Since our friends, Brett and Christa, introduced us to trout fishing in southern Missouri 10 years ago, we have gone several times a year to this little paradise…It’s a feeling when we drive down into Bennett Spring State Park that we are home…it is comfort, it is relaxing, it is total happiness.  We didn’t get to go with Brett and Christa’s family last October for the annual family get together because we were dealing with mom’s death, Aunt Frances’ death and everything that went along with it.  Little did we know that there would not be fishing with Brett this year…I have struggled with going to Bennett this year and so far, we haven’t been there…Although he and I have been there alone and with Katy several times without Brett, I just couldn’t wrap my head around being there without him…turn the page…but I know it was his favorite place on earth and just being there would be like being with him..I truly believe his spirit is up there in campground number 5.

A couple weekends ago, we stumbled upon Diamond Lake which is 25 minutes from our house.  This is a small county lake with a few campsites…one campsite in particular felt like home so we spent some time there earlier this week.  We were right on the lake, with our own fishing jetty, it was the only other place I have been camping that feels like home.

See why it is named Diamond Lake…..

Until next time….

Isn’t everyone supposed to have this day off…I’ll have to google Labor Day and get the true meaning..I don’t think I’ve ever known…while it is impossible for everyone to have this day off…ie emergency services, police officers, hospital workers, I wonder why we don’t celebrate people who actually work (oops little slip there) and give everyone the day off…Do we really need to go to Walmart today?  For the most part, it marks the end of summer…Period…at least it used to mark the beginning of school, but of course in our effort to have excellent schools for testing, we have forgotten how important summer vacation is to kids and perhaps, if I may add, to actually teach kids to send them out in the world, rather than to just be excellent test takers for the government stats…sorry…little rant there but Katy really got me thinking about it again.

Had a very nice weekend…Both girls and one son-in-law were home…we celebrated Sarah and Layne in our friend-family with a baby shower on Saturday…then “he” and I and the kids went to Hu Hot in Des Moines for supper…then a stop at Cold Stone or as he and Carl call it…Stone Cold…Jenny was not happy with her ice cream…so unhappy, that we actually heard about it for the next 48 hours.  People, Ice Cream – the right way – is important to us Browns.

Sunday morning we met the Balmer family at LaCabana for lunch…Ryan immediately ticked off the waiter for asking for the Speedy Gonzalez since it was only Sunday…he should have ordered the #1…we enjoyed the two beautiful grandbabies especially since 10 month old Natalie didn’t cry when I held her.  Off to Carl and Jane’s for dessert and a little visit before J and R left for KC and we took Katy to Iowa City to board the MegaBus for an overnight trip back to Ohio.

While the girls were attending the baby shower, “he” and Dave took the sailboat out on Rock Creek Lake and didn’t drown.  I think in the future, we will have the sailboat for the adventurous and the pontoon for the less active – ME…but I need to learn how to drive it, I guess :0

Would love to do something outside today. Rain rain go away.  He says it will end by noon…hmmm doubt it!!

Until  next time… did I mention, I’m on vacation ….

I am very thankful today is my last day before many vacation days off…I think the count is actually 15.  But I payed for it this morning…I first had a man call to tell me what kind of truck his runaway daughter was in which I needed to get dispatched but didn’t because his call was followed by a mother who had an address in the capital city where her runaway son was…I notified the department and they sent an officer over to find him..in the meantime, I had an older man call with difficulty breathing, I wanted to keep him on the line until the amb could get there and his voice was sounding weaker and weaker until I lost him…I didn’t know if he had passed on or he hung up, back at the runaway problems, I got a tty (teletype) from the capital city agency advising they had our runaway what did I want to do…just like in everything else, there are rules and the #1 rule is you have to respond in 10 minutes to a warrant or missing person’s request unless you can provide an excuse and a time it will take you to respond…important but no one’s life is on the line except the Mr that I can no longer talk to…I keep calling his name meanwwhile getting numerous wireless 911 calls to report that there is a car in the busy intersection that lost a wheel..getting people to tell me whether there are injuries was like pulling teeth…everyone has a story…I wanted to get back on the phone with Mr breathing problem so I finally got curt and said to several cell phone heros..ya..I got it… all I want to know is someone injured… can’t anyone just answer the question….

Mr. Breathing problem then comes back to me – sounds like he might be on another phone but at least he is back…then I”ll be damned…911 rings again…I can’t answer with my headset but have to pickup a handset that sits between the two consoles, meanwhile while answering, I hear the ambulance arraive but Mr. Breathing problem doesn’t want to hang up until he actually sees someone in person..who can blame him.so with headset in one ear and handset at the other ear, I hear a little person voice…all I can get is Lake street and I know that is in Colfax but when she hears me hangup with mr. breathing problem and I disconnect from him…she disconnects from me…I call our local 911 service provider to track the number and they come up zilch, zero…pretty soon this sweet little 8 year old calls again to tell me she thinks she gave me the wrong address and gives me another address (which is wrong also) but her mom, she thinks, is having a heart attack, I recognize that it is probably a seizure and just from experience I suspicion diabetic because she tells me that mom fell, dropped the cereal bowl all over the floor and is shaking…I asked her if mom takes a shot everyday and she tells me yes…meanwhile mom started shaking 2 more times before the amb gets there.  This is one of those incredible kids that you hear about on TV saving someone by calling 911…very animated and matter of fact but is afraid mom is going to be mad she called because mom hates to go to the hospital.  Finally my 10:00 help came riding in on a white horse and started picking up the slack…it’s great to have a partner like the one I have today…no questions…just get busy…not think about it…you just do it.

The initial runaway took care of itself, the daughter returned in the truck…and then the call comes from the woman who is watching her girlfriends teenage children and they have a friend over and they have locked themselves in the bedroom and won’t come out – they need an officer.

…..Saturday is off to a great start…but hang on –

I’m on vacation in 3.5 hours…….

After every large planned event in my life, I assume that life will get back to normal…and let me tell you, my large planned events are really only large in my mind; the other newsflash today…there IS NO NORMAL.

We are so close to being finished cleaning and updating our old house to rent out that I can feel it.  We have to get this done because we need some money coming in to pay for the necessary things like taxes, electric, insurance…we just can’t seem to get it done…

Phil got the pontoon remodled and the motor running, I have plans to get it out on the lake.

We sold the camper and have everything moved into the new camper, I have plans to go camping.

I have lots of things I need to get listed on ebay and/or get taken to the antique store and I have plans to do that.

There are several things we need on the new house like garage doors, repair the front door, get a bathroom door put in, buy valances for the living room and window shades for the rental house, I have plans to get that done.

Vacation is lurking – I would really like to get away but there is too much to do.  He and his brother got a good deal on a sailboat yesterday, I DON’T HAVE TIME.

Do I really not have time or am I just mismanaging my time…I think I’m tired all of the time because I’m mentally swamped every day with the things I need to do that I don’t get anything done and the cycle begins every morning when I get out of bed and I go to bed very disappointed in another identical day.

Am I normal?