year old. Am I nuts? We will leave Wednesday and hopefully arrive late Thursday afternoon and leave the following Friday or Saturday because the girls start school on the 7th of January. We will have a second Christmas there also as well a New Years. Looking forward to seeing my daughter and enjoying the warm weather. You will hear about my trip while I am in Texas and also when I get home. Pray for good weather.

SPANKING

The situation is progressing. I came to light that what my daughter thought was a policeman who interviewed my granddaughter and the other two girls about the spanking turned out to be a School Corporation security guard who has no authority about this at all. The principal keeps telling my daughter that things are under control and they are handling it and will not give her any information. My daughter saw a lawyer yesterday and the lawyer told her to file a police report which she did. Now things will get rolling. More updates to come.

REPLY TO LYNNE

Thank you for your comment. I agree. As I find out more I will keep you informed.

TEACHER SPANKS GRANDDAUGHTER

I didn't think teachers spanked kids anymore. Isn't it against the law. Well my granddaughter came home from school Tuesday and said her substitute teacher spanked her. She is 6 years old and in 1st grade. I didn't know weather to believe her or not. Her mom called the school the next day and spoke to the sub and she admitted it. I don't know why it happened but as I understand it the teacher pulled her out of line by her hair, took her in the room and spanked her. Her regular teacher came back today and three other girls, who were not spanked, told the teacher what had happened. They went to the principal and he of course questioned her, and later the three other girls. A police report was made and the principal assured my daughter that, that teacher will never return to that school as a sub. Nothing was said about disciplinary action. A lawyer for the school district is now involved. I will let you know how this thing progresses.

SURF EXPO - ORLANDO - JAN 10-13-2008

If you are into the beach life such as surfing, swimming, skateboarding, wakeboarding or just someone who admires beautiful fashion design you will definitely want to check out the Surf Expo in Orlando Florida this January 10-13, 2008. Look into the website at SurfExpo.com and it will tell you everything you want to know about this upcoming event. Surf Expo holds two shows each year in Orlando Florida, with California, Hawaii, The East Coast, Europe and Australia. They are proud to say that it is the longest running trade show in the world. Log onto SurfExpo.com now to see what they have to offer and the special events available on certain days such as on January 10 is BONUS BUYING DAY in the Boutique Resort, Souvenir and Swim categories. If you are a retailer there is a place to click to register for the upcoming show.
If you miss this show there is another one coming September 12-14, 2008. You can also view new products that have come out such as swim suite, beach bags, surfboards, clothes and shoes. Also read news releases posted on the website. There is even a place to click for January 08 hotel and travel reservations. If you like videos you can view those too and read the "Inside the Industry" blogs from the surf expo staff. Whether you are a participator, looker (like I am) or a buyer, I'm sure you enjoy looking at SurfExpo.com and even being at the Surf Expo, January 10-13, 2008. Will I see you there?

A NIGHT WITH SANTA

Last night was a special night for the kids and my granddaughter at Protsman school. It was the night that you got to tell Santa what you wanted for Christmas and also for $3.00, have your picture taken with him. There was one boy, who when asked, said I don't know I'm still thinking. Santa gave him a little time to think and finally said I'll bring you a football. I didn't think Angelica still believed but I was glad to see and hear that she still does. That's great. She was bash full about sitting on his lap and telling him what she wanted.

At this gala they also had a Secret Santa Shop where the kids could buy gifts for mom, dad, grandparents and the rest of the family. These items were prices from 25 cents to 15 dollars. What a rip off. You could get the same thing at Dollar Tree for half the price. But I guess it's alright because the child is getting a surprise, even though mom and dad were there, for their family and it was from Secret Santa Shop. That's what Christmas is all about. They also gave out apple juice and cookies for free. This was a nice gesture. All in all everyone had a good time. I know I did just seeing the glow on my granddaughters face.

REPLY TO DREW ON PLAYDOUGH

Thank you for your reply to making playdough. It is a good recipe and works well and makes a lot of playdough. My granddaughter took it to school and did make landforms with it. Hills, mountains etc. I'm sure the recipe will come in handy when your child gets older. Enjoy. Yes I will look in your three contests at http://www.benspark.com/photo-a-day-966-113007.html.

COUPONCHIEF IS HERE FOR YOU!!

It's here. It's here. You know what I am talking about. It's Christmas and you still have shopping to do. I have found a site for you where you can find the deals on the gift or gifts you are looking for. That site is CouponChief and you can reach them at couponchief.com. They can supply you with great deals and great coupons to your favorite store like Old Navy, http://www.couponchief.com/oldnavy or JC Penny, http://www.couponchief.com/jcpenny . Both of these are good stores and many, many more are available at couponchief.com. Please, please don't forget your best friend, you pet, so check out PetSmart, http://www.couponchief.com/petsmart. They like to get presents too. CouponChief strives to keep the customer updated on current coupons available to you. Other great stores to check out are http://www.couponchief.com/kohls and the all time favorite of all shoppers http://www.couponchief.com/walmart. So visit this site and get all of your deals in one spot.

GOD BLESS YOUNG MINDS

My granddaughter Delaney is in the first grade. With the classroom and school decorated for Christmas, all the kids are in another world.. Delaney's teacher gave all of her students a small bottle of green glitter. What you do with this green glitter is on Christmas Eve sprinkle some on the ground in front of your house and this keeps the Grinch from coming and stealing your gifts. Well Delaney's mind is always going so she is going to double protect her gifts. Her mom has a friend who's son is always on the computer and Delaney asked her mom to have this boy spend the night of Christmas Eve and work on their computer and keep an eye on her gifts so if the green glitter doesn't work the young man will be there as a backup to keep the Grinch away. She is even going to give me some to put in front of my house to protect any gifts left for her at my house. God Bless young minds.

BOTTOM TAX

We always complain about being taxed for one thing or another. Well here is my kind of woman. This lady lives in Monroeville, PA and enjoys shopping at her local K Mart. She purchased some toilet paper and much to her surprise, she was charged 28 cents tax on this nontaxable paper product. She took them to court and got a court ruling that toilet paper is a necessity and is not taxable in the state of PA. She was awarded $100.00 pluS court costs. Watch out WalMart, Mary Bach has got her sights on you too.

MAKING PLAYDOUGH

My granddaughter had to make playdough over the Thanksgiving break. In Science they are studying land formations and they have to make landforms. Valleys, mountains and so forth, that is why we had to make playdough. If you want to make some for your child or yourself here is the recipe. 2 cups flour, 1 cup salt, 2 tablespoons cream of tarter, 2 cups of water, 1 tablespoons mineral oil. Mix all ingredients in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring until stiff. Allow to cool and then knead. Place in a container. Then you can playdough to your hearts content. Have a good time.

MAGNIFICENT MILE LIGHTS FESTIVAL PARADE IN CHICAGO

Saturday night I watched the Magnificent Mile Lights Festival Parade from Chicago. I'm sure that those who waited most of the day for this extravaganza were disappointed. No bands were to be found, no fancy floats only floats advertising the entrants wares. All through the parade the announcers were saying "Can't wait for the American Girl float to get here. They are going to sing (can't remember what song). Finally the float arrived with about 10 girls on it. They did not sing, what dancing there was, was not in step with the music and they did not even lip-sync to the music. What a let down. It looked like the retailers wanted to get you in the Christmas spirit to spend money. Hopefully it will be better next year.

THATS OK

I don't know how many of you watch the TV show Deal or No Deal, but I for one do. I think it is a good show with a lot of suspense and it keeps your nerves twitching. The one pet peeve that I have with the show is the three knuckleheads that are on to bring moral support to the contestant. What have they got to loose. NOTHING. Yet they are the ones that keep saying, after the person opens the $1,000,000 or any of the other high number cases, THATS OK. Or if the offer from the banker is $100,000 or higher they open their mouths and say one more time, one more time. Are they stupid or what. The make it sound that $100,000 or higher is nothing. How many times after they say its OK or one more time does the contestant walk away with a small amount or nothing. More often than not. I just wonder if the program tells them that they have to keep going. Well in any case I do the enjoy the show.

MAIL CARRIER SHOT IN LEG

As if it is not bad enough that the people who deliver our mail, God Bless them, must do it in rain, snow, sleet and shine. With areas growing at a fast rate there are more and more people to deliver mail too. I just read in the newspaper that in Monee, IL, a mail carrier was shot in the thigh for delivering a persons mail too late. It was 6:30 and granted maybe it was a little late but lets keep in mind about how big was this persons route and how many dogs did they have to hide from to keep from getting bitten. Instead of shooting the mail carrier why didn't this person use some common sense and call the post office, or maybe the post office should hire more carriers. It will be interesting to see what happens to this person. Jail I hope.

ANGELICA'S BIRTHDAY PARTY

Yesterday was Angelica's birthday party. The house was nicely decorated and the food was delicious and in great supply. Chicken, beef, mashed potatoes, potato salad, jello molds and other things to make the mouth water. My friend Dalene offered to make the cake which was really great. Half white and half chocolate and very nicely decorated with horses, Angelica is a horse nut, Dalene does excellent work with cakes, cookies and any other goodies you can think of.
After we had food and cake it was time to open gifts. Very nice gifts I might add. She got clothes, books, a DS with games, a book that had pages which were jig saw puzzles. She was very happy with everything. This is the first really big party she has had since she moved to Texas 5 years ago. Friends, cousins, aunts and uncles which totaled about 25 people were here to help her celebrate this special day. Thank you all for coming!

DRIVE THRU AT WALGREEN'S

Today I had to pick up medicine I called in yesterday at our local Walgreen Drug Store. I thought I would avoid going inside since I had my two granddaughters with me and it would be buy me this or buy me that, so to avoid that I went to the drive-thru. I pulled up to the window, the associate was there and saw me and walked away. This Walgreen's has two lanes for the drive-thru. A second car pulled up and the next thing I know the associate is talking the woman who just pulled up, and she knew this woman. They had a nice conversation of how are you, do you still live at the same place, how are your kids, this went on almost five minutes. Meanwhile I'm still sitting there. This woman was finally given her medicine and the associate walked away. I saw the call button and pushed it, not that I had too since she saw my van at the window. In all I was at that window 13 minutes. I thought drive-thru's were supposed to be quick and most of all take people in their proper turn. By the way this Walgreen's was in Schererville, Indiana.

HOUSE CLEANING

With my granddaughters birthday party being this Sunday, I thought I should clean the house, not that I don't, but I wanted to do a little extra cleaning. I steam cleaned the living room, dining room and bedroom carpets. Washed the kitchen and dinning area floors, washed the bathroom floor, sinks and toilet. This took me two days. Now I know what it is like for you people who do this on a daily basis. God Bless you.
I know I would get a lot of comments if I said this is womens work at home. I don't agree with you macho guys, like my son-in-law in Texas. It is work that should be shared by both he and she. Life is so much better when these jobs are shared.

ANOTHER FRIENDLY REMINDER FROM WAL-MART

Another friendly reminder from our friends at Wal-mart:

ONLY 49 DAYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS.
I don't know what I would do without them.

WHAT TO MY WONDERING EARS

Yesterday I went to our local Wal-Mart to get a few things. I was looking at birthday cards seeing my granddaughters birthday is this Thursday. I was looking at the various cards trying to decide which one she would like when my ears picked up a melody that sounded like Christmas. Yes, yes it was a Christmas carol. November 3rd and they are playing Christmas carols. Could this be true? Don't get me wrong I enjoy music of the season but not on the 3rd of November. These money hungry retailers keep pushing and pushing the holiday down our throats. Next it will be the day after the Fourth of July and we will be hearing Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. Come on folks lets think about the holiday, not the amount of money you will make and how big your bonus will be. DON'T PUSH IT!

HALLOWEEN PARADE

On Halloween day I saw the cutest thing anyone would want to see. It was a parade at my granddaughters school. I never expected so many parents, grandparents, friends and onlookers. We were lined up outside the school on the sidewalk. The line reached almost around the entire school. Everyone had their camera's and camcorders for this special event. At 1:15 the doors at letter L opened and the parade began. I never knew that the school had so many children. The filed out by grades starting with the smallest of children. They filed out and walked so fast one had to really keep an eye out to see their child. The costumes were fantastic. One line went to the left and other to the right ending at opposite sides of the building where the children re-entered. The whole thing lasted about half an hour. Just to see the smiles and happiness on these kids faces was enough to bring a tear to your eye. It was as if they were saying, look at me I'm something special, and they were. This was their day. It was wonderful. After they were inside they had their parties. I'm sure they all had a good time. I know I did.

HISTORICAL HALLOWEEN

Yesterday I went to my granddaughters school. The class presented a Historical Halloween. Each child had to do an essay on a famous person and with the help of their teacher prepared a presentation with pictures and all. Each child got up before the parents and grand mothers and fathers and gave a speech about the famous person they chose. I must say they did an excellent job. It takes nerve to get up in front of strangers and give a speech, especially for a third grader. My granddaughter gave her presentation on Sally Ride, the first American woman to orbit earth. I learned something. I must say, job well done kids.

HALLOWEEN IN SHINER TEXAS

This is the time of year that children get to be creative and be what they want to be. A monster, favorite hero or just dress up and go out and get some candy and go to parties. One of the things as a child I remember is going to school dressed up and having a party. That is what is going to happen at my granddaughters school on Tuesday. A parade around the school and a party and they will be dressed up in costume. But in Shiner Texas it is a different. This little town is so far from civilization they don't know how the rest of the world does things. The school that my grandson goes to will not allow any parties, make up or costumes. This is the principal, I don't know if the teachers go along with it. Why not take away Christmas decorations or Easter decorations and parties. The principal may consider this a pagan holiday and it we don't tell the kids about it maybe they won't know about it. At least they haven't taken away the trick or treating. Have fun kids. Yes there is a HALLOWEEN!

LAZY DAY

What a great day. And I mean great. I work sometimes for a company that manufacturers and distributes lens cleaning cloths. I am able to bring this work home which is even better. All I have to do is fold the cloth, put a business card behind it and insert it into a plastic sleeve. This is a no brainer. I usually do three thousand or a little more and this is all done from my rocking chair which is in front of the TV. I work at my own pace, rest when I want. What more do you want. That's why I called it a great day. No physical labor.

GOOD JOB MUNSTER

Today I took my granddaughters to lunch since they had fall break. We went to McDonald's, their favorite place. Afterwards they wanted to go to a park. The one I chose for them was Memorial Park in Munster Indiana, which is across from the Veterans Memorial which is also nicely done and a historical place to visit. Memorial Park isn't finished yet but is built around a lake and beautifully landscaped. A nice place for a walk and they also have a nice playground for the children which was being used by quite a few of them today. We spent over an hour there. The girls at the playground and me taking the opportunity to walk as my doctor told me to do. So by doing this I killed two birds with one stone. My walking and the girls playing at the playground. It was also a beautiful day.

WHAT'S WITH SPITTING

I was watching the baseball game the other night and was disgusted at the players continually spitting. Every time the showed a player he was spitting. Is this a baseball thing? Do the kids in Little League do the same thing? As role models, this is not teaching the younger generation good hygiene or manners. Football players grab butts, baseball players spit. I don't know which is worse. These are just my thoughts, maybe yours are different. I hope not.

GOOD DAY FOR SHOPPING

Today was a beautiful day, just a slight touch of fall in the air with the temp in the high 50's. Went to the post office and mailed a dress for my daughter, went to the bank took money from my savings account and put it into my checking account. Now I'm good until payday which is Wednesday. I didn't feel like going home so I pulled out my trusty garage sale section of the paper which I had brought with me. Plenty!!!!. Away we go. I went to about 8 of them and some had a lot of things and others should not have wasted their time or mine. As it turned out I came home empty handed, nothing, zilch. I look for things that I can sell on E-Bay. Maybe next week.

ANGELICA'S GOOD WEEKEND

As I said before, my granddaughter Angelica is living with me. When she lived in Texas she didn't have any relatives except for the grandparents. When we were in Wisconsin with my family she discovered that she had loads of aunts and cousins all of whom love her. She made very good friends with her cousin Rebekka and this past weekend she spent the weekend with my sister-in-law, brother-in-law and Bekka and her family Karen, Lance and Sophia. They had a great time going to the show, hiking, going to a festival and swimming at my other relatives house where they have not closed their pool yet. Seeing that it was 92 degrees they had a pool party and I was invited to a turkey dinner which was great. All I can say is that it is nice to have family.

NUDE IN OAKLAND

A carpenter in Oakland, CA was caught hammering nails and sawing wood in the nude has been found not guilty of indecent exposure by a judge.

The not guilty verdict came because he was working and not exposing himself or seeking sexual gratification. He says he likes to work in the nude because he is more comfortable and it helps keep his clothes clean.

He was caught three times in Berkeley and got two years probation. Berkeley prohibits nudity and Oakland does not have a similar ban, so he moved to Oakland.

Only in America.

NICKLE AND DIME YOU TO DEATH

If you have children going to school you know what I'm talking about in my title. First comes registration, then comes class pictures. If you think that your child is a up and coming artist there is the Young Rembrandts, then comes Market Day (i guess that's ok) and of course there is popcorn day every other week. Then come the forms for book orders and in these order forms are not only books but kits to become a spy, astromer and anything else you can think of, and school outer wear, sweat shirts, tee shirts, etc., and we are only in the fourth week of school. I'll have to get another job to keep up. Happy School Year.

FAILED COMEBACK

What if a failed comeback. Ask Britney Spears. She can tell you all about it because of that failed performance on the MTV Video Music Awards on Saturday. Her lack of enthusiasm during her dance moves looked like she was asleep. If she was looking for this performance to put her back on top, she can forget about it. Give it up Britney, it's over.

WHAT A BEAUTIFUL DAY

Today is Sunday and the Lord blessed us with a beautiful day. A day not use the air conditioner or the window fan. A day to open the windows and enjoy the wonderful breeze coming in and watching the curtins and blinds swing back and forth lazely. I took this day to buy flowers and visit my wife's resting place. My granddaughter and I bought miniature carnations, peach colored, and three peach roses with baby breath. We went to the cemetary to place the flowers and one would have thought it was a holiday for the number of people there. I try to put fresh flowers there once or twice a week, depending on how hot it is. I think she liked the flowers because as I was leaving I thought I heard "their beautiful" or was it just the wind.

NEW SOCCOR SEASON

Yesterday was the first day of soccor for my grandson. He plays at Hidden Lake which I don't know if it's in Gary or Merrillville Indiana. Well let me tell you Hidden lake was not prepared for soccor season. There were port-a-pots by the baseball fields but not by the soccor fields. The sell refreshments but where do you put the paper wrappers that the treats come in. You guessed it, no garbage containers. They had them by the baseball fields. Excuse me Hidden Lake but there is another world beside baseball and it's called soccor. Lets get these folks some port-a-pots and garbage cans. Thank you.

TROUBLE MAKERS

When ever you have a nice holiday like Labor Day, there are always people who don't know what a good time is. Their idea of a good time is to get drunk not know where they are and think they can lick the world.

Let me tell you of the things that happened over the weekend. First there was a hot air baloon that came down at the enterence of our campground and knocked down the power lines. We were without power for about 1 hour. Thank God no one was hurt. A women with child had fallen at the swimming pool and the ambulance was called. A mans golf cart started on fire. There was a small fire in one of the dumpsters and of course there were a couple of fights with drunks and teenagers. These problems were all handled by our security force with the help of off duty policemen. Good job.



Other than that is was a nice weekend. I hope yours was too.

HOW DUMB IS DUMB

A man at Lake County jail is taking out garbage after dinner. Says to himself, should I go back in or should I walk away. He left. A clerk at a convenience store noticed a man wearing a orange prison shirt standing outside of the store and called police. In checking with the jail it was determined that they were missing an inmate. By the time they got there he was gone. They canvassed local bars and his picture was identified at one. By that time he had changed clothes and went to the local Hooters bar where he was bragging about walking away from the jail. Hooters employees called police and he was arrested there. By the way he walked away from the jail on Sunday and was arrested on Thursday. How many days is that?

STORMS

Today I was looking thru the newpapers from the last few days which show pictures of the the destruction and flooding the storms from earlier in the week left. My sorrow and prayers go out to the people who were affected by this. Also a great deal of praise to the service departments in Dyer, Schererville and surrounding towns. It is not an easy task to clean up after Mother Nature gets out of control. My hat is off to all the volunteers also for their work.
GOD BLESS YOU ALL.

SHOPPING

Did you ever go shopping for something and really had your heart set on what you were going for. Yesterday I went to two stores. One was OfficeMax and the other PetCo. At OfficeMax I wanted to have a ink cartridge refilled. I stood at the counter while the clerk was helping another customer. Fifteen minutes went by and nobody asked if I needed help. It looked like, from my count, that there were only five people working at the store. A cashier, person at the cartridge refill, and I say three people walking around trying to look important while looking like they were in a daze. Needless to say I go tired of waiting so I left. The same thing at PetCo. I wanted to buy some fish but there was nobody in the department. I walked around looking at other things thinking I would go back to that dept. later. Twenty minutes later I did go back and still nobody to help. Yep, I left. Customer appreciation or assistance doesn't exist anymore I guess, just the bottom line and that means less people working at the store.

THE SCHOOL BUS

As a new parent (grandparent) watching my granddaughters go off to school is a terrifying thing. One, Angelica is from Texas and she is my responsibility. My other granddaughter Delaney also gets on the bus with her. Yesterday was their first day so with the school bus stopping at my corner (I live in the corner house) I felt more relaxed. I didn't let them take the school bus to school, just home. I felt better taking them myself on their first day. The school had only a half day yesterday so, according to the schedule, they were supposed to get out at 11:15 am which meant the school bus would drop them off about 11:45. WELL 11:45 came and went and then came 12:15 and no school bus. Gramps is getting worried. Did they get on the wrong bus or not even gotten on the bus. So with shaking fingers I called the school and was relieved to hear "the children are just now getting out". Relieved with that statement I waited and sure enough at 12:50 the school bus stopped at my corner and my granddaughters got off.

RAINY WEEKEND

With the weekends getting fewer and fewer at the camper you charish the ones that are left. This last one was beautiful. Temperatures in the 70's with a nice light breeze. We had a campfire in the afternoon and had dinner with my neighbors of brats, hamburgers and all the fixins. That night we went to the first annual Yogi Bear talent show. Had a good time except that it started raining about 9:00 saturday night and hasn't stopped yet. This is Monday. Saturday night about 11:45 the electric went out and didn't come back on until 1:30 in the afternoon, so we were limited as to what we could do. I was getting ready to empty my freezer and bring that stuff home when all of a sudden the electric came on. I was sure glad I didnt' have to do that. We left early and it was raining we got home and it was raining, went out for ice cream and it was raining, went to bed and it was raining got up this morning and it was raining it is now 10:30 and it is still raining. Nothing to do but watch TV or clean house. Happy Days.

CAR DEALERS

My daughter has been looking for a car to replace the one she has. On Saturday she went to a notable dealer in Merrillville, Indiana, found a car she liked, talked to the salesman and he took down all of her information and said he would call her. This didn't happen. She talked to him on Monday and he said bring your car in for an appraisal. She said she would be there on Wednesday. She called him before she went to see if he was there. He said come on in. There were two cars she was looking at. One a red and one black. She had her heart set on the red one but would take the black if things didn't work out. The salesman knew this. Upon arriving at the reputable dealership and seeing the salesman, she was told that they had sold the red one that morning and someone was looking at the black one as they spoke. Yep they sold the black one too. My question is why didn't he tell her it was sold when he called and why didn't he hold the car if he knew she was coming in. This reputable car dealer is not so reputable in my eyes anymore.

WEEKEND AT YOGI BEAR

With summers end closing in on us, I try and get to the camper as much as I can. This weekend was just like the rest of the week. HOT!!!!!. Can you imagine going to a camper, sitting on the deck and having a fan blowing on you? That's what my neighbor does. He says that you should be outside when camping and the fan creates a nice breeze.

The neighbor across the street had a high school graduation party for her son Scott. They have some nice trees at the back of their campsite and there was also a nice breeze back there so you can imagine where we were. Lots of good food, drink and conversation. Later we had a camp fire. Imagine having a camp fire when it's 97 degrees. That's part of camping, without the camp fire you might just as well stay home. We all sat back from the fire at least 10 feet because everyone said it was too hot to sit any closer. We couldn't even roast marshmallows. We still had a wonderful time.

OBEYING THE LAW

In our newspaper we have a section that is called Back Talk. This is where people can speak their mind and get things off of their chest about anything.

The other day someone wrote in to complain about people driving in the left doing just the speed limit. He thought that the person should have moved over to the right lane so he could pass. But the person in the left lane replied that he was obeying the law and should not have to move to the right lane so the other person could speed and break the law. I think he was wrong. Did he ever think that the person behind him trying to pass might have an emergency at home or he could be taking someone to the hospital.

Next time knucklehead, move over. The law does state the slower traffic use the right lane. Next time YOU should obey the law.

BAD MANNERS

Yesterday while I was getting gas a car pulled up on the other side of the pump. Two elderly men got out of the car, one went inside to use the restroom and the other was putting gas into the car. As the one man was walking toward the building where the restroom was the other yelled to him "hurry up I have to go too". As we were both filling our gas tanks I looked across and saw a stream coming from the mans shorts and forming a puddle on the ground. Since he was finished before me putting gas into his car, he walked into the food mart wet pants and all to pay the cashier. This must be what he does all the time because he didn't even attempt to hide the huge wet spot in front of his pants. And today while I was parked at a red light, a passenger from the car in front of me threw out a banana peel without giving it a second thought. I can see a younger person doing this but this was a elderly person. I wounder what the homes of both people I mentioned look like if they have proven themselves to be slobs.

A THANK YOU TO MY NIECE AND HER HUSBAND

Over the weekend my granddaughter and I spent time in Wisconsin with my sister-in-law, her husband and my niece and her husband and two children. It was a wonderful weekend and I want to say THANK YOU to my sister-in-law Dottie for inviting us and to Karen and Lance for taking my granddaughter under their wing and showed her a most wonderful time. Thank you again.

DREW CAREY AND THE PRICE IS RIGHT

Rosie O and now Drew. What are these people thinking? Drew has about as much personality as a wet hen. I bet the show will not last a year with the type of people they are choosing to MC the show. I wonlder if Bob Barker has anything to say about the picks.

4TH OF JULY PARADE

On this hot day and my daughter and grandchildren being in from Texas I thought it would be nice if we joined my son and his family to watch the Merrillville Indiana 4th parade. We picked a nice shady spot along the route and waited for the parade to pass. What a joke. What parade.
First came the fire engines and other rescue vehicles, of course with the sirens blaring. This was ear shattering for about 20 minutes. Then there was a 15 minute lag until the next wave of whatever came by. Oh yes it was all of the elected officials from the county, throwing candy and smiling from ear to ear. Who was who no name tags and if you were not personal friends of their how would you know who was who. The entire parade contained fire engines, two marching bands, politicians, about 15 trucks and vans from some auto glass shop, one float (if that's what you want to call it), about 10 Shriners, 20 corvettes from the Indiana Corvette Club, a few churches and in conclusion a police car to announce the end of the parade. There was no parade control to keep the people from being run over by the parade cars as they rushed to gather candy and of course the elected officials and the helpers did nothing to tell the people to get back. Not a good time at all. Next year we will go to the Crown Point parade.

FESTIVALS

You can almost compare this time of year with Christmas. There is a lot of excitement around the 4th of July with all the festivals. Every town, city, village and neighborhood is having some type of festival. This is wonderful. The music, carnival rides, food, drink and just getting out and seeing friends. Everybody should be having a good time. But along come the punks with their hats turned around or worn sideways who think they rule the world. In a village near where I live that's just what happened. Disrespect for the people attending the festival but also the police officers there to see that everything stays respectful. But no, these guys and girls push people around and start fights and drink while underage and can't handle it. This festival had to be shut down 30 minutes early because of several teenagers fighting in the middle of the festival. Hats off to the police and others who quickly put this kind of behavior to rest. Job well done. Now if we can just keep the other trouble makers out of this season of festivals it would be perfect. HAPPY 4TH OF JULY.

ROSIE ODONNELL & PRICE IS RIGHT

Yesterday I was listening to one of these tabloid programs and low and behold as I was taking a sip of coffee they showed a clip about Rosie O'Donnell being offered the position of the new Bob Barker on the Price Is Right. I almost choked. I must say she is NOT the person to take Bob's place. Bob is a refined gentleman and she a obnoxious pig. The shows true and loyal friends, I'm sure, would no longer be true and loyal friends. Me for one. The shows ratings, I'm sure, would plummet and the show would soon go off the air. To the people responsible for hiring the new host, don't embarrass Bob Barker by bringing someone like Rosie to the show.

BACK HOME AGAIN

I'm back home again from Texas. Can't wait to go to the camper and see all the friends. I will have tales to tell of my juourney.

FLAG DAY

In case some of you folks didn't know, today is flag day. Not only should we honor our flag today, we should honor it every day for what it stands for and what our troops are away from their homes for. I am glad to see that a day is set aside for this because it makes one realize that it is a symbol of our country and if we do not fly it every day we should make sure that we fly it on this day. I saw in the paper that some people want to make this National Blood Drive day. Lets not. Lets make that on the 15th of June and keep flag day for our flag only. GOD BLESS AMERICA.

DEAR PARIS

Did you see it, did you see it? The picture of Paris Hilton in the police car crying for mom as she was being taken back to jail. This poor child could not finish her sentence at home with her friends, fancy meals, swimming pool and whatever else rich people have. Instead she has to spend her time like ordinary people who are accused of a crime. She may have an unspecified illness which, shall we consider SPOILED. Serve your time with no tears, get out and go on with your life without thinking you can get away with anything.
A big thank you to Superior Court Judge Michael T. Sauer for doing your job.

THIS PAST WEEKEND

What a wonderful weekend. It was garage sale weekend at Yogi Bear Campground in Plymouth. Indiana. The weather, unlike last year when it rained, was just beautiful which helped to bring the shoppers out. I did real well and got rid of a lot of stuff. The guys across the street were going around buying things and re-selling them at their campsite. For instance they bought a reel push type lawn mower for $5.00 and resold it for $15.00. They bought two weed eaters for $5.00 for both and sold them for $15.00 each. They had a good time and also made some money. I was glad to see so many people riding around on their golf carts full of their new found treasures, a smile on their face which was sunburned from riding around all day in the sun . A good time was had by all. That night when it was all over we sat around the campfire talking and laughing about the things that went on that day. At1 am it was time to hit the sack for a good night sleep after such a busy day.

ROSANNE AND THE VIEW

I was reading the Parade section in the Sunday newspaper and came across a very freighting thing. The article said Roseanne Barr might be considered to replace that other obnoxious women, Rosie O'Donnell. Can we not forget a few years back when Rosanne sang our National Anthem at the start of a ball game. Her rendition was a disgrace to the American people and to the United States of America. After that she should have been asked to leave this country. Lord only knows what she will say if she is permitted to appear on The View and get paid for it. The Parade section was asking for votes. Go to www.parade.com and cast a NO vote for Roseann.

GARAGE SALE SIGNS

This morning I got up eager to go to garage sales in Dyer, IN. The very first one I went to didn't have any signs posted showing the way. The only reason I found it was Mapquest. I asked the person running the sale why they didn't have any signs out and his reply was Dyer won't let them put any out and they have someone driving around taking them down. The reason for this is people put signs up and when they are over don't take them down. When driving around I did see other signs. Why were these allowed to stay up. It's who you know maybe? Dyer, what you should do is let people put the signs up and about midweek go around take down the signs that were not taken down by the people having the sale, go to that address and present that person with the sign and a ticket for cluttering the town. This would bring in additional income to the town and save gas (with today's prices) from having someone drive around looking for signs on garage sale days which are usually Thursday, Friday and Saturday. This would keep peace in your town.

GARAGE SALEN

Did you ever go to garage sales? I did today. What a great experience. This is where you meet good people have good conversation and maybe, maybe come across a good bargain. I sell on E-Bay so I always have my open for something that I think will sell. I mainly look for Wilton character cake pans and Strawberry Shortcake items and anything Eeyore. In my ventures today I was not fortunate enough to find these things, but I did get out of the house and get around town for awhile. I did wind up with a picture of Donald Duck, Pluto and a large stuffed Eeyore. I will put these on E-Bay and who knows, they might sell.

RAINY DAY

Today is friday and I am planning to go to the camper early so I can get the grass cut and the place looking beautiful for the Memorial Day weekend. It is raining now but I hope it will stop and give the grass a chance to dry out. Tomorrow is the flea market where I hope to make my millions. Hahahahaha.
To everyone who reade this - HAVE A GOOD AND SAFE MEMORIAL DAY.

BIG WEEKEND AHEAD

With the Memorial Day weekend just ahead, the campground is buzzing with the amount of people that will be there because every camp site is rented. Extra security will be on hand because people can get crazy thinking that just because it is a holiday weekend and they are drinking and probably camping the only time this year except maybe for Labor Day. The campground will have their usual flea market but only this weekend it will be on a grander scale. There will be a carnival and of course bingo. I'm sure the air will be filled with the smell of burning wood from camp fires and cooking. This is the weekend that the master grillers will appear. The children will be kept busy by the Yogi recreation employees who will show their skills by coming up with fantastic ideas for crafts and games. Least we forget the wagon ride with Yogi around the campground with delighted children sitting near Yogi either touching him, getting hugs or the few lucky ones sitting on his lap. Of course mom and dad will be there taking pictures of this special event to show friends and relatives and keep the pictures tucked away in a drawer only to take them out when their child brings home a date a few years down the road. Well all in all it's going to be fun and hopefully warm and dry. HAVE A HAPPY AND SAFE MEMORIAL DAY AND REMEMBER WHAT THE DAY STANDS FOR.

AIDDIN IN HOSPITAL

On Wednesday my grandson in Texas, Aiddin, woke up and was playing as usual. He went with Lorri, his mom, to the gas station as usual to get her coffee and him chocolate milk. On this day he said he didn't want any and tummy hurt, by the way Aiddin is 3 years old. When they got home he went potty and said he felt better so he and mom went grocery shopping. When they got back home Aiddin usually help bring the groceries in but this time he was no where to be found. After Lorri brought the groceries in she went looking for him. She found him curled up on the rocker fast asleep. She let him sleep there and when he got up he felt warm and she took his temp. It was 103. She called and was able to see the doctor at 4:30. By 5:00 his temp. was 105 and he was in the hospital. With no visible signs the day before it was said that he had a double ear infection, throat infection and on the verge of pneumonia. This is Friday and he is still in the hospital although feeling much, much better. Thank God. Hopefully he will be coming home today. You just never know about the little ones.

EATING AT BK

On Mothers Day after I placed flowers on my wife's resting site I had that feeling in my stomach that told me I was hungry. It was about 2:00 and I really didn't feel like going home and cooking. I decided to go to BK for dinner. I went to a BK in Schererville, IN that is attached to a gas station (where the price for gas was $3.49). I approached the counter planning on eating there. I had to wait a few minutes while the counter girl finished talking to her friends at the drive-thru. While she did this I had a chance to look around. By doing this I decided not to eat there. The front counter looked like it had not been cleaned in a week. The area where the soda is was just as bad with lids scattered all over and soda spilled on the lids. The eating area looked like it had not been swept for some time. There was a table where a family had eaten and the table was covered with food as well as the floor. Nobody seemed to care. Although I think the persons that ate at the table could have cleaned the table somewhat. Just goes to show you how some people are. Where was the manager, or didn't he or she care either. Go BK!

MOTHERS DAY

It is 8 a.m. and I'm sitting here thinking about all of the wonderful women that are mothers and are going about their daily chores of making breakfast and doing for their family. This is your day. You should be the queen today and be taken out to breakfast, lunch and dinner. You are a special person who's job never ends and if you are a working mom, you should be treated extra, extra special. We must remember that every mother is beautiful in their own way. Respect them and show your love for your mother or even someone else's mother. They deserve the best for their dedication, support and love.

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY TO ALL YOU BEAUTIFUL MOTHERS!

FLOWERS

Yesterday was a beautiful day and I got the planting bug. I thought that I would go to Home Depot, Lowes and Meijer and check out their plants and of course prices. My first stop was Home Depot and guess what, I found everything I needed and the prices were just fine. I bought two hanging baskets (one for the front and one for the back), geraniums, marigolds, impatiens and daisy's. My Lady Andie loved daisy's so in her memory I always plant them in a container. As a matter of fact all of my plants go into containers. When I finished and every pot was put in its place, I treated myself to a cold drink and sat back and enjoyed the colors of summer that are now on my patio. My only regret is that My Andie is not here to share it with me.

VENTURE ALLIANCE PARTNERS (VENPAR)

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GAS PRICES

Wake up Dyer and Schererville gas stations. Gas prices at $3.29. Is it because you are near the Illinois border and you are greedy. Folks I tell you that if you travel east on route 30 about five or ten miles you will find gas prices $3.14. There is a gas station east of Valpo that has this liquid gold for $3.09. Why can't that be that way here?

MASTERSEEK

I have been told that there is a new website called masterseek where you can go for free access to many company profiles and contact information. You can also find products and serivces from more than 45 million companies in 75 countries. You can search your own country to find business partners and new ways to increase your profits. Put your company profile out there and show the world what your company does. You are also invited to visit masterseek and see the many catagories available. And remember that it is FREE access to company profiles and contact information.

DECISIONS

Decisions, decisions, decisions. Have you ever had a day like that? I cnn't deceide if I should go to garage sales or go to my camper. It is a beautiful day to go to the camper and it also a beautifl day to go to garage sales because I do need things that I can sell on E-Bay. This is really the first big weekend for garage sales. There must be at least 25 listed in the paper. There are just a few that start today (thursday) but most are on friday and saturday. I think I have made up my mind. I will go to the camper tomorrow. I will plan my garage sale route as to head east toward the camper picking up treasures as I go. Good idea. Thanks for your help.

BLOGGERWAVE FOR MONEY

I must tell of a new website that can put money in your pocket, yes folks money in your pocket. This website gives you op's to to choose from and you just write about it, let your mind run wild to let other people become interested in this site. You can't tell what it is like until you try Bloggerwave. Go ahead, don't be bashful.

LEISURE DAY

Today I said to myself, "self" we are going to have a leisure day. I awoke later than usual, read the newspaper slower than usual and watched my favorite morning game show "The Price Is Right". We must remember we must intake as much of Bob Barker as we can because, as you know, he is retiring in a couple of months. I don't know is anyone can replace him. Just like when they tried to redo "Lets Make A Deal". They had Billy Bush emcee the show. What a rotten job. I always got the impression that he thought he was doing everyone a favor by doing the show. I hope they make a better choice this time.

GATHERING INFORMATION

Yesterday, Monday, I made arrangements to meet my niece-in-law at my sister-in-laws to teach me some of the ins and outs of blogging and the making of money doing it. We spent a few hours doing this and I hope I have learned something. THANK YOU ROBYN.