The Sun rising over the Mountains this morning was magnificent! I love to watch as the Sun peeks out from behind the Mountains and throws rays of light and shadows across the landscape. The perfect way to start the day. I can't wait until it gets a little warmer so I can sit on the porch and watch.

Quick note on the Yankee/southerner thing. As my grandson gets older, I'm having more difficulties in understanding him. He tries to be patient with me, and he'll even tell me to repeat him as he sounds out each part of the word. My husbands' parents and all of his siblings were born in Tn......and even though he was raised in Michigan, he talks a little bit like a southerner, and, once in awhile I get tripped up on some of his words. They both get a good laugh out of me when I don't understand what they're saying. You'd think after being here this long that I would get it. My grandson was born here and is being raised here, so I'm sure that there will be more confusion in the future. I get tripped up on the word light ALOT! It sounds like lot to me. Sometimes I remember to stop myself before I say, "what did you say?" but alot of times I forget, and he gets so frustrated with me(poor guy). Most times ladder sounds like lotter, which I confuse in my interpretation as lighter, which brings me right back to where I started from. PLEASE tell me there's hope for me!

3 mechanics later, and we still don't know what's wrong with the car! I'm not going to fuss about it. I'll just drive it till it dies. I have never had a Certified Mechanic tell me that they didn't know what was wrong with a car.

As hard as I try, I don't seem capable of blogging every day. I should, because it helps relieve stress, and it's fun of course, but I don't. So, I will do my best to find the time.

The last 10 days I've been incapacitated with an injured back. Apparently, I shouldn't be playing Super Hero's with my grandson. I know I'm not bullet-proof, but I was sure that I could withstand a couple of rounds with Bakugan, Transformers, Ninja Turtles, and any new Karate moves my grandson had learned during the week. Of course, I had to play the enemy in each game.

Video games; remember the Atari? The innocent games that were created for it? Ah, the good old days. My daughter is letting her son play some pretty graphic video games. I don't want to sound like an ancient Mamaw, but the games he brings with him when he comes over to visit are extreme. He's 6 yrs. old, and he's into anything that has to do with fighting. I'm sure it's normal, but it doesn't seem right that a 6 yr. old is playing a "blood & guts" video game. I don't let him play them at our house, but what good does that do if he does it at home?

I can't wait for Spring!!! I am so over this Winter! I want to see flowers, & leaves, & grass again! I got spoiled when I moved to Tn.....so many mild Winters, & then BAM! here comes one with a little snow, and I start complaining. There has been 2 "Bad" Winters since we moved here. I shouldn't fuss about any of it, because we have been here for 8 1/2 yrs.!

We have some huge projects we have to accomplish over the Spring & summer. The largest is a 45 ft. long retaining wall. It's going to be tough, but we have to get it done.

Everything has worked itself out. I let myself get stressed out so badly that I get physically ill, even though I know, somehow, everything will be ok. In the past few years I have turned into a worrier. Not a good thing. Just another hurtle I have to jump.
My daughter is back to work, I have my car back, my lungs are feeling much better, and my check finally cleared! I paid off some bills, which definitely lowered my stress level. This week I'm taking the car in to see what the damages are, and if it's not too outrageous, I'm going to have them fix it, and I'll keep it. I'm not going to put more than $1000.00 into it.
The weather that we have been having is unbelievable! Thank god it only happens once in a blue moon! My friends from Michigan are teasing me about the snow. I always e-mail the 6 day forecast for Knoxville to them. They live in Northern Michigan, and let's just say Winter has NOT been very kind to them this year.

I am trying my best to think positive, and have a cheerful outlook on life, but this week has made it very rough to keep the faith. Last Friday, my daughter's car broke down, had to pick her & my grandson up, take her home, and then I brought my grandson home with me. Saturday she finds out that a rod went through the motor. She wanted my car so she could make it to work. I gave her the car Saturday morning. she made it to work Sunday, and Monday she didn't go to work because MY car wouldn't start! Tuesday it started, she went to work, was there for 2 hours, got ill suddenly, had to go to the hospital, and has been in bed ever since. She has the stomach flu. She says she's feeling better, but she sounds terrible.
I'm starting to get a little claustrophobic because I've been stuck at the house all week. We have another vehicle, but D.J. drives that to work. We have a truck in the driveway, but the heat doesn't work(we haven't had very good luck with vehicles lately) except.....the vehicle that D.J. drives to work. She's so reliable it's unbelievable. It's unbelievable because she's 25 yrs. old, and only has 50,000 original miles on her. She's an 84 Buick Regal.

I have a check sitting in my bank account that has an 11 day hold on it(not including weekends). That means about 3 weeks it will clear(maybe). Problem is, I really need the money to get another car; reliable transportation is a must. My bank is holding this redemption check because it's drawn off of Wells Fargo. Nice, huh? Pain in my butt.

And last but not least, I haven't been well this week. Some sort of infection in my lungs. I decided I would do my Spring cleaning early since I was stuck at home anyway, but this lung problem has really slowed me down. So this is where the frustration comes in. It's freezing outside, I'm not feeling well, my daughter's sick and missing alot of work, my car is all the way across town, and my check won't be "available" until Feb. 2nd(or later). What's that saying; Oh yes, "When it rains, it pours." Maybe I should just buy a horse & buggy. I think it would be more reliable transportation. Put some hand warmers in my gloves, and foot warmers in my boots, and throw a couple of quilts over me and Giddy up!!! It's something to think about.