Got up at 5:30 Sat. morning so I would have time to take a shower and wash my hair before yardsales. We leave at 6:45 so we won't miss the good stuff.

Yesterday was a very good day. I had told Linda that if I ever saw a toaster oven that looked good that was reasonably priced, I would get her one. She had been using my old one for the last year and a half. At one of the first sales we went to, we saw one that looked good, even had the instruction book with it, but it had no handle. I pointed that out to the guy having the sale and he said he had another one. He did. A nice clean one comlete with door opener. Only wanted $4 for it. Got it.
Then a couple of sales later, a lady had one a little smaller, but it looked like new. She only wanted $3 for it. Got it.

From then on, just about every sale we went to had toaster ovens. Didn't buy any more tho. Linda got the big one and Bobby gets the smaller one. Any body need anything?

I'm trying to remember what else I got. A like new pink clothes hamper, a new kind of paper towel holder, a shirt for Brittany. A yoyo for 50 cents that costs much more at Toys R Us that really yoyos good. Oh, 2 books. Usually I get a bunch of books, but I didn't see any I wanted to read til I got to the last sale. All in all, a good yard sale day.

Next week I'm going to see Sharon, so unless I get up and go at 6:45 and leave for Charlottesville at 10 AM, guess I'll miss the fun. Oh well, maybe I'll see some on the way and stop and browse.

We decided we'd get an early start on our trip to see Sharon. The plan was that Tommy and I would get up early and go to the community market while Rebecca got dressed. Well, I got up, showered, washed and fixed my hair and Tommy wouldn't get up. So, I went to the bank, got gas and went to the grocery store.

When I got home, they both got up and I fixed them some food. Tommy had showered the night before, so he just had to dress. Rebecca got ready and we finally left here at 10:10AM.

The traffic was a little heavy until we got to Chatham and then it cleared out and we made the whole trip up with out having a bathroom stop. I had packed drinks in a cooler and some snacks and peanuts. However, nobody needed anything to eat. They both took naps while I drove.

We got there and got checked in and patted down with no problem except now you can only have your car key off the keyring. Not a house key or any other. Rebecca ran the keyring back to the car and we finally got thru the check in stage. They had a nice airconditioned bus for us to ride to the visiting area, and we made that trip very fast.

After we got in, Tommy went to the snack and drink machines and got all of us a drink (Sharon had requested a Mt. Dew when I talked to her on the phone). She finally got to the visiting area at 1:40--we had been there for 10 minutes.

After she got there he went and got her some snacks and then we settled down to eat and talk. After a few minutes, the girl who took pictures came over and told us to come get our pictures made. So, we did. Theirs were real good. Mine, not so hot.

After we went back to our table, we finished our drinks and the girl brought the pics over and then, the guard came with our paper and said visiting time was up!
This after a three hour drive and not seeing her since last Oct. According to the clock, we had visited for 50 minutes.

Sharon called me last night and she said some of the inmates had had long visits.......a couple over 2 hours. But they were friendly with the guard on duty.

I'm gonna write the warden and tell her that a three or four drive ought to deserve more than a 50 minute visit.

All the guards were new since last time and all the female guards were very nice and friendly. The guy was a butt hole!

We had seen a yardsale on the road to Fluvanna, so we stopped on the way back. Rebecca got a couple of books and I got one and a dust pan. In Charlottesville, we stopped at the Goodwill store and Tommy bought a big sketch of a wharf, a new, still in box collector's knife and Rebecca got a new CD. Then a little further down the road we stopped at the Apple shack and bought a couple of apples and a couple of peaches and a green tomato and Tommy bought a knife for Chad.
Then we came on home. Tired, but happy.

Been a while since I wrote. Not because I don't have anything to write, but because I've spent the last week since Tommy and Rebecca left catching up on my sleep!

I've been going to yardsales with Richard, Tommy and Dan and have had a lot of fun, got some good buys and had some really good lunches. Last week I got a name brand push type walker for Coby and he's been having a great time walking by himself. Today he started walking and only holding on with one hand. By the time I get back from vacation he'll probably be walking without it.

I told Cindy tonight when we were talking about going to sales tomorrow that everything I'd worn to church this summer has been yardsale clothes. And I've gotten lots of compliments on them, too.

Last Sunday Margaret, my friend from church, and I went to Martinsville to the nursing home to take Mrs. Davis a bag the WW had fixed for the shut ins. She was so glad to see us and tickled that I had put a book in there for her. She told me that she hadn't had a good book to read in a coon's age.

Hayley came up last night and spent the night and got up early to go to King's Dominion with a friend. She called at 9:30 and said they were getting ready to leave and would be back here about 12:30 or 1:00. I guess she'll be going back home tomorrow.

Cindy came up this evening and we're going to yard sales in the morning. Only thing, while Tommy and Richard made me a good list, I don't know where half the streets are. Tommy is on call tomorrow and can't go and Richard said he was gonna take the morning off. I'll miss them. It's more fun to ride with someone and let them do the street finding, than having to drive and look yourself. Oh well, maybe we'll find some really good bargains that we can't live without.

Just got back from Carolina beach about 4 this afternoon. Had lots of fun and hated to come home. When I get rich I'm gonna own a beach house and spend lots of time there.

We went Sunday afternoon and Cindy rode down Wed. morning and spent the day. We had called and asked her to come Tuesday evening and stay the night because we had an extra bedroom, but she said she couldn't, but when she woke up Wed. morning she said she'd rather go to the beach than to work, so she came down.

I got red in peculiar places---my knees, my toes and the tops of my feet. But, I didn't do that on the beach or in the pool, I did that reading on the deck! I read two paper backs and one hardback while I was gone.

We're gonna start saving our extra(?) money so next summer we can get a big house and stay for a whole week. Can't wait!

Hot!! That ought to say it all. Susan had to work today and she works in a nice air-conditioned place and when she got home, she fretted about the heat the rest of the day. But, I'd turned on the air in the den, closed the kitchen windows, reversed the window fan to draw the cool through and the kitchen and den were very nice and cool. That is, until I cooked supper about 6:30. But it didn't take long for it to get the cool back. Now, she's sleeping in the den, wrapped up in a big fuzzy blanket and Sarah and I are making do with window fans.

It was kinda good to get back to babysitting, but on the the other hand, I kept thinking about last week on the beach. Like, last week at this time, I was in the ocean or last week I was in the pool, or walking on the beach. You know, stuff like that.

Brittany told me she "sure did miss" me and sorta stayed underfoot or on my lap everytime I sat down. We read some books I had bought her. She didn't even play doctor with her babies! Coby was glad to see me too. He'd pull up and put his lil hot head on my knee and just look at me. He can almost walk. He'd turn loose and take a step or two and then I guess he'd realize what he was doing and flop back down. Won't be long and he won't be a baby anymore. He'll be a year old Friday!

Next week Anna will be here a couple of days while April gets her room ready for school. Last time she was here, she watched me change Coby again, but this time she said "You know, I used to have one of those". I guess I looked funny at her cause she said, "But it fell off and grew up down there". What will she think of next? Stay tuned and see!

Another busy weekend, but a good one. We got an early start on yardsales and got some good buys.

Douglas had moved into his own apartment last week and needed a microwave and we found a really nice one. Also a big Pampered Chef frying pan with glass lid, 2 smaller frying pans,shirts for the girls, capris for me, books, lots of other stuff. Richard and Tommy got some good stuff, too.

Sunday after church, Margaret and I went to Martinsville to the nursing home to see Mrs. Davis and to take her and her room mate some stuff. Books, cookies, candy and drinks for Mrs. Davis and crochet needles and thread, cookies and candy and drinks for the room mate. They were really tickled.

Of course, before we got to the nursing home we had to eat, so we went to Country Cooking and ate like pigs.Then when we got home I went to Linda's to eat Doug's B'day dinner and stuffed myself again. But it was fun!!

Well, my birthday for this year is officially over. However, it was a good, food-filled one.

Emily had told me before she went on vacation that she was going to take me to Olive Garden in Greensboro for my B'day. She did and it was delicious! We had to go for lunch, tho, since she had to go to work at 4:45.

We ordered two different entrees and split them, so we both had an eating "experience". With the humongous salad and the bread, we hardly had room for dessert. But, we forced it! And when the waiter brought it, he also brought several other wait persons and they sang "Happy Birthday" to me in Italian.

Then, this afternoon about 5PM, somebody knocked on my front door and when I opened it, Richard and Tommy burst forth with a rousing rendition of "Happy Birthday"! They brought a lovely card shaped like a flower pot with a dollar for each of my years! Also, a box of cereal!!

This evening I went to Linda's for supper. Ever since Leanna was born on my B'day 12 years ago, we have always celebrated our B'days together. Linda and Leanna had cooked for us and we had chicken and dumplings, home grown butterpeas and okra and oreo cheesecake. Ummm, good! After we ate we exchanged gifts and about the time I was ready to leave Douglas showed up.

Tomorrow (Friday) I'm going out to eat again with Bobby and Teresa. At this rate, by Sunday I'm gonna be about 10 pounds heavier.

I had things for my B'day besides food. Sharon drew and hand colored 71 cards for me and sent them out in 3 different big envelopes. They arrived on 3 different days; the last being a countdown to my big day. I don't know where she got the inspiration or the strength to do that many original cards and put different sayings and verses in each one!

A lady at church made me a beautiful and good tasting B'day cake and brought it Wed. night to our meeting, I got phone minutes for my phone, new underwear, active wear capris and shirt, a suit for church, a fondue pot and chocolate to melt in it, cheese straws and almond truffles, more money and a couple of things that were ordered that haven't come yet. A very good day!!