Last Sunrise of 2007

Dec 31, 2007 Sunrise - Indian River 3, originally uploaded by kathleenpate.

I had thought about writing a long dissertation about my life this year and all the things I have learned. Needless to say, I have learned much about myself and the others I share my world with. I am not happy with what I see but instead of ranting and boring everyone with silly details I think I will end my year as I began it. I love the sunrise and I hope you will love it too.

Merry Christmas!!!!!

New Bucky Covington Contest

All my people need to request Bucky at there local radio stations.





All my Florida people need to call and request Bucky because I am in a contest and if my team and I get the most points we get free tickets and meet and greets to his concert. I would really love to see him again so vote!!!!!

Go to Yes.com and vote ......already linked .....

Smoky Mountain Waterfall

Smoky Mountain waterfall, originally uploaded by kathleenpate.

We are having a great time. We drove through the Smoky Mountain National Park today into Cades Cove. There were deer all over. They will let you get very close before they casually saunter away. It snowed a little Sunday night and there is a light dusting in the higher elevations. It is very beautiful.

So far the restaurants suck here. We keep trying to try new places to eat but so far no luck. Paid way too much for a steak last night that was over tenderized. Would have had a much better meal at Outback. Tried a local establishment thinking it would be good. Our breakfast was average at best. Same with dinner great friters and wonderful apple butter but the entrees resembled cracker barrel almost exactly only the prices were much higher. We will be eating in the rest of the week.

We are going to see my dad and Sue tomorrow.

Miss you all but having a good time anyway.......

Weekend Off

SeptBeach KPate2006 135a, originally uploaded by kathleenpate.

Can you beleive it I have the entire week end off. I'm not sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing. We plan on going to the VNA Air show in Stuart and maybe a quick trip to Orlando for Universal and shopping. This maybe expensive..........

Happy Halloween!!!!

Erin, Elizabeth and Savanah.

The Crying Angel

crying angel, originally uploaded by theogeo.

When I was 6 year old we lived in Millington, Tennessee and then for a little while the Chickasaw Bluffs out in the middle of nowhere. I had a pony named Smokey, a huge tree house and our back yard was the Mississippi River. We had a decent garden in back yard. I remember pulling radishes and running thought the corn. I was sick a lot then but mostly I remember my pony and hikes in the woods.

I do have a vivid memory of a trip we made to a cemetery. I recall it was a warm day but cooled off quickly as the afternoon wore on. My mother, always the explorer, was searching for a local legend. It seemed to me as if we searched all afternoon for the right spot finally finding the hidden cemetery in the late afternoon. It seemed even longer before we found the legend she was looking for. As the shadows deepened and the sun disappeared amongst the heavily foliaged oaks, she finally found the marble statue of 'The Crying Angel'. I vaguely remember the sculpture but I do remember how scared I was. The cemetery was neglected and teen hang out at the time. For some reason I was afraid they would show up like the biker gangs did in all the drive in movies we went too with no Mad Max to save us. The legend told by locals in the area was the the angel would weep but I don't recall any tears but I do remember the statue in disrepair, moldy and dirty. I was a little awed and would not surprised if I had goosebumps at the time although I truly don't remember. It is funny that I should think about that trip that we took almost thirty years ago and I thought I would see if I could find it.

After googleing for several hours and searching through GenWeb, I was disappointed to discover it no longer existed. The Angel after years of neglect and battery was finally removed no longer marking the grave of the young civil war hero who died so long ago. No more fluttering of angel's wings or crying in the night. I went even further trying to find the old cemetery but even goolge maps was no help tonight. I fear the old cemetery has been replaced by a pet cemetery or just over grown and out of sight.

Happy Halloween Anyways!!!!!!!

Noel Noel.........

Makes me want to start singing Christmas Carols.........Just heard on the scanner school will run as usual tomorrow they will decide on Thursday about this same time. It is looking like there will be no Halloween this year. We will not to be activated unless Noel decides to play bad at the last minute but we are basically gearing up for more rain like we need more. My back yard is a lush green mosquito infested jungle but the evenings are wonderful when its not too wet and you have enough Off.
I love Florida and the rain is replenishing the low water table but I am tired of the rain everyday eventually it has to stop.

Merlot & Earl Gray

Merlot & Earl Gray, originally uploaded by kathleenpate.

I was playing with photo shop... I like.....

IMidlife Crisis?

IMidlife Crisis?, originally uploaded by kathleenpate.

Merlot and Earl Grey tea is what my husband asked for we I went to the store this afternoon. I giggled because this is my husband the grunting, farting man I have lived with for over 20 years. All I am thinking is midlife crisis or what.

Grits and Sin?????

I was looking for grit and sausage resipes and came across this article. I about peed my pants. I am still not sure if this is a spoof or a real story but it was interesting reading.

Ms.Riley speaks

I did not get to watch Inside Edition today but I found a brief article on their website about a scared shy little girl????

I feel Yucky!!

SeptBeach KPate2006 113a, originally uploaded by kathleenpate.

I hate feeling sick but I should not be surprised my body finally succumbed to a buggy. To much work, stress and lack of rest will do it to me every time. A day or two of down time should do me I hope. I need to download some more pictures.......

Local Streaming Police Scanner

SeptBeach KPate2006 078a, originally uploaded by kathleenpate.

Not only am I playing with my new Flickr account but also found this web site through a friend. I have no idea how long this has been up but I thinks its a great site. I also realize that we (911) needs to be a little more diligent in the way we (dispatchers) give out information and what information we give out over the radio. This is also a great site for anyone who wants to become a dispatcher. If you can type everything you hear, keep up and hold a conversation with another person (phone counts); you just might have what it takes to be a dispatcher.

Google "DANIEL GILROY FORT PIERCE"

And you wont find anything new today. It looks like "that" train has left the station. I'm not saying there wont be more fallout in the future because every media slut with an opinion has been in contact with local law enforcement and the 15 yoa's family. I heard Dr. Phil was even looking for some action. "Dog the Bounty Hunter" the convicted felony had a few choice words himself. I added the article from our Hometown News. This next week I am sure "shocking" details of the incident will be played over and over again but from what I have read the "majority" feel the officer was justified.

I am upset that so many people who know nothing about our town feel the need to label this a race issue. Race has nothing to do with this. Our last police chief was black and he did less for this community than the current chief has done in the few months he has held the position. He works with city leaders and is dedicated to saving our youth and keeping gangs off our streets. Our city is safer now than what it was just mere months ago. This is due to Chief Baldwin's commitment to his community. Anyone who states otherwise obviously does not know him. Officer Gilroy, who can be a headache at times for dispatcher's, was not out prowling for little black girls to harass. Her grandmother threw her out of the house because she was "being hard headed". A citizen called in a report of a suspicious person. He was doing his job and not only trying to protect himself but also tried to protect the 15 yoa from getting hurt. Ms. Riley was the one who controlled the events that happened not the officer.

I am sick of hearing about how a mere wisp of a girl can cause such a problem for such a big guy. It happens. At 7 years old at a mere 65 pounds if not less I fought off six nurse who were trying to give me a shot after surgery and vomiting from the effects of anesthesia. I held my own for a good minute or two. When I met my husband I was not too much more that 130 pounds but I could wrestle with him, get away from him and take him down if I needed to. You could not keep me down for long. I too bit, kicked and squirmed to get away. He might have been 6'5 and over 200 lbs but if I did not want to be confined there was no way he was going to win or keep me down. So don't try to tell me this "baby" was to small to be treated with excessive force. I know better.

I don't want to hear from the Al Sharpton's of the world who obviously don't have a clue. What I really want to hear is why this girl was out so late. Why did her grandmother kick her out? Why did the child, who obviously thinks she is grown, act this way? Who taught her respect for the law? Who taught her anything of value while we are on the issue? A black male posted that white people don't understand because we live in our "Leave it to Beaver" world. All I really got out of this was if obeying the law and trying to build a safe and secure home for my children is the "Leave it to Beaver" world then I guess I am guilty. But, crossing all boundaries of race and color is'nt that what we all want. Is'nt that the ultimate goal for most to be safe and secure in our own little castle and provide the best for our families? A part of feeling safe in our home is to also feel safe in our communities. Children running around in the streets is not acceptable and the city of Fort Pierce is enforcing the curfew that has been in effect for several years now. It is a law enforcement tool that works and needs to keep working.

Al Sharpton representative accuses Fort Pierce officer of excessive force on teen

Basically they want to drop the charges on the 15 yoa and charge Ofc. Gilroy with assault. Go figure...........I am praying that the police department, the city and the states attorney continue to do the job my taxes pay for and not be pressured by what a few loud mouth ill informed opinions. The curfew works and the PD needs to keep enforcing it. It is saving the lives of our youths even if they don't like it

Al Sharpton representative, local activists to speak out in case of Fort Pierce teen's dramatic arrest

And the circus begins.....................

Deadly statistics in Fort Pierce

Here is an article I found that gives an idea of how serious the police department is on deterring crime and our lowering the murder rate. Right now we have had on 2 murders in the city limits. Last year there were 4 and the year before 10. Our community along with the local law enforcement agencies are doing everything possible to make Fort Pierce a better community. It is working.

Chief Baldwin's Media statement and official police report of incident

You will need adobe acrobat to view statement and police report.

Fort Pierce Police conduct internal investigation into officer's taped arrest of 15-year-old

Here's the next article in this ongoing story..........

Officer Gilroy of Ft Pierce Police Department and the abuse charges.

In the early morning hours of October 6th, my coworkers and I viewed the video of Officer Gilroy detaining then arresting a 15 year old juvenile. There was an instant debate over what we saw. On the first viewing of the video, I have to admit it was not hard to react shocked by the images. Being at work, the volume was turned down and we are all distracted by phones or radios so we watched it again and again. The debate grew. You either agreed or disagreed; there is no middle ground on this one. The majority thinking by hard core LEO Dispatchers in St Lucie County were in agreement with Officer Gilroy's actions but there was still one or two dispatchers that refused to see reason. And that's fine, we are all entitled to our opinions and OMG this past weekend I have heard a few.

This was my first weekend back on midnight rotation and the crazies seemed to have crawled out of the wood work; their rants fueled by vicious cop videos and worthless law enforcement tirades all over the media. We received calls from many media outlets. A few callers offered to critic the situation. One man called repeatedly until he finally became tired of being hung up on. It was that or he finally passed out from whatever he was drinking.

If I heard it once I heard it over and over again about cop brutality, corruption and unfairness of the world in general. I have to agree there is much truth to what we see but in the Gilroy case there is nothing in the video that implicates him if anything it exonerates him. That's why he turned on his camera. He saw the situation spiraling out of his control; he was by himself with an aggressive juvenile. He made sure there was no doubt of what occurred. He did his job and did it well. I have heard statements made by other officers who would not have been so patient or tolerant of the juveniles behavior. The child is very lucky that she was not hurt.

She is also very lucky she is not my child because I would have hurt her when I got her home. It is not against the law in the state of Florida to spank your children and 15 is not to old to get a paddling. We adhere to that philosophy in our home and it works very well. Officer Gilroy did nothing compared to what I would have done to her when I got her behind closed doors. I hope this young lady and the youths of Fort Pierce have learned a lesson. The city of Ft Pierce is not going to tolerate juveniles and gang members running amok in the streets any more. This past summer was one of the most pleasant our small town has experienced in decades. Crime is down and a large part of it is the crack down on juveniles and enforcement of our curfew.

All I can say is keep up the good work and could you guys keep an eye on the juveniles off 17th and Ponce Del Leon. They are starting to get annoying.

We will miss you Tim

It is never easy to lose a loved one but we can all rejoice in his life and accomplishments and remember him what he was: a wonderful man, an accomplished officer and dear friend.

My WOW addiction.

I am seriously considering closing my world of Warcraft account until I get caught up on life. There are so many things I want/need to do but I find myself sucked into the game every day. Right now I am tirelessly leveling my new blood elf character; so far she is an amazing level 33 and quickly rising. OMG I am so sucked in.

Robert Jordan died this week.

Robert Jordan aka James Oliver Rigney Jr. was one of my favorite authors. He was the creator of the Wheel of Time Series that I have been reading since my son was a toddler. Not only was he the author of some of my favorite adventures, but he also lived in my favorite city of Charleston S.C. I was so upset when I found out of his passing people in my office stopped to ask me what was wrong. I feel silly for being so upset but Randy Al Thor, Egwene, Perrin and Matt have shared their lives and adventures with me for all of my adult life. My favorite WOW character Falchion is based on the WOT character Faile. I introduced my son to the series when he was a teenager and is just as big a fan if not more.

And alas, the final and thirteenth book has yet to be written. Rumor is Mr. Rigney told the final tail to his loved ones and it is hoped that in time they will share the final outcome of Rand's life. I would love to know the ending but even if it is never revealed I want to thank Robert Jordan/James Rigney for a wonderful tale. He was such an awesome story teller and I will miss him.

Photo by Liza Trombi

Time flies when your having fun.

It's hard to believe that the summer is over and the kids are back in school; between work and trying to keep up with the girls have kept me busy. I have my niece Savannah driving Beth to Central and then driving herself to school at Westwood. Erin is in 7th grade and attending one of the few middle schools left in the county. She either rides the bus or I take her when I can. We have actually reached a brand new level in our life. When Warren started driving the girls where really too young to go out, now at 16, 15 and 12 they want to go all the time. They used to go and hang out at the Firehouse on Friday nights but now its football games, movies and shopping. Savannah has her D.L. and they go or at least try to go as much as we will allow them. We try to keep them home on school nights but that is even hard when they need to go to Walgreens and Walmart for supplies. Fred and I have lately spent our Friday and Saturday nights alone together. Its nice a little strange but nice. We used to complain about not having any time alone together but not anymore. It is scary to think that in just a few more years my house will be empty.

I finally finished my first book. Unfortunately it is not one of my novels. I finally finished the training manual for work. It will always be a work in progress as things change and evolve but for right now Version I/2007 is complete. I have now taking on the challenge of creating a TTY Manual but I am going to take a break. I need to work on my own manuscripts and I am thinking about getting a hotel room for the week end so I can finish the one and start on the other. Well actually Fred keeps threatening to lock me in a hotel room so I'll finish. He is so supportive.

Life is pretty much as normal as any family can possibly be. We work. We play. We relax when we can. We're healthy and happy. What more could we ask for.

I need a Vacation from Vacation.

I am tired. My feet, my legs, and my back hurts. Two days of Universal Studios and I am wiped out. All I want to do is lay on my bed and relax but instead I am writing and drinking another Coke. I need to lay down because we are getting up early and starting all over again at Islands of Adventure. The girls want to get wet. We are trying to cram in as much park as possible before we have to take Savannah back to Ft Pierce tomorrow. She still is taking summer classes and was not able to finish ahead like we had hoped. She will stay with her mom until we get back Friday. I think she has enjoyed herself she seems happy. She loves all the rides and stands in line to get her picture taken with the characters. She is fun to be around and very active. She keeps me on my toes. I am glad we can give her these three days.

Greyhound adventures and beyond....

Friedrich Nietzsche said "That which does not kill us makes us stronger."

My mother left about a month ago to spend the summer with her family in Knoxville Tennessee. While she was there she started having hip problems and over medicated and ended up in the hospital. Apparently she was in a stupor for at least five days taking handfuls of pain pills until she finally called an ambulance because she could no longer tolerate the pain. My Uncle Jay called me this past weekend and I have been doing little but talking to my mother and trying to figure out what happened.

There are many factors that made me decide to take a bus but cheap and easy won out. Considering the fact that we were hit by lightening last week and had to replace our entire electrical panel along with planning a short vacation, choosing Greyhound was the most practical decision. I do not regret my choice in fact it was an adventure I shall not soon forget.

I am full of assumption, my first mistake was made at the bus station in Ft Pierce. There was a bus in the parking lot but there was no sign indicating it's destination and the number on my paperwork did not match the number on the bus so I made my way to a sitting area away to wait for my bus. Thankfully the bus driver crossed my path and set me straight. My first mistake was assuming my bus would be appropriately marked however it was the only one there. Can you say duh.....

The bus is about half capacity but no one appears to want to share a seat so I head all the way to the rear of the bus and find an empty seat. The bus is not unlike the many buses I have taken on various trips with my children on field trips although much quieter still the same. The bus is older, the walls once bright white now look a dingy gray, The seats are a two tone blue, light blue gray hounds race across a background of dark blue. the chair in front of me the material torn. The bus has obviously seen better days. The people around me all appear to be sleeping or resting. I hear little conversation even from the younger children on the bus. I spent most of my time staring out the window watching families drive past in the SUVs wishing I had just spent the money and driven my own gas hog. I eventually got tired of watching passing traffic and play Soduko until we get to Orlando.

I have an hour and 45 minute lay over in Orlando. The bus station is newer built or remodeled sometime in the last 10 or 15 years. I spent a good 45 minutes sitting in the small cafeteria/convenience store. I ordered a $3 dollar hot dog and smothered it in mustard and washed it down with a bottle of water. I sat there staring at the dingy grease and dust covered walls when not watching the people around me. So many families traveling by bus, I was amazed but then again who can afford airfare for 5 or 6 people. Then there are folks that have security issues, no one checks on coming luggage and I never showed I.D. If I wanted to remain anonymous I would travel by bus.

I had another little misunderstanding trying to re board. /apparently you need a re boarding pass to get back on the same bus you just got off. Luckily the driver let me back on, he rolled his eyes when I complained and let me pass but he was a little rude to me after at least for a little while after. By the end of the trip he smiled at me a couple of times when I re boarded after break stops and I thank him again after we unloaded in Atlanta. I road up by myself but had a seat companion until we reached Ocala. I cant remember her name but she was nice enough we chatted on and off until she fell asleep. She was traveling from Clearwater to see her family there. Sounded like a family reunion. I picked up another seat make in Gainesville but lost him in Lake City. He was traveling to Jacksonville. I sat by myself until we made it to Atlanta.

Pulling into downtown Atlanta at 11:30 at night was beautiful, the station was a nightmare. It was packed solid. I made my way to my gate and began my wait. The staff there were less than accommodating. They told people coming in that if they did not make their bus they would have to wait until the next one at 8 a.m. You can imagine the hostility this caused. There was almost a fight as the terminal became more crowded and people began cutting in line and jostling each other for position. I was very disappointed when a family who blatantly cut in line was escorted to the bus when it finally showed up before the elderly where assisted. What a crock that was but another bus driver was brought in and I was able to get on the next bus and I was happy. We refereed to the other bus as the bad karma bus.

Our driver was very nice but he was also very tired, we made just one stop and I hoped he would wake up because he scared us more than I tried to let on. We finally made it to Knoxville with no incidents at about 5:30 a.m. and I called my Uncle Joe to pick me up. We visited for a few minutes but I needed a shower and some sleep. I had hoped I would have slept on the bus but it was impossible. I survived but I was very tired.

After a 2 hour nap, I got up and dressed and went downstairs. Mom was almost ready to go and I would have left then but my aunt Billie Jean and Aunt Peggy showed up. We visited for a little while but I knew if we did not get on the road I never would have made it home. I climbed into that old Dodge van of my mothers and we headed out. We made it home safe and sound but the trip is definitely another story.

Greyhound Adventure

I am leaving this morning on Greyhound to Knoxville, Tn to pick up my mother who is having health issues. Long story short, I needed transportation and Marie at the bus station found the earliest and cheapest mode of travel. I leave at 8:25 am on a 20 hour bus ride. What a story this will make.

Done with the Deathly Hollows

I t took me 34 hours but I am done. I purchased the book 2am Friday night and finished it just a little while ago. I can not discuss the book with anyone in my house and my husband is threatening me with bodily harm if I snitch. He is currently up to page 76.

I am hoping to get back on blogger soon and be more diligent in posting I have been having issues with my laptop. It broke Fred fixed and it broke again so I have been forced to use Fred's computer when he lets me......... The new part wont be in until next week if Im lucky......

Update, Warren moved out Wednesday and now lives in Casselberry just north of Orlando. I miss him already but he is an adult and they have to move on sometime and be adults. Fred helped him pack up and helped him get settled into a nice 4 bedroom home in a gated community that he is sharing with three of his friends. I have to wait until August to see just how nice his new roommates and house really are........

Beautiful Saturday Morning

Beth and I were up early this morning and headed out to the beach for some sunrise photos. The was a fishing tournament going on and we caught the boats as they were racing out of the inlet. We took some great pictures but I like this one posted above. I have no idea who the young lady's are but they made good models. It has been a very hectic week and I am glad it is over. I have added several more photo albums at my picture trail site. I really love my husbands Rebel XT digital camera and have used it much these past two to three weeks. I'm getting better but then again practice makes perfect.

24 hours of Bucky Covington

I have lost my mind so to speak, either that or I am bored with my life. You think as busy as I stay I would not have anytime to be bored. This might be my mid life crisis but who knows.
I went to West Palm Beach last night with my friend Lisa and caught his free concert at Renegades. We had a few drinks took video and a few pictures. I was a bar so the quality is poor at best. We had a good time and that is all that matters.
Today we drove to Zellwood, Fl. to the corn festival and met Bucky and Rocky. I have pictures with both of them along with an autographed picture of Bucky and an autographed drum stick from Rocky. They are so polite and sweet and go out of there way for you. They are not like some people I have met in my life who make you feel like well you know.
The weather was great, sunny but with a cool breeze. A few clouds but no rain although it did threaten. We found great spots on the lawn and I took a bunch of pictures. Fred let me borrow his camera and it takes awesome shots. I have uploaded a few of the better ones to my Picture Trail account so go and enjoy.

It's not my birthday yet.....

but my peeps at work help me celerate with cake, ice cream and flowers.

Fort Lauderdale

I am here at the Fort Lauderdale Grand Hotel attending The Governor’s Hurricane Conference at the Broward County Convention until Friday morning. My last class is at 10:30 am. My first workshop is a 2 day class in Basic Public Information. It has been pretty interesting and it is based around journalism which I do have an interest but being a PIO is not anything I care to do. Sure I could probable write a fairly adequate press release and I have given a few interviews in my time but apparently being a good PIO involves having to appear on T.V. from time to time and I am not into that. The camera always puts 50lbs on me if not more. I also have homework tonight. I have to write a press release on a car accident or a fire o something like that????? But I plan on waiting until later at least until after dinner to sit down and tackle that. I was thinking about pulling up a few real press releases and model mine after the best one I can find.
Like my room? It’s great. I have a king size bed all to myself with a balcony that faces out onto the docks. There is a nice breeze and if you don’t look down at the garbage floating in the water it is actually a nice view. I ended up having to pay for a weeks worth of internet at the tune of $45. That hurt a little. I will be eating out more often at the fast food joints but I will live. Today we had Taco Bell but tonight we plan on splurging at Moe’s. Pat my co-worker who is al attending says it’s pretty good and cheap just the way I like it.

Interview.....Hometown News

Click on link....

I should have posted this last week but I forgot.

I'm an addict......

 

I have an addiction to online games. It is so sad because I have so many other things I could be doing like writing, taking pictures (like the one on this post), gardening or finishing my book. I could go and do things that get me off my butt and moving again. I used to be so active once upon a time ago.

I am a level 69 Night Elf Hunter named Falchion. I named her after my favorite Robert Jordan character from ‘The Wheel of Time’ series. I have worked on this character for almost 3 years and in 2 days she will be maxed to the highest level in WOW game playing. Finally……

I cant say that I have let this game take over my life because I still manage to keep my house reasonably clean, the laundry done, and spend time with my family but it has taken a big chunk out of what little spare time I have. I used to read a lot now not so much. I am hoping once I hit 70 I will find time to pursue other hobbies but I have this gnome mage named Mistical that is level 59 and she has been waiting for some attention for a while now……………………….

OMG! I am a member of the Bucky Covington fan club.

I dont know how this happened. I am not the type to act this way. I rarely watch T.V. so why would I care about this young man who was booted off American Idol. One of my co-workers is Bucky's biggest fan. She drives us all nuts with the Bucky updates, sightings and gossip. She is trying so hard to win a contest the fan club sight is having and recruiting new members is her mission in life right now.

We all gave up our email addresses, I gave her 3. I joined the fan club three different times which is no big deal. Then I started reading about him and his fans. I listened to his music. I have become a Bucky fan. I ordered his debute CD and I am going to see him in Zelwood Florida in May for my birthday.

I still dont know how this happened but I am pretty sure it is not a bad thing.

Just Another Day

Back at work again. I have so little time at home for my family and just relaxing I find it hard to do to much of anything else. Tonight I am working what we call a "specail detail". However I have found I have spare time and not too much else to do. Tommorrow I actually have a day off but I have to drive my mother to Lake Worth for a doctors appointment and I have to finish my tax return. I thought all I had to do was get all my papers organinzed but I was going over my 1040 and it's not right. I have a dreadful feeling when I go back and try to fix my mistake I will go from getting back money to owing. I hate owing money to the IRS I really do.

Next month I might get lucky and not have to work as much or I should say there will not be as much overtime to work. The schedule is not out yet but there are 5 other people on my shift that need overtime and I have to share I am not the only one with a mortgage and rising escrow accounts. Everyone I know is getting hit hard by out of control insurance and property taxes. The only bright spot at this moment is I get a raise the first of April. The will either help a little or throw me into the next tax bracket. With my luck her lately I am betting on the next tax bracket. Fred has been working without a contract since October. The PBA finalized the contract two weeks ago and it was suppose to go up in front of the commissioners Monday. I think they did everything but that. Fred is looking at an 8% increase which will help.

I remember not to long ago (before my escrow almost doubled) planning on purchasing a used R.V and researching a summer trip across Route 66. Now I dont think we will be able to afford more than a few weekends trips if that. It will be another long summer spent at home trying to make ends meet and playing the lottery. I am so thankful we have a pool.

I started a small garden last month and I actually have tomatoes growing. I planted 2 Jalopeno bushes and a rosemary bush. I hope to plant more jalopenos and herbs my next weekend off. Downside is I have discovered tomatoe worms. They are yucky. They just eat the leaves so the fruit is still good but I jhave got to get rid of them before they spread. I figure if I dont kill what I already have planted I might branch out to salad greens. I can grow those all year long.....


Until next time.....

Busy Busy Busy

Busy Busy Busy

I am not sure what I am running on anymore. I ran out of steam about a week ago and I think desperation is the only thing that keeps me going. I am averaging about 60 to 65 hours a week at work and its killing me both physically and mentally. Physically from the seditary aspect of my job, I sit in an office chair for 12 to 16 hours a day. I get a 10 minute break every two hours that a rarely take and we eat out all the time. I get motivated every once in a while and brown bag it but I never seem to have enough time in the morning to make anything. Okay I never make enough time to make anything is what I should say, sleep is so much more important. On top of being inactive at work, I do little at home. On those long days that I work, I go home eat, play on my computer/watch T.V. and then pass out. My exercise consists of walking from one chair to another and the occasional tossing and turning in bed. On my days off when I am not recouperating and trying to recapture my sanity I am cleaning and doing laundry. I have to admit that I do spend much of my free time playing WOW. I have my lvl 64 Elven Hunter 'Falchion' that has to make lvl 70 soon. I call it therapy.

And therapy is what I need badly.

I am mentally exhausted. My brain is fried. I truly hate people. I want to be a hermit.

The 911 center I work for is a catch all. We dispatch animal control and code enforcement alnog with Law Enforcement and EMS. We are one stop shopping. We are the Walmart of St. Lucie County complaints. Sometimes it is ridiculus what people expect 911 to do. Please get comfortable because I fell like a good rant.........

Now I have to admit many people who call 911 do so because they have no other choice and feel guilty when they do. I cant tell you how many times I have listened to people tell me this is not an emergency but they told me I had to call or shock and dismay when they learn that they have been transferred to 911. these are not the people I am reffering to. I loathe the people that start in on you before you can even finish "911 Police , Fire or Rescue!" and it's for something silly. Maybe silly is not a good word but it is the one I am going to use today.

I spoke to two people thuis week about the garbage in their yard. one lady wanted to give me tag numbers of the offenders and the second wanted me to have officers chase the children that had built a fort in the lot next to her cited for littering. I told them they could talk to officers but they refused. One lady asked me my opinion bad idea but i told her "personally I just pick up the garbage and throw it away". I have the same attitude about dog poop in my yard. I dont like it but dog's have to go too. I am not going to burst a vein over it because it is not that important. Pick it up and go on with your day unless you step in it then of course curse until your hearts content because now you have a reason to be upset just dont call 911 because it still not an emergency. It is an unpleasant fact of life and shit will wash off.

I have to go back to the other caller with trash in her yard. She was upset because the children have built a fort and worn a path in the vacant lot next to her yard, they were dragging trash onto the lot (club house) and it was getting on her property. The only problem I could see that officers might investigate is a trespassing but the owner of the lot was not complaining. There maybe a code enforcement issue for building without a permit but I am pretty sure they over look this types of structures unless it is obviously a hazard. I let her list all her complaints but all she was basically doing was complianing about them playing. I am blunt and asked her "your calling because the children are playing?" She immediately replied "yes".
I was silent for a few moments then asked her if there was anything else I could do for her. She hung up.

The road ragers or the tattle tellers as I sometimes like to call them drive me nuts. Understand the road rage is serious business, people get killed or seriously injured in these types of calls but dont call in because someone pulled out in front of you and made you hit your brakes. He almost hit me or almost ran me off the rd is not the same as he did hit me or he did run me off the rd. Agressive drivers are a dime a dozen these days and I agree if the vehicle is obviously reckless please call 911and please know where you are before you do so. Now if you have spent the last 10 minutes flipping each other off and cursing each other but dont want to talk to an officer you might be a tattle teller. Please dont call 911 and tattle because you see someone doing the same thing you get a ticket for like not using your blinker or not making a complete stop at a stop sign, ect...... the officers will catch up to them eventually its just a matter of karma. I'm not going to get into speeding we all do it calling in speeders like everything else is a judgement call.

I have to touch on the animla lovers. I have 3 dogs, a cat, a rat, and a rabbit. I love animals just as much as any animal owner however they are animals and as much as I love them I will save my children before I do my pets if it comes down to life and death. It is the same with 911 human life takes priority to animals there are no execeptions. In my little part of the world we do not have an animal ambulance, animal control dose not work 24/7 and when they do they like everyone else must try to adhere to the speed limits and rules of the road. I understand that your neighbors dog is loose again but dont scream at me about it because I dont care. I have a hard enough time just keeping my own dogs in the yards. I actually have a hard time keeping them inthe house. Butch as old as he is still tries to escape he leaves no open door or unlocked window uninspected.

I can come up with a miriad of things to complain about and in essence I am just like the ones how call in and complain but I prefer to do my bitching on the internet. I do feel better now that I vented a little. I am sure there will be more of this as I dont see my schedule changing any time soon. Maybe I will get motivated and writre something interesting. I switch to midnights soon so maybe I will get the chance.......

1st Place St Lucie Co Fair

 

2nd Place St Lucie Co Fair

 

2nd Place SLC Fair

 

Award winning photographers live in my house.

The St Lucie County Fair is here and Fred and Elizabeth both entered photographs into the Art Show. Beth took first place and two second place prizes in Division 1 Juniors. Fred took a first place in Division 2 Adult. I am not sure what the category's are and at this point I dont care I am just very proud of my photographers. They both have a natural talent and it is wonderful see them get recognition for that talent. I looked for the pictures this morning I really wanted to post them but I ran out of time. Maybe tonight...........maybe.....

My Anniversay and No Snow Here!!!!

 

It’s cold and we have had a few rain showers but nothing major. I just wanted to post a picture of a beautiful winter day on the beach with crisp refreshing breezes, a gorgeous blue and mostly clear sky. I wish I had more time to enjoy the beach but I am back at work “grinding” the overtime. I am averaging about 25 hours a week O.T. and hope to keep up this pace as long as I can. Bills have to be paid and I have too many things I need to do this year.

I hate being broke but what do you do…….

On a brighter note……today is my 17th wedding anniversary. I have to work all day because for some reason I keep thinking my anniversary is on the 19th so silly me I take an O.T. slot. I really wanted to go to Benihannas so last night we dressed up and enjoyed a wonderful meal. We have talked about going for years but something always came up but I was determined to go this year. After a few minor glitches (Fred lost his debit card) we finally made it to the restaurant 15 minutes early. We had drinks at the bar and watch the chefs make sushi. We sat with a family who were celebrating a birthday they were nice but not real chatty. The chef was awesome and the food was very good so good that we plan to return next month for someones???? birthday.

Huguenot Memorial Park

 

What a great day we had. We rode up to Jacksonville today taking Highway A1A through Ponte Vedra. I can not believe how much has changed in the past 30 years. I remember the stretch between St Augustine and Jax Beach spotted with stilt houses built up on the dune line and then miles and miles of sea oats and palm scrub. There is now a short stretch of pristine beaches between very expensive and very modern multistory homes ranging upwards into the million dollar range I’m sure. Ponte Vedra a once small town just south of Jacksonville Beach has grown into a thriving community with a very high tax base. PSL has nothing on this small town. We stopped at a convenience store that carried a several different flavors of coffee blends, a nice wine collection and a fresh flower cooler.

“Stepford wives” was one quips we heard from the back seat.

As we drove through Jacksonville Beach I was a little upset to find that I recognized very little so many things have changed. There is no more boardwalk. We rode out towards Mayport, I thought it would be nice to take the ferry over to St Georges. Funny thing is that as we were crossing there was a news crew there. Apparently the mayor of Jacksonville is debating closing down the ferry because of high diesel prices and the news crew was there filming. Our Yukon can be seen in several pictures. Okay the bumper front and then back was seen in several frames. Too bad they did not talk to us. What a great story. I took that ferry several times as a child and almost 30 years later here I am taking my children across on the ferry. Now there’s a news story.

We visited the Huguenot Memorial Beach and let both the girls try out their driving skills. They were happy. We sat on the south side of the inlet few a little while letting Fred take pictures of jetty and he took some shots of the ships docked at NAS Mayport. They seem to be under pretty high security a helicopter flew over us on a regular basis. Fred just knew we were going to get stopped and checked. He was using his long range lens on his camera and I have always thought he was very suspicious looking.

We then drove over to the Kingsley Plantation and walked around until we could not stand the cold anymore. We took the ferry back across and then had a very large lunch at Sticky Fingers. We love their ribs. I guess we should be thankful there is not one closer to home. We called it a day and headed back towards St Augustine. Fred took over 200 pictures today. I took a few but it was so cold out; the wind made it worse. My legs still hurt from the lighthouse. I don’t think they will ever be the same. We head back towards home tomorrow. It will be great to sleep in my own bed but there is such a long list of things I have to do I almost regret going home.

St Augustine City Gates

 

Can you see the orbs.......I'm thinking dust.

The Lighthouse and the Ghost Walk

 

St Augustine has a very rich history including ghosts. We wanted to take the midnight tour Friday night but it was too cold. So we hoped to try again last night. Rains threaten our tour this time so we planned to take the 8:30 pm trip. Another cold front was threatening to blow through again. We’d spent an excellent day exploring the lighthouse, the beaches and old Fort Matanzas. I almost did not think I was going anywhere after 219 steps up and 219 steps back down the lighthouse stair but some how I managed. I hurt all over this morning.

8:30 pm finally arrived and we met the old Sheriff Guy White. He is definitely a character and a most excellent tour guide. He was funny and picked on my daughters the entire trip. It was fairly uneventful tour until we arrived at the Tolomato cemetery. The night before as we were searching for a parking space Elizabeth swore she saw someone walking around in the cemetery, we all saw what we thought was a guy in a white t-shirt walking from his vehicle to a house. I still think that is what I saw but Beth insists she saw someone moving around the grave stones. The cemetery is pretty busy. There are tours all over. We walk to a fairly secluded spot on the north side of the cemetery. I lean up against the old concrete wall. It comes up almost to my waist and I find a spot that is relatively clear of all debris. As I lean there something pokes me gently in the side twice. I turn to look and there is nothing there. A small vine is hanging down but I quickly eliminate it. It is too light to have caused the sensation I felt. There is nothing there.

I am amazed that I did not freak out or even say anything. In fact I am still trying to think of a more plausible explanation. I do believe in spirits or ghost if you will. When I was a teenager we lived with one in our house on English St in North Charleston. The cold spots the noises in the attic were not always explained away. We were lucky our spirit was nice and I believe this one was also just being a prankster.

Erin also had a little fun. Apparently she was touched by Sally the ghost and named the prettiest girl on the tour.

St Augustine

 

There is nothing like a little time off from work and life as we know it. Fred took off Tuesday to visit his grandparents in Tuscaloosa while I stayed home and with girls so they would not miss a week of school. Friday being a half day we ditched and met Fred in St Augustine for an extra long weekend, we plan on returning sometime Tuesday.

We spent most of the afternoon downtown in the historic district near the main gates. We had dinner at a place called O.C. White’s recommended by a vendor. I was not impressed. Fred and Elizabeth seemed happy with their meals. They had seafood. Erin and I had steak and it was a little bland. I hate to say this but beef without kosher salt is dull. Erin and I both liberally covered our meat in table salt and it was better but still not what I wanted. Bread was served barely room temperature. Baked Potato over cooked and the vegetables were bland. Even the peppercorn sauce that my food was smothered in was a bit plain. The pepper corns were the only thing I tasted most of the time and I lick pepper but damn.

We returned to the motel and relaxed in front of the T.V. until about midnight. We planned on taking the midnight ghost tour but it was so cold we surrendered and went to Denny’s for a mid night snack, back to the room and to sleep. Another brain storm was to get up earlier about: 5:30 am and take sunrise pictures of the Castillo de San Marcos, awesome. It’s past 8:30 and my husband and children are still snuggled up in bed. I turned on the T.V. to get the weather report. It is 37 degrees outside. We all rolled over and went back to sleep for some reason we are really adverse to cold weather. It is suppose to rain tonight. Yeah……..

An Experiment in Honesty........

I read in this in Readers Digest about an experiment of sorts and I want totry it out on my friends and co-workers. I thought it would be interesting and maybe a little dangerous to find out what kind of person I have become. The article suggested to find 5 people you trust that will be honest enough to tell you exactly what they think of you good and bad. These people dont have to be your best friends or the people closest to you. Anyone who has had contact with you enough to have made an impression of what they like or dislike about you. I propose to ask myspace friends and family to do something similar. Please list 3 things you like or admire about me and then 3 things you can’t stand or irritate you about me. Send the post back to me so that maybe I can see what kind of person I have become and how I can become a better person, friend and loved one. Please be honest........


List 3 good things you like about me:


List 3 bad things you don’t like about me:


The end of the experiment explains how a person can compare all the answers and see how many are the same or similar. It's these traits in your personality that you either need to expand upon or change. I will post back with the results once the test is done. Wish me luck and Thank you!!!

Love You All ……Kathy

Back on Day Shift

2nd morning back on days so far so good. Yesterday was a little rough. Both the girls made it to and from school with only a small hitch on Elizabeth's side and Fred is trying to turn my hair totally gray or give me a heart attack or both.

Beth called me at about 2:09 pm wanting to know where her Dad was. He was late. I pulled up his screen and it indicated he was on a traffic accident. Poor Beth she was like "well how am I suppose to get home?". I told her she could walk home but she did not find this humourous. Now as I am having this mundane conversation with my daughter my supervisor has been called up from to the Fort Pierce Dispatcher. I can see something is up but I am busy taking care of teen drama.

"How long is Daddy going to be?"

"I dont know let me look."

As I pull up the comments I read that this is an officer involved accident. My husband being the officer involved. I dont recall what I said exactly to my daughter but she wants to know if her Daddy is okay. I look up and my supervisor is headed my way.

"I know is he okay?"

They still dont know yet but he is on the radio and he is talking not yelling. That is always a good sign. They call out rescue to check on everyone. Long/short story he is fine. No trip to the E.R. but his car is out of commission. He was sore last night but it did not interfer with our WOW time. Burning Crusade was released Tuesday night and we have played hard since then but that is another story.

Beth was able to catch a ride home with a friend and life is more or less back to normal but toay is another day.

Sick and Tired

I think I am finally tired of being sick. The gunk in my chest is still there in the mornings and my sinus are still running and I still get tired very easily. I know I am getting older because I am beginning to like my late morning naps. I do feel better I just can't shake the weakness.

I was bad and took two days off from work. I think the stress in fact I know the stress from there just makes it worse not to mention the building itself. It may not be a sick building but it is damn near close. We spread germs around that building like a bag of chips. My new best friend is ‘Mucinex’. I would have been absolutely miserable without it. It took care of most of the snot that comes with a cold. Coughing was to a minimum but I still had to rely on peppermint to sooth my throat. I put those left over candy canes to good use.

Erin has been feeling a little off the last couple of days but she managed to stay in school all day yesterday. She had a slight fever and an ear ache. She is better now I think.

I have not felt like doing too much of anything except sleep, watch TV or play WOW.
I think this is the first real thing I have written in days. Comments at TCPalm don’t count. I am trying to get back to my happy place. Home is much better but I still have a much to consider as to what I need to do at work to be happy again.

Fred says I am unhappy because I can not control what happens at work. The nature of my job also has much to do with how I am feeling. I try very hard to let go but it seems the harder I try the more stressed I become. I try to be a leader and an a role model because I do have control over who I am and how I behave but I think maybe that has even become too much. Fred asked me if there was anyone at work that I trusted and I could only think of two people. I guess that is good better than no one but still I don’t feel comfortable enough to talk to them about how I feel.

I have pondered over resigning as an assistant because I don’t feel like I am accomplishing anything any more. I like training because I do feel like I am doing something constructive but then I feel burnt out. I have 14 years of this job and I still like it most days, love no, but I do enjoy what I do. I want nothing more than to make it better for everyone but it seems like the harder I try the less I accomplish and the angrier I become. I am at a loss I don’t know what to do or how to fix it.

All I know is that I am tired of feeling angry, tired of feeling unappreciated, tired of feeling betrayed. I am tired of feeling sick and tired.

Gonna be a bear.

In this life I am a woman. In my next life, I’d like to come back as a bear.
When you’re a bear you get to hibernate. You do nothing but sleep for six months. I can do that.

Before you hibernate you’re supposed to eat yourself stupid. I can do that.

When you’re a girl bear you birth your children (who are the size of a walnut) while you’re sleeping and wake up to partially grown cute cuddly cubs. I can definitely do that.

If you’re a momma bear everyone knows you mean business. You swat anyone who bothers your cubs. If your cubs get out of line, you swat them too. I can do that.

If you’re a bear, your mate EXPECTS you to wake up growling. He EXPECTS that you will have hairy legs and excess body fat.

Yep, gonna be a bear!

Original Author Unknown and I did twaek it just a little. Enjoy!!!!

2007

It is hard to believe that it is 2007. I probably say this every year but I can’t believe I have made it this long. The world was supposed to implode; we would be invaded by aliens, the second coming of Christ, or when Florida and California both sunk back into the ocean. I have a few more but at 42 I don’t think I want to tempt fate too much.

I celebrated New Years by sleeping all day. I never left the house and vegetated. Fred and I had a nice long conversation and I think we will be able to finally get through this little hic cup we’ve been having. My life is not perfect by any means and I hesitated to write anything at all about my marriage but then again most people have no problems bragging about how good one’s life is so why can’t we talk about what is not right. Fred and I usually get along well enough we have much in common but we are also very hard headed. Sometimes that gets in the way but I am hoping we are beyond that now at least on this current incident. There will always be new things in our future that we will disagree upon.

I was up early this morning and went straight to Home Depot. I love Hope Depot. The girls and I wandered through the garden area searching for plants for the back yard. We found nothing. It is still too early. I want 2 Don Juan rose bushes to plant in the back yard and it is time to pull up the pineapples. Only one plant actually produced fruit but we have a sneaky suspicion Cujo tried to play with it because we found it knocked over last week. Cujo likes his toys and I can believe he thought the pineapple was there as his personal chew toy. You’d be amazed at what that dog will chew on.

Anyway I bought 2 bags of top soil and 6 more bags of mulch. I am trying to repair and fill in the trenches that my dogs seem to enjoy digging. To look at some of the holes you would think they were trying to dig to China. I think it was 2 weeks ago I used the mulch technique. It has not completely stopped the digging but it has slowed them down. I fill the hole with mulch and they are less likely to dig in that spot again. Today I made and new flower bed and mulched around the back door. The dogs are dragging in so much dirt it is unbelievable. I may have to mulch the entire back yard………….maybe not but it was a thought.

Shopping later on this afternoon and some minor cleaning will finish out my day. The kids go back to school tomorrow so I will have the house to myself again. This also means no sleep for me for the next two weeks. I go back to day shift on the 17th month; I am looking forward to getting back to a regular schedule. It will be nice to be able to sleep all night. It’s the work that will suck. I get to go back to the rat race of day time life the only thing good about day shift is it goes by pretty quick.