Long Time gone

Well I know everyone has probably been wondering where I have been.  Some of you who follow me on Facebook know I have been a busy “little beaver”.  Not only have I been working at “Wally World” as a cashier for the past year and a half or so, but Since January, I have been attending college for Photography.  Actually I am going for an Associates degree in Arts and Science/Photography.

It has been a lot of hard work getting back into going to school AND working, but it has been lots of fun and rewarding.  After 2 semesters, I have a 3.789 gpa…..and considering I almost dropped Sociology, that is saying something!  The good news is that Walmart actually is giving me a $2,000 a year scholarship.

This semester, my middle son decided to go back to college with me.  He is going through the same program….As a matter of fact, on Mondays and Wednesdays we are in class all day together!  He’s having just as much fun as I am….well I do have Algebra…and it’s definitely not my strong suit.  This old brain just can’t wrap around all those x-y problems….And why do I need this for photography again???

I have all 4 of the art teachers as I am taking Photoshop, Black and White Photo Studio 1, Ceramic Dinnerware and Glass blowing….Yes I said glass blowing!!  The first 3 I mentioned are the same 3 my son attends with me. 

I think he has this photoshop thing down…

We are creating our own dinnerware.  Mine has been truly inspired by my family.

mineJeremiah’s

These were our test plates…..

Glass Blowing is an art…and a skill that means burns and broken glass and some wonky looking first tries…But I love it. At first it was working with solid glass

paperweightflowers

and now we’ve moved on to blown glass

There’s so much more news I need to catch up on.  But that will have to wait for another day….Meanwhile, I have homework, and a long day ahead so I’ll have to get to that now…

More Later!

Hugs and Love to all!

At the end of Summer

Here we are. Midway through August. All over the United States, children are preparing to go back to school. Many schools have already started back while some lucky  children won’t go back until October.

It has been a busy summer for me. I spent the summer bouncing between College and work, while spending my day off with The Lancaster Sabers Semi-pro Football team. Now I’m out of college until September 3rd and the Sabers are in the first round of playoffs.

I have been a little lazy writing here on my blog. I haven’t posted any new photos, or written any witty comments.  My brain is almost fried from all the school work. English, Math and Sociology have been a challenge, but I managed to come out of this semester with 2 A’s and a B ending up with a 3.60 average for the semester and a 3.789 average for Spring and Summer semester combined.

The fall will be fun, but the busiest semester so far.  My son has decided to go back to college with me. Together, we will be in school from 8 a.m. until 9:30 p.m. on Monday and Wednesday, and from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. on Tuesday and Thursdays. When not in school, I will be working at Walmart….and hopefully I’ll have time on Saturday to take photos at the youth football games.

Just to prove how busy I am and how my brain is being pushed to it’s limits, I have forgotten most of my passwords! now I have to keep them stored on the computer, and hope I haven’t changed them on my iPad!

Things haven’t changed that much for me. My daughter still doesn’t talk to me, I rarely hear from my grandchildren, and when I’m not in school or working I’m on Facebook or sleeping. Since the semester ended for me on August 6th, I have slept more than usual….It prevents me from missing my family and being depressed…I see them in my dreams….I have 2 more weeks to try to survive the depression.

In the fall, my classes will include Pre-Algebra, Photoshop, Photo Studio Black and White, Ceramic Dinnerware and Glass Blowing….plus some class called H.C.Cornerstone…..which is basically a “focus on Success” class….Being on the Dean’s list, I think I have figures out how to succeed…

I do hope to get an invitation to join the Honor Society.   think it would look good on a resume, and I’m working towards that right now.

I have a new car…new to me anyway since my other car decided to die on campus in April 6 days before the end of the semester..and I’m looking to upgrade my camera.  I’ve been shooting approximately 1500 photos every weekend….Maybe one of these days, I’ll be getting paid to do something I love.

I’m working on being a part of an art exhibit in September…more news on that as it gets closer….

Now…..let’s see if this will post…..or will I have to change another password…

Hugs and Love to all!

,

New Day, New Doctor

I finally made it to my first year working at my new Wal*mart.  Now I can get medical coverage through them so I decided with my age being over the halfway point it might be time to find a new family doctor.  I have medical coverage through the military, but this backwards town has no idea what a military I.D. card is, what it’s good for or how to file claims.  In the past (12 years ago!) I had  a really good doctor…for about 6 months until he quit the practice and moved away.  I talked to some of the people at work and almost everyone had an opinion.  I finally located a doctor that takes both of my medical cards now.  Her name is Elaine Lewis.  So I made an appointment for the time I knew I would be out of college.

Today was my first appointment.  I got there early and filled out the forms.  Within a few minutes I was back having my blood pressure and pulse taken.  I knew the results before I started….I have high blood pressure.  I have been occasionally checking it at work for free, and it runs in my family anyway so it was no surprise to me. From all the reading I’ve done, I knew it was something that needs to be looked after. 

The doctor came in and went over my history.  She had several recommendations.  The first is that I start taking a baby aspirin a day.  The second is that I get a bottle of Glucosamine / Chondroitin and take it as recommended until the bottle was empty.  Then stop taking it to see if I felt any different.  From the internet and through Elaine, I learned this may help my joint pain…. She said it helps some people and some people it So I’ll try this to see what happens.  She also told me I could take 2 Aleve twice a day.

Finally she prescribed a low dose High Blood pressure medication which she wants me to take until my next visit in June.  Before my next visit, I need to fast for 8 hours for blood work, etc.  I guess I’ll also have the yearly things coming up….pap smear and mammogram…Yuck!  I’ve never been one to take a lot of medication…Now I’m up to at least 3 pills a day.

And she told me to stay off roller skates….which leads me to…..

Now for the other recent news:  about 2 weeks ago today when I went to college my 1998 Ford Escort wagon was driving okay all the way there….Between classes, I went out to start it and it made an awful rattling racket and would not stay running.  I locked it up and walked the mile or so to my next class.

After class I called AAA for a wrecker and started walking back to the main campus.  A fellow student picked me up and took me the rest of the way.  When we got there the wrecker was already backing up to my disabled car…..and there was this huge puddle underneath.  The 37 mile tow seamed to take forever but I REALLY am glad I opted for the Gold membership.  The shop I take my car to is about a mile from my house.  They told me it would be the next day before they could even look at it.  Now I was left with a dilemma…how to get to and from school  and work.  I only had 6 days left of school

My sister-in-law stepped up and let me use her SUV the next day as I only had my photography class.  During the class, the shop called and gave me the bad news….my car’s engine was blown.  They would get estimates on the repairs and give me a call later….Bad news….a used engine would run $2000 and a new engine would run $4500!  The mechanic told me if I could afford either, I’d be better off getting a new car…..GREAT!

I talked to my sister-in-law and was able to use her car on 3 other days.  One day she took me to school and a fellow art student let me ride home with him….The jerk that I had given a ride to the entire semester didn’t even volunteer to let me ride with him. 

Getting to work was another problem.  The first night my sister-in-law took me to work.  I walked the 2.5 miles home at 11 p.m..  The next day I went to work I walked to work.  I had the “brilliant” idea of buying roller skates to get home…..Let me make this perfectly clear….God did not put enough padding on my backside……after the 3 time I fell on my butt and braced my fall with my arm, I decided to take the skates off and walk the rest of the way….The next 2 days I rode my bike both ways….even in a light drizzle.

I called my mom and we talked for awhile.  She said she would send me $700.  I was able to come up with an additional $200 to put a down payment on another vehicle. Monday when I came back from school, I used my sister-in-law’s SUV to go car shopping.

Once again, several people had suggestions for me…I listened to my son and went to a “Buy here, Pay Here” company that one of his friends used.  They told me to use their name.  When I got there I found some really nice people.  They had 2 cars they would work with me on.  The first was a Mustang Convertible….nice car, but I know it would get me in trouble and the convertible would require a lot of maintenance in our area….not practical in the winter time either…So I settled for a 2003 Dodge Neon.

It’s not a bad car.  Has a CD player and good radio.  Haven’t figured out how to use the cruise control yet.  no owners manual…but I can buy one and only 1 key….That’s a problem since I have locked my keys in the old car at least 4 times!  A duplicate key cost $70! (I’m told they have a chip in them and cost twice that at the dealer)  But I can have a door key made for about $3….so I’ll get one made. I didn’t have the entire amount for the down payment so the dealer made some adjustments to my payments.  For 10 payments, I have to make an extra $30 on the payment, and when I get my overage check from Summer session in school I pay the rest. 

The good thing is unlike my previous dealership, this one reports to the credit bureau, so as long as I make payments on time, my credit will improve. 

Now whenever Wal*Mart calls me in, I can no longer afford to let it ring.  I have to pick up extra hours whenever I can.  My husband is supposed to get a refund of his 401K he had through the job he got fired from because he didn’t have enough in it to keep it; which I filed for so he wouldn’t be able to hide it from me.  It will be for over $1200 which I’ve already told him I am getting half of since he doesn’t seem interested in looking for a new job.I’ve been struggling to make ends meet as it is.  Now I have a car payment and increased insurance as I have to have full coverage now.  He can give up some of his income to help.

New Car, New Drugs, New Outlook….

I waiting to hear what my final grades were for the semester. I know I have an A in English, and I’m hoping for an A in all the other 3…I’m not sure about Art as I did have to work with an idiot….Who failed to show 4 of the last 5 classes….I repainted almost everything he had done.  In the end, everyone including the teacher agreed it was all my creation.

 The best news of all was the idiot failed all of his classes  and I have been told he won’t be returning to college.  At least I have that to look forward to.  Summer semester starts May 20th.  I’ll have 3 classes; Math, English and Sociology. Wish me luck!

 

 

 

School

Well my first semester in college is almost over.  I don’t know what I was so worried about.  It must have been thinking about having to do English and Math after so many years…Well, now I know I’ll have 2 English classes, 3 math classes and Sociology along with a course called “The Human Machine”….basically an anatomy class in place of biology or chemistry.

This past semester I took Digital Darkroom, Art Design 1, Art Appreciation and English Composition with reading. My favorite course would be the Digital Darkroom since it deals with editing photos…

 

But another class I have a lot of fun in is Art Design 1.  Basically, it’s an art class; with some drawing and some painting…(Did I mention that I am the oldest person in all my classes, except for my teacher in Art Appreciation who is 2 years older??)  I hit it off with the young crowd when they realized that I listen to the same music most of them do…Having never taken art in my High school days….you know back when there were still dinosaurs….I didn’t know how well I would do…

Our final grade is dependent on a 2 person painting.  There is one person in my class no one wants to work with because he spends class time playing on the computer or his phone….and gets all of his ideas from the internet.  He’s going to college for “Game Design”….but he can’t draw his own designs???? I would much rather pick someone who at least is serious about school work, but when it came down to being paired up, I was the “lucky” one to get stuck with him….All my other classmates have expressed how sorry they are for me…You see another problem he has is very poor hygiene….i.e. HE STINKS!!

His total contribution so far is he wanted to do something  “Beatles” themed (It’s all he listens to and sings to himself….off key….and he doesn’t know half the words…..)  You know…..”Yellow Submarine”, “Octopus’s Garden”, “I am the Walrus”…..so I combined them….He was supposed to take the original drawing home and work on it….After 2 days off, this is his drawing:

Thank goodness I also worked on it:

Then we had to put this on a 3’ x3’ board and paint it….After 3 days it looked like this

He painted the Yellow blue and green as we didn’t have to mix those colors…I mixed and painted everything else….

the next time we painted,

He painted the submarine…..Did I mention this class is 2 1/2 hours long?..

I did the shading, the tusks, re-mixed and painted the orange……I think you get the idea who is doing most of the work…..

One day he didn’t come to class…he said it was because he was sick…..Ooops! What happened to the clown car? I mean Submarine?

My paint brush got white paint on it!!! Hey, the teacher said we couldn’t waste any paint….and anyway, she suggested I paint over it and start over to make it look more realistic….I forgot to take a picture today when I left the art hall, but I’ll take one Monday before we start painting again…but let’s just say the submarine is still white, but I did the darker shading on most of the colors while he tried to figure out how to draw portholes….

Then I got extra credit in my Art appreciation class where I had a “B” already….

I now have an A (97.23)…

Basically, I have already passed English Composition but I have 1 last composition….Did I mention I hate writing when you are constrained by only using certain topics and forced to follow a set pattern??? (at least 750 words, A Thesis Paragraph, 3 body paragraphs and a conclusion paragraph)

Spring Semester ends May 1st.  My last day of English will be April 23rd if my composition passes without needing any editing….My finals are due April 30th for Digital Darkroom. I’ve signed up for my summer and Autumn semesters….Summer will be a necessary evil (English Comp 2, basic math Sociology) beginning May 20th.  But Autumn will be a blast! I’ll have Photoshop, Black and White Photography, Glass Blowing, Dinnerware (ceramics) Beginning Algebra and this idiot course called HC Cornerstone. (for new college students…I’ve been told there is no real learning in this class)

So Now I’ve caught you up on school….I’ll blog again soon on more of my projects….

Hugs and Love to All!

Soooooo What’s new with you????

I’m just writing a new blog to let everyone know I haven’t fallen off the Earth…..yet.

As some of you know, I started college on the 7th of January.  I am going for an Associates Degree in Arts/Photography.  At 56 years old, it is proving to be a challenge for me…and I love it!

I applied for student loans and grants before I actually enrolled in college.  I was afraid of not being able to afford to go after I went down and checked out the program. The college is about 35 miles from my home. But there was no reason for me to worry. The loans and grants not only paid for the classes, but the books and the parking pass.  I had enough money on my account that I signed up for a meal plan too.  There is a 2-3 hour break for me between my morning class and my afternoon class; and I didn’t want to drive home in between or worry about saving money to pay for lunches, gas, etc.  I can get lunch or breakfast just using my student ID.

The biggest news is I applied for a scholarship through my job and found out this week that I got it! For a 2 year Associates Degree, the company will give me $2,000 a year….That will really help pay off student loans; and I’ll have the extra money I need to stay in school.

There are some drawbacks. The biggest one is the drive.  No big deal as it’s all interstate until you get to the little town it’s in.  Let’s just say the college makes the town!  I am the oldest person in my classes and that includes most of the “Professors”!  My Art Appreciation teacher may be the only one near my age.  Her class is the one that has the most homework…I can look at art, and tell you if I like it or why I like it….but I can’t interpret what the artist is trying to convey….and I have had a chapter to read each week with a 250 word essay to hand in….that’s probably the hardest for me to do….I still haven’t done this week’s homework yet, but I do have an extra day this week because of a holiday Monday…No school.

The classes I have found to be the most fun art Art Design and Digital Darkroom…no tests!  Just a lot of hands on in class work….and that’s fun.  I’m no artist, but Art design doesn’t require you to be an expert and so far I’m enjoying the experience….Digital Darkroom is actually the second part of Photoshop which I can’t take until the fall.

Then there is English Composition with Reading….Yeah, I can write blogs and I can read so now all I have to do is learn the “proper” way to write!

So I go to college 4 days a week, and work 4-5 days a week….which overlap.  I have no days off unless for some reason (like Monday’s holiday) I have the day off from both! 

I received an overage check this past week and have put most of the money in the bank..I did buy an iPad to use at school.  I can do my homework on it and next year I’ll be able to use it as a tax deduction as a college expense.  Carrying my 17” laptop back and forth to school along with my books was getting Heavy!  Now I’m learning how to use it.  Before long, I’m sure I’ll be an old pro at it.

In the meantime, I have been taking photos of the school being demolished and I’m working on a new blog for it…

So be patient…I’m still around…As my dad would say, “I’m busier than a one armed man in a Paper Hanging contest!”

Hugs and Love to All!

Hoping for Change in 2013

It has been one long, disappointing year.

Many of you know that I have been hoping for things to get happier for me this year.  There are certain people in my life that I would like to spend more time with, but can’t.  For one thing, they live too far away..  I have tried to keep in touch with them through Facebook.  It has mainly been a one way proposition…. I have sent many texts.  I have held back from saying things that were really on my mind.  And, in the end, I have spent more time crying than any other one time in my life.

I started the year unemployed.  That changed in April when I took the chance and applied for a job with a company I have worked for in the past.  I have one major problem….my mouth. 

When I was much younger, and married to a different man, I never spoke up.  With everything he put me through, I decided when it ended for me to never be quiet again.  I would speak my mind and make no apologies.  Never again would I let anyone walk all over me; and just take it.  So in speaking my mind, I learned to stand up for myself.  There are certain things I will not let people do; I will never let anyone accuse me of doing something I didn’t do, accuse me of lying, or accuse me of stealing.  So in the past with this company, I stood up for myself and ended up quitting rather than let someone abuse me.

I was rather surprised when I was hired.  Now, 8 months later, I have become very comfortable with this new store and most of my fellow employees…My last store, I worked for 8 months and can honestly say I didn’t know as many people as I do in this store…  They are very friendly and easy to get along with.  Some of the people I knew at another store where I used to work.

Having a steady paycheck, I thought my life would be easier.  I thought wrong…  Things I had no problems with for the 3 years I was unemployed suddenly and steadily started breaking down.  I had 2 flat tires in one week.  My VHS/DVD player that I have never had any problem with quit working.  My son’s T.V. quit playing any sound….. I dropped my phone in the toilet…..My pride and joy, my camera, quit recognizing memory cards….7 family members died….

But the good thing was I at least have the money now to replace these things.  I bought a newer, upgraded camera and lenses on layaway.  I even bought a new laptop.  I replaced my son’s 4 year old computer that had recently been starting with “The Black Screen of Death”.  I was able to spend money on my grandkids for things they wanted.  I bought birthday and Christmas presents for my sons that I haven’t been able to buy for in recent years.

I was the “grandparent” for the football team my grandsons used to play for, and between that team and several other teams, I really felt like I was important to someone.  To them, I guess I am.  But it didn’t make up for the people I really miss….My Daughter and my grandchildren.

My daughter quit talking to me June of 2010.  There was a time when I wasn’t even allowed to talk to several of my grandchildren because of something someone else said in a text message to my phone, that I wasn’t even carrying at the time….But my grandchildren rebelled and I was able to spend 6 months enjoying the company of 1 grandson before their move out of state….

Since then, the contact between them has been very sparse…. Oh, they would text me on paydays if they wanted something, but that was the extent of the contact.  I have tried several times to send cards to my daughter trying to repair our relationship to no avail.  I pay for my grand-daughter’s cell phone, but she doesn’t call me….or even text me unless I text her first…I found out too late when she was graduating; and no one bothered to tell me when she almost committed suicide.

So important days for me have gone without any notice….Mother’s Day, Grandparents Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and my Birthday.  My oldest grandson (My daughter’s oldest) now lives in a different state from his mother….and he always sends me a text on special days…He doesn’t ask for anything on paydays…He always ends his texts with “I love you”….and he has called without me calling him first.  He was the first to wish me Merry Christmas, and Happy Birthday….

I haven’t been allowed photos of any of my daughter’s children except for the ones they would post on Facebook.  It became too hard to look at the photos of them that lined my walls, so I put them away. 

Today was my birthday….and I was hoping the year would end on a good note….Instead, I have decided to cut my losses and forget about the people who I care about because it has become painfully obvious that they don’t want me in their lives.

They have made me out to be the bad one because all I wanted was for them to say “Happy Birthday” or “I love you”.

It may not be “all about me” ….but I don’t deserve to be treated like this.

In a week, I’ll be going to college…..and working.

From now on, it will be “All About Me”……They will have to find someone else to pick on….someone else to pay for the things they want…..someone else the can yell at and cuss at….Because they are no longer on my Facebook…I deleted them.

And maybe one day, they will realize how much they have hurt me . 

A Not so Grand ending

She stands alone.

Fenced off from all contact….No more does she hear the footsteps of young children.  No more books will be read…No more lunches, Christmas plays.   No longer will footsteps echo.  No more bouncing balls, no more running. No more sounds of laughter.

She stands alone…..

The end is near.  From every angle the signs of age and neglect can be seen.  The indignity of abuse is evident.  Once regal and grand, she now show the signs of old age.  A sad ending to something as old as she. 

She began her life in 1917.  She has existed alone since 2004.  People came close, they walked their dogs on the lawn, and children played on the swings….but she could only watch.  She even has her own Facebook page where people leave their comments, and their memories.  But she can not hear them.

The end is near.

Now you may think I have been talking about an elderly lady.  I wanted it to sound that way.  “She” is North School and this is what she once looked like.

…a grand old building that has seen many people pass through her doors. She was built in 1917 as a replacement for the previous North school.  She is the third North school built on this site.

Some have come as very young students on their very first day of school and many others have spent their entire elementary years there.

Several of my grand-children spent time there as students. I remember attending my grandson’s Kindergarten Halloween parade, another grandson’s Christmas Program, and many a book Fair and Parents days….I miss those days now but they will always be with me as precious memories.

She will no longer exist soon as she has been scheduled for Demolition.  The date had been set for December 10th, but so far she is still standing…although she has changed quite a bit…

Soon there will be a Fourth North School on this site.

In all, there are 7 Elementary schools in our community; North, (vacant since 2004), South, East, West, Medill, Tarhe and Sanderson.  All are scheduled for replacement…all of these school will be replaced one at a time….Many will be on the same sites, but others will move to new sites.

It’s a sad thing to think that most of these building are under 100 years old and in such disrepair that they are being condemned… Yet in some countries, their buildings are centuries old and still in use.  It doesn’t say much for how we treat our elderly….whether it be buildings or humans.

Rest in Peace , dear lady…..You have served your community well, and she is the one who let you down.