Okay. Here goes nothin'.

Here I am again, and oh my, Blogger has really changed since 2006 when I was heavy into mastering HTML to say what I wanted to say, in the colourful way I wanted to say it!  Now they even have a button to let me reveal my inner child type strike-out at will. 

What has happened since I was a blogger last?  That was back before I knew the meaning of "LOL"!  Been a long time.

My former business, and that of my hubby's, is a distant memory. In fact, the 2 buildings are now under the parking lot of the Big Food Emporium.  Do I miss them?  Not on your tintype! 

I worked at The Hotel, 2006 version, for the summer, until the fall when the owners skipped the country with all the lottery, booze, and payroll money.  Stiffed me 2 paycheques, the bastards. 

Then I worked at the 2007 version of The Hotel.  It opened in July, and I worked there for the summer, until November, when the Manager decided me and the Cook no longer needed to be there.  At least I got friendship with the Cook out of the deal, which was WAY more valuable than anything else in that miserable place.  Such auspicious beginnings, and it closed in 2009?  2010?  'Nuff said there. 

I was trucking with my beloved hubby, and I was going to get my Class 1 with Air, so I could REALLY be a trucker.  We had plans.  Lotsa plans.  Sadly, he got sick in December of 2007, and passed away of lung cancer in August of 2008.  All I can say is the "grief process" is different for every person, and I have little advice for anyone else.  I know DFC Smash is busy, trying to be "Eyes In The Smoke" for other firefighters out there.  He will be waiting for me some day.  I can't say I am in a hurry (most days) because we have 2 beautiful (grown) children I want to watch for a while longer.  My Lord Jesus and Mother Mary help me every day with missing him terribly.  'Nuff said about that.

I had to give up our house, it was too big and lonely for little old me, and I couldn't make the payments, anyway.  Remember when I said I was friends with the Cook?  Well, she was dumped, jilted, shit upon crapped on, by her live-in, who gave her the mobile home he had bought for them and skipped town.  She moved away (she really had no good feelings about living in this town after that) and her trailer sat empty.  But then, like an ANGEL of mercy, when I needed to find new digs she said, "Use my trailer!"  At least, that's what I heard.  After I had moved in, she told me that I didn't understand, she was giving me the trailer.  Whoa!  Really?  Wow!

I had just about unpacked, when the land upon which the trailer had been sitting for 35 years was sold.  Yup, gotta pack up everything and batten down the hatches, and move it.  Went from not owing anyone a cent, to bills around town, and a loan to pay the moving company to relocate to the "Trailer Court" on the edge of town.  Blessing In Disguise:  Found out it is really in pretty good shape, it felt rickety before because the underpinnings were rotten.  I hired professionals to move it, and it is now levelled and solid.  Unexpected Crap:  The Porch, the 3-season storage room : the years have not been so kind to it.  A corner of it is rotten, and it looks like it will be scrapped, even though it was solidly built (survived the move!) and it's gonna be tough nail-pullin' to take it apart.  I'll get re-unpacked someday.

My application to work for Home Care was accepted, and I started working almost immediately after the hotel fiascos, so I was pretty pumped!  It is a great job to help people who need it.  I love it.  Had a few false starts at trying to take Health Care Aide by correspondence.  As the years went by, I finally had enough hours of doing the job to take a crash course from a career college and get my Health Care Aide certification.  Yay!  Now if I can just get more than part-time, I will be a very happy camper.

There it is, five years in a 7-paragraph nutshell.  A big thank-you to the following, for making this production possible:  DFC Smash (together forever, although we're apart!), Clare McLeod (sister extroardinaire), Amma and Grampa (my adoptive parents!), Tato (my Dad), Sweetie and Spud (the best kids in the world), and last but not least, The Lady With The Wooly Socks, and the Short Lady With the Humungous Heart (they kept me laughing!).  Oh, and the Firefighters and their FireBelles (who helped keep me sane).  And anyone I've missed mentioning.  LOL!