Thanksgiving

Well, Thanksgiving has come and gone. I really do have a lot to be thankful for, probably too many to count in just one post. We finally got our house moved onto the land...yeah! We are finally able to live in it...although it's not really ready to fully live in...it's to the point where I can cook, do laundry, sweep, most of the household chores that need to be done. There is still A LOT that needs to be done before I can completely say that I'm in.

Another thing that I'm sooooo thankful for is the fact that Dara really "WANTS" to ride without being told to. This is the biggest deal for me. I usually have to beg, plead, bribe, scream,etc. just to get her on her horse. It is actually 6:30PM, about 40 degrees out, dark, and cold...AND guess what?????? SHE'S RIDING!!!! She has ridden ever single day since we've lived here, about 4 days, sometimes even saddling 2 or 3 times during the day to ride. YES even saddling...not bareback. I knew if she and Copper were in the same place she would ride on her own. She even got out and set up the poles "by herself"...not asking me to do it or her dad to do it. Anybody who knows her knows that she loves to ride but doesn't want to be forced to do it. So this is a big thing for her dad and me.

Well, my Mom's house in, and is being trimmed out as I'm typing this. She is so ready to be in her own house. It really a beautiful double-wide home. I haven't seen one as nice as this one. It really looks like a site-built home on the inside.

Thanksgiving was really busy for me. I stayed at the property helping Don get the septic system, electricity, water, plumbing, etc. ready to go so that we could move back in.

I love waking up seeing the horses right outside the window knowing that NO ONE will ever evict me off this property. The sun rises over a line a trees out our front door, and the horses are standing near the trailer waiting for us to feed them. The baby is growing so much I still haven't figured out how to get my phone to send pic messages. It will go through the process of sending, but then I'll get a message failure. Oh well, I'll try to get the camera and try that way.

I'm just rambling now, and I'll post more later. We're moving my mom in her house tomorrow so we'll soooo busy with that.

TGIF

Well, it's Fri. I made it through this week. They finally got our house moved and set up on the 5 acres. Yeah!!! The mobile home park called and stopped the suit against us. Don told them that they could have the carport he built himself inleiu of the $390 (rent from the 1st to the 20th, plus late fees). They haven't given him an answer yet. The lady who started this mess, come to find out, lives in the back of the park where all the white trash, non-anglo american, and the such live. So I'm thinking that she knew we were leaving soon, so why not force our hand and give us good cause to go ahead and get the hell out, so (here's the point) that she since she's manage why not move up front herself????

The elec. and septic won't be fully hooked up and turned on until as late a Wed. of next week.

I can't wait to get back into my house...things to settle down...and not have to worry about as much as I'm doing now.

the devil's certainly at work

Well if things couldn't get any worse...the car (not the truck) temperature light and the add water light came on yesterday on the way home. The temp. gauge never got over halfway between cold and hot. Don checked the water and oil last night around 10:00, and found that there seemed to be oil and/or gas in the radiator. That means that a head gasket or the head itself is cracked meaning that the engine is going to blow. There was a dark sludgy kind of substance in the bottom of the place where you add the water and anti-freeze. Don says it's oil and gas, but it looks to me like mud. It's the color and texture of mud...whatever that means or is. So if that's the case then the car is going to be useless, because it's a 95 model and cost more to fix than the car's worth, but no money to fix it.

So needless to say, that's one more thing we didn't need to happen right now. I like to think that I am a fairly intelligent person...I know that God has a plan for us/lesson to learn (which I know that is the case here)...but how much more can a person take? So I'm praying that when God closes doors He opens another.

The devil sure sees the opportunity to take hold of me right now, because I'm so vulnerable emotionally, physically, and spiritually with everything going on. I could, at the drop of a hat, become angry, bitter, depressed, nasty, etc., but I have to hold onto the fact that God is in charge in this situation and he has something better planned for us.

So if anyone is reading this later, please say a prayer for us to get through this situation with the house, eviction, car, the teacher/parent at my school...yes there is more going on with this teacher/parent still.

eviction notices

The mobile home park where our double-wide sits, told us that we were being evicted for only being 11 days late on rent. On the 11th we were told this...today, the 17th, we received a court appearance letter for eviction from the constable to appear on the 25th in court...now the kicker...we are going to be 100% moved off their property by the 20th which is this Thursday...now I looked up on the Internet and found out that by TX law they have to wait three days from notice of late rent to notice vacate...we were given a letter that stated we were 11 days late, and at the same time got a notice to vacate (they were stapled together)...so that is not waiting the 3 days...so by the time we go to court we will not even be living on their property. So now what is the court going to say about this?

I'm not disputing that we owe rent. That's a fact...we'll pay the rent for this month 20 days late, because we knew we were moving. Now, I'm only going to pay rent up to the day we leave the premises which will be 20 days. So that is $240 pro-rated to the 20th plus any late charges. I may be wrong about this, but this landlord is what is called a slumlord.

If you could only see where we live, you'd understand. It is a husband and wife...the husband said that he's going to hate to see us move because we have the best looking place in the park, now the wife says that she can't wait for us to move. The lot we are on is almost an acre, so I'm thinking that she wants to take this piece of land and subdivide it up so that she can move at least 3 more trailers on here and charge over $400 for rent. The plat says that there are 2 lots here not one, and she'll find a way around that and move more on here.

Anyway, I'll be glad when I don't have to pay rent to anyone!!!!

really shitty week

It all started when a parent of one of students, also a teacher at my school, got mad about a field trip that parents were asked not to attend. The field trip was sponsored by the county extension office. It was called Domino's Pizza Ranch. The county government paid for each student and teacher to get 2 pieces of pizza, ice cream, and milk. So that doesn't leave any room to feed every parent that wants to go. So we have always asked that parents not attend the Pizza Ranch, but could go to the park with us if weather and time permitted.

Well, this parent got so upset that he couldn't go with his "step-daughter". I was in charge of setting up the trip, getting the buses, permission slips sent out, etc. Well, I did all of this before Dara had her accident. The only thing I didn't do before the accident was get the permission slips ready. Well, this parent goes into the office and says "well if she ever comes back" very hateful. Now let me preface this with the fact that he has two children who are epileptic, and has taken off work more times than I care to count. Well, while I was in the hospital with Dara waiting on surgery, he proceeds to go to my sister and gripe about no permission slips being sent home yet.

I got back to school a week later, and find out that he has spread around school that we (fourth grade teachers all 6 of us) were not very professional to schedule a field trip that would not allow parents to go. He actually meant that we were totally incompetent to take any child anywhere. He sends his step daughter's slip back with a note to me in blue permanent marker, huge letters, across the front, saying she would not be attending any stupid field trip and he cannot believe any teacher would go on a trip like this.

Well, it just got worse longer this day went. He then got mad because I didn't send him a printout of her grades during the week I was out with my daughter. go figure...so he sends me a nasty email demanding that I send him one immediately. He basically said that it was my fault that she got an 88 in Social Studies. He said that he wants ALL of her worksheets and book send home everytime one is assigned to be done at home so that he can make sure that she understands. He also said that all I do is stick in a CD (one that came with the Social Studies curriculum) and then hand out a worksheet and no disscussion is made over the lesson. Well let's see I think I was out for almost 2 weeks...hmmm. If I can figure out how to copy and paste the emails he sent back and forth to me and our principal I'll do it.

So I emailed him back and said I didn't have a problem sending the work home as long as he entered her grade for the worksheet into the computer, and was I to consider it late since it wasn't turned in the same day it was assigned since it went home. He is also the campus "technology contact" person, so he has direct access to everyone's computers, and can look at anyone's gradebook.

Well, to make it even shorter, I emailed him back and basically let him have it with both barrels that he wasn't mad about the grade, but the fact he didn't get his way about the field trip. He is one of the biggest, egotistical, controling, male person I have ever known. He tries to intimidate everyone who doesn't bow down to him. He braggs about causing a second and third grade teacher cry. Well, it really pissed him off that I didn't shrink under his attacks. But instead, I backed him into a corner and let him have it with my emails.

When that day was over, I met my principal in the hallway. She said can I give you a hug? I said why, and she said because you didn't give into to him, and you put him in his place. She said that no one has ever done that to him, and she was so proud of me for doing it. This is my boss telling me this. Yea!!!

Well, I get home and Don tells me that the mobile home park manager turned over eviction notice to the county constable, and we are being evicted for being only 11 days late on the lot rent. The electric company also showed up and wanted payment, because they were to turn off the electricity due to non payment. Don hasn't worked in several days due to the rain...Dara gets an incomplete on her report card due to being out...the dentist I took her to right after she got out of the hospital, mouth wired shut, to check on a tooth that became loose from the fall bills me (the dentist told the front office that there wasn't any charge because there was nothing that they could do with her mouth wired shut)...then 2 days later we go to a meeting of the local playday group we belonged to said that Dara will not get her first place year end awards because we weren't able to go to the last work day (the day after she had her accident and in the hospital)...so that meant we were one work day short...and if that's not enough they said that we are going to pay the $96 for membership instead of the $46 due to the fact that we didn't get our membership money in on time.

So having said all that...without going into exact detail which would take me two days to write...this has been one of the shittiest weeks I've ever had. Things can only get better from here. I just pray to God that they do.

Dara's Update

Just got back from the doctor's office. They gave her a clean bill. She is still not able to go back to riding, karate, playing her trombone for at least another 6 weeks. Drs. McHottie said that she's healing nicely, and can go back to somewhat a normal life. yeah.

blogger newby

I have no idea what I'm doing. This is the first one I've done. I know it looks pretty juvenile. Maybe, I'll get better at it, and make it look better. I hope...I hope. I've always wanted to do this, but didn't know how. I guess I still don't. haha Check back later for more.