ah Tuesday in the Valley

was absolutely fabulous....70 and windy .... a little rain would be nice. 

i don't think mom realized the camera was taking pictures....

A Day of Rest ( Not!)

  Although it really doesn't feel like I accomplished much today -- I did, the nasty's were waiting and 3 of them are done and filed away. 

  My car got washed.  The floors got vac'd.  The trash got emptied. 

  McD's for Breakfast, Taco John's for lunch with the Super Stampers (stamping diva's?) and back to work. 

  Lori, the haircut diva, cut my hair -- Robyn came in and copied away. 

It 'twas a good day....laundry awaits . . then off to bed

After all 18 days and counting!

Diva

Jan, Mom & Jean at the Women Celebrating Women Event ..

eureka .... lunch .....

hi ho hi ho  ... the bridge has re-opened  -- yesterday at 4:30 (just in time for our version of rush hour) ... i missed the announcement -- but noticed it on my trek homeward (9:30ish) ....

the sun has left us for the day and i actually needed my windshield wipers this morning -- a touch of rain and the weather dude says it's going to be 70' by wednesday --- we'll be doing the chicken dance in the street !!!

toodles
diva

Last Whine of March

are people flippin' nuts or what !!!

good grief I've had enough !!!

revolt on 3rd....

the saga will continue.....



special thanks to Skylar, Robyn & Deb for putting up with my ranting and raving after the nasty people leave, call or email me.....

okay now I feel better !!!! 

T . G . I. F.

  so I'm slamming down  my McDonalds breakfast....and well (sigh) it's Friday .... enough said -- happy weekend.

here's and aerial picture of the bridge -- looking south (upriver -- against the current toward the landing and levee park the chamber office and the pearly gates would be in the middle just to the right of the picture -- river's down 4' this week -- bridge should open over the weekend... hopefully, normal traffic to resume -- we need to get across for tomorrow's lunch....

the Good, the Bad and the UGLY

the good . . .
   I hear chirping birds -- outside my office window... too cool

the bad . . .
  the stacks are endless around here

the UGLY . . .
  if one more person whines about a 1099 I'm going to go postal .. balistic .. kill mode . .
  damn pieces of paper are WACKY.

missed it again

missed another deadline -- i kept thinking today was the 3rd tuesday not the 4th .... and two meetings scheduled for the same time.  dang it.

found a new blog to follow -- http://www.outsidemywindow.tk/ check it out ... there is a link to it with my blog favorites.

diva

Enough

good grief it's gotta be time to garden!!!!

ebb and flow

   the river has had it's first crest and per the radio this morning .... we may get a second crest this weekend....gotta love living in the Valley.... this shot came from the St. P Herald's Website

this is the farm we lived on back in the '60's --- and farmed until the '80's.... water's going thru the garage .... this shot from the Free Press

it's abandoned and vandelized ... not sure how when it's 40' off a four-lane highway -- you would think someone would notice ...

i took this back in the late '70's when all I could afford was black/white developing !!!!  i tried to get to this spot last night -- took Dad's beater out there -- didn't get stuck but the brush was pretty thick ....

we can drive accross the field road already -- dad went to the top of the back hill yesterday without using 4 wheel drive....jean, nick and jake (the puppy) came cruising thru last night on the atv's .... my atv is still at the office -- waiting for that last snow storm to arrive -- i'd really hate to have to shovel ....

Diva

Nick, the mean cat...

damn you my dish is empty -- i don't care if you think  i need to diet i need to eat

i could create my own comic strip from this dude -- he's the famous cat of 3rd street

Updates

  Still working on my Bucket List -- a whole week of blogging.  We are undersiege here in the Valley -- it's going to be tough to leave --- lots of road closures ---- yuck. 

  Below are pictures from the Mkto Free Press this morning and are for you family members from afar !! 

Here is the 99 (Broadway) Bridge over the MN River -- it is closed and will remain so until the river drops at least 3 feet.  It's still rising.  The 22 Bridge is still open.

This is looking South on the Northbound side of 169 -- a few hundred yards of the farmhouse we used to live in .... which is totally underwater (and has water flowing thru it) ... they built a temporary dike on the shoulder of the road an restricted traffic to one lane.  Ditto for southbound out of town -- down by the 7 Mile Creek Park area.

  I had grabbed my camera yesterday to wander down to the bridge -- but a headcold has attacked me and I didn't think it wise to wander around and get sicker.  Frankly I feel awful.  Drugs are helping but dang, I'm tired and cranky !!!

Think dry thoughts !!!!

Diva

the little things in life

  so, i had meeting with tax client today -- an old one I've had since the beginning... and she's losing her battle with cancer.  it's got me in the reflective mood....she told me she's working on her "bucket list" and wished she started sooner.  she's pretty frugal and conservative (like a lot of us) -- she promised me she'd spend her refunds on something frivolous from her "list"....

  she was also giving out advice -- live laugh and love with no regrets....

  i'm going to start my list ....

Diva

ps.  thanks for the advice EO!

water water water everywhere

  get out the boat -- it'll be needed shortly --- there was whitecaps in the meridian on my trek home tonight -- splashing the road ... I'm willing to bet by noon tomorrow --- we'll be down to "local traffic only" -- after all the next 100 year flood is happening as I type.

  skylar and I took drive this afternoon to check out the flooding....I forgot the camera ....


M


 

Happy St. P Day

   Although here in St. Peter, we should be painting the town BLUE --- for the Girl's Basketball team -- GO GIRLS --- they've already left town for the Tournament --- at the Target Center -- and I can't go.  Damn. 

   The always entertaining and lovely St. P parade is 5:30 this evening and I'm sure will be all of 30 minutes and the public will be entertained.  The big clean up arrives shortly thereafter. 

   I pulled this pix from the Free Press's webside .... the water is rising.  So far it's just high here but upsteam it's flooding.  Basement is dry !Hoping it stays dry over the next couple of days and we'll be okay.  The incoming clients have all mentioned the tile lines and drainage ditches are still froze and not running so....

Diva

So . . .

    I read an article in the paper last Sunday about a teacher challenging her students to "disconnect" for a week -- no IPOD's, no Facebook, no cell phones .... I think this particular teacher was on to something.  Facebook is/can be addicting -- although I learn way to much personal info about some of my "friends" -- I do enjoy the picture sharing ...

   It's been a busy week on 3rd street -- I must say I look good today .... my internet shopping arrived via the mail yesterday and I'm wearing my new duds!  Now if it would truly warm up and stay warm.  The river is rising and it sounds like road closures are in our future.  It'll happen and we can't do anything about it.

Diva

the 7th Day

yes, these are tulips popping thru on 3rd street and a mere 5 ft away is this heap of snow

i came home in the daylight ... strange feeling, but i did and look what i found on my stroll

and i found the bird house gourds -- safe and sound in the culvert i stashed them in -- hopefully the wildlife won't find them and start to nibble -- they are encased in a block of ice....

diva

and next up is another

100 year flood.  river's got a huge ice jam below our house and it's backed up all the way to town...the meridan is filling up fast.   rumor is the "flood gates" in henderson are going to be closing tomorrow morning.  

shit happens


diva

This Week's News

  .... other than the thunderstorm and frost prediction ...

  .... so the big debate on 3rd Street is... should I or should I not run for the open County Commissioner Seat in my district.  been thinking about it for almost a month now and I'm waffling both directions.  all levels of government are facing financial challenges ... I don't think I'm a polititican (spelling?) and I'm definately not a campaigner ... but . . anyway still mulling over the choice .... let me know what you think.
 
  ..... have elder's pickup truck today -- got him changing oil and rotating the tires on "Bessie" --- he's got more time than I and it needs to be done ... might interupt his TV watching -- Hockey Tournament Time -- I don't think he's missed too many of the games so far....it's on 12 hours a day ...  and the really big question is.... will he wash it too?  doubtful it's still mud season -- although our driveway isn't as bad as I thought it would be....

Diva

OMG -- thunder, lightening, rain

Okay -- 7:30 am we had thunder, lightening, rain......

This means.....

    frost on September 11th .....


The first frost of the year is always 6 months after the first thunderstorm.


The rain is doing wonders on the snowbanks, snowpiles, snowheaps.

M

All the things a working woman needs....

so here is skylar hard at work

computer, telephone, coffee cup, water bottle, cell phone, post it notes, hand sanitizer, comfy chair (?), supervising cat in box ... it's never dull on 3rd street...

aaahhh spring warmth

 for the first day in months i was finally warm......

it was almost 50' -- still had the long johns, turtleneck and fleece jacket --- heavy socks, but i was warm....

the melting continues....next up is more rain....the mountain of snow is gradually shrinking, my gazing ball is half exposed and a couple of landscape lights are peeking out.....

next up -- baseball and tulips!!!


m

fog

the fog comes
on little cat feet.

it sits looking
over harbor and city
on silent haunches
and then moves on.

carl sandborg



during the foggy moments this winter i was quoting mr. sandborg ... word for word .... thank you Mr H for Poets Corner ... it's still tattoo'd in my foggy mind.

all my bags are packed

 i'm ready to go -- and not on a jet plane .... watched a classic peter, paul & mary on pbs yesterday .... in the middle of the night, it's pledge week so they re-run the really good stuff.  actually i think jd may have wrote that one....need to check on that.

my tote bag for the office awaits me by the back door .... $$$$, tape drive, sweatshirt and extra shoes.... i brought home the accumulation of clothing from the office and a load is washing as i type (at 6:02am) ... off to 3rd street -- appears to be foggy.

the snowpiles were soaking up the rain last night -- and they were shrinking a bit..... just a bit, now we'll have the dirty snow look until it's gone.  there is no hope that my tulips will be blooming for the big day, i doubt they will even get exposed....

off to work ....

diva

nick and his buddy gordy --

SB & RH

Robyn and her clean desk.....her desk is always clean....

skylar and the $$$, I can't believe some people still pay in cash... notice the copier -- it was actually working at this time...repair man made a couple of trips last week and the dang thing better work all weekend ....

T G I F (and screamin' it )

  okay, it's Friday and thankfully.  I realized on my morning commute (yes 2 miles is a commute) -- that the gas station and restaurant were closed when I left last night and still closed when I returned this morning.   and yes, it's always dark during my travels.  It's hard to believe but next week is daylight savings time switcheroo already.  Next is St. Paddy's Day (and no I'm not the QUEEN -- not for lack of lobbying) then Easter and lastly the BIG DAY. 

  so it rolls -- have a great FRIDAY !!!!  and a melting weekend :) :)

Marie

the above pix -- was a live shot at 6:05 .... dawn is cracking

** important stuff **

  so i received and email late yesterday from my internet service provider --- informing me that a "claim of copyright infringement" was assigned to the IP address assigned to me by my provider.  i started thinking and called the provider this morning...and i was told to contact my computer geek -- someone within my office had downloaded a "movie" from Worldwide Sony Pictures  or someone had hacked into my system or someone had access to my IP addresses etc.....so

 computer geek (dr lee) chatted with provider and i chatted with provider and it got scarier .... in the end my old IP address from when i first became a customer was giving to another customer and they were doing nasty things.

  sheer panic went thru my mind.  i have lots of personal data on lots of people.  i'm getting way to old for stress like this.  the provider kept insisting it was happening in this building and i knew it wasn't -- i'm thinking they owe me .... free internet if nothing else.....ugh.

  yoga did nothing to increase my inner peace.  nor did the takeout chinese on the way back to the office.

peace
diva
 

drip drip drip

i hear the melting

it's a wonderful sound


diva

(sigh)

okay, monday is over
roll on in tuesday
wednesday is hump day
thursday is grey's day
friday is heaven
saturday is ahhhh
sunday is omg monday's coming

and it comes every week

45 days and counting (that's 44 nights too)

diva